What if there were simple ways you could help your cat or dog maintain optimal urinary and bladder health? Things you could do right at home to support your pet's health – even into old age?
I’m pleased to let you know there are things you can do to help your pet maintain optimal urinary tract and bladder health.
You can get started today -- And I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how simple they are to do.
However, I want to be very clear...
None of the steps I’m about to share with you replace professional care if your pet is currently experiencing a urinary tract or bladder problem. Bladder Support for Pets is not intended for pets with these conditions.
It’s important that you know the symptoms that might mean your pet needs help...
Please Don't Ignore These Signs – See Your Vet Now
What are some of the signals that warrant a visit, or at least a call to your vet – sooner rather than later?
- Your cat is urinating in places other than her litter box
- Your dog is suddenly urinating around the house
- Your cat is making more frequent trips to the litter box
- There's visible blood in your pet's urine or litter box, or urine is dark or cloudy
- Your pet is unable to pass urine, or passes very little
- Your pet is straining to urinate or crying out in pain
- Your pet is constantly licking his urinary openings
- Your pet has suddenly lost bladder control and is dribbling urine
- Your pet is vomiting, appears lethargic, and doesn't want to eat
- Your pet is drinking more water than usual
These are all signs that may indicate a potentially serious issue with your pet's urinary tract or bladder. It's important to get your pet, along with a urine sample, to your vet as soon as possible.
Don’t second-guess or wait... Please know that your pet’s life could be at risk.
Could Your Pet Use Some Extra Support for Her
Bladder or Urinary Tract Health?
Assuming none of the above signals apply to your cat or dog, your pet can benefit from extra urinary tract health support.
This is especially true for:
- Certain cat breeds, including Persians, Himalayans, Russian Blue Siamese, Birman, and the Egyptian Mau
- Cats living indoors (although I'm not suggesting you convert your kitty to an outdoor lifestyle)
- Pets in stressful living conditions
- Overweight pets
- Male cats
- Pets living a sedentary lifestyle
- Spayed or neutered pets
- Older female dogs
That’s not all... There are two other factors I believe may indicate your pet needs extra support for her less-than-optimal urinary tract or bladder health.
And they both have to do with the pH of your pet’s urine – and his or her diet.
Many pet owners don’t realize the connection between urine pH and bladder health. So let’s talk briefly about how you can help maintain optimal urinary and bladder health in your pet, simply by paying attention to diet.
A Little-Known Dietary Factor That Can Contribute to
Your Pet's Urinary Health
First, to understand your pet’s urine pH, let’s take a quick look at the pH scale.
As you can see in the diagram below, 7 is the center or neutral point in the acid-alkaline scale.
Greater than 7 is increasingly alkaline; a score less than 7 is increasingly acidic.
Cats and dogs, being natural carnivores, are designed to have a slightly acidic urine pH, optimally between 6 and 6.5 on the pH scale. This is the ideal pH for your pet’s urinary and bladder health.
Not surprisingly, diet affects the pH of your pet’s urine.
Because dogs’ and cats’ bodies are designed for eating meat, when they eat a species-appropriate diet containing meat and very few carbs, their urine naturally falls between 6 and 6.5 – the slightly acidic range that’s ideal for urinary tract health.
However, when cats and dogs eat a “grain-free” (usually potato-based) or grain-based diet – and that’s what most commercial dog and cat foods provide – urine pH can change and rise into the alkaline range.
Even a slight shift in pH can affect urinary and bladder health.
And there’s one more issue with commercial dog and cat foods that’s linked to your pet’s urinary tract and bladder health – the moisture content of the food...
Cats Especially Depend on Their Food to Meet
Daily Water Requirements
Compared to other animals, cats don't have a strong thirst drive. Cats are designed to get just about all the water they need from their food.
A healthy cat won't lap up water like dogs or other animals. They're often more interested in just watching or playing with it...
Cats in the wild hunt and eat prey, which contains about 75 percent water. Canned cat food usually contains at least that amount of moisture.
Dry food contains only about a tenth of that amount – far from what's best for your cat.
Less water in his food means your cat must drink more water – a lot of water – to make up the difference. And, by nature, he's not likely to do so.
Water is needed to produce urine, and since your cat's lower urinary tract – especially the bladder and kidneys – require constant flushing with lots of urine for optimal health, getting enough water is crucial.
The Link Between Diet and Urinary Tract Health
A study published in 1999 by a pet food company discovered the urinary tract health of cats fed canned food was considerably better than that of cats fed a dry food diet.
You might be wondering... Why do some veterinarians recommend feeding dry high-carb diets?
Sadly, this study and others conducted over the last dozen years showing similar results haven’t been enough to influence the feeding recommendations of many traditional veterinarians. It’s baffling, at best, to me...
In light of these findings, I do suggest you take a serious look at other feeding options if you’re still feeding your pet, especially your cat, a dry food diet.
Of course, my top recommended diet is species-appropriate raw food, but any increase in the amount of moisture in your pet's food is a step in the right direction.
Everyday Steps You Can Take to Help Your Pet Enjoy Optimal Urinary and Bladder Health
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If you’re a dog parent, here are steps you can take to help your pup maintain optimal urinary and bladder health:
- Keep your dog well-groomed and bathed.
By keeping your dog's genital area clean, you'll also be helping to support her bladder and urinary tract health.
Trim away long hair from around your dog's genitals to help keep the area clean.
- Allow your dog to urinate frequently.
Give her breaks as often as possible so urine doesn't sit in her bladder for long periods. If it is not convenient to allow her outside every 3 hours or so, consider installing a pet door.
Just as with cats, plentiful water intake and frequent urination are nature's way of cleansing the bladder and urinary tract.
And here are some tips that apply to both cats and dogs...
- Don't allow your pet to drink potentially hazardous water.
By keeping your dog's genital area clean, you'll also be helping to support her bladder and urinary tract health.
Trim away long hair from around your dog's genitals to help keep the area clean.
- If your pet is currently eating a commercial dry food, consider transitioning him to a moist or raw diet.
Keep in mind that carbohydrates, especially grains, are alkalizing to your pet's urine and may cause a shift in pH.
As I mentioned earlier, as you transition him to a more acidic diet – as close as possible to a species-appropriate diet that is naturally low in carbs – the more ideal for your pet's urinary health.
If you are feeding your cat canned food, try adding a small amount of warm water for extra moisture.
- Pick up uneaten portions of moist or raw meals immediately so your pet won’t consume spoiled or contaminated food.
That's Not All... The Natural Nutrients I Recommend for Supporting Your Pet's Urinary Tract and Bladder Health
Most likely you’ve heard of how humans sometimes drink cranberry juice to help maintain their urinary tract health. Maybe you’ve even tried it yourself...
I’m not suggesting you feed sweetened cranberry juice to your cat or dog.
Regular bottled or frozen cranberry juice has far too much sugar for your pet.
However, there is a naturally occurring substance in cranberry extract, and a few other fruits, too, called D-Mannose.
Introducing Bladder Support for Pets – Designed
Especially for Cats and Dogs
My Mercola Healthy Pet readers are no different from the pet owners I see in my clinic. All are eager to help their pets maintain optimal urinary tract and bladder health.
So, to assist pet owners everywhere, I've formulated what I consider a superior blend for bladder and urinary tract support for both cats and dogs.
My Bladder Support for Pets contains both Organic Cranberry Extract and D-Mannose, along with 7 other herbs and nutrients.
Here are the other active ingredients that I’ve chosen to be part of my pet-friendly, natural liver-flavored Bladder Support:
- Glucosamine Sulfate and N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine
Glucosamine occurs naturally in your pet's body and is found in connective tissue. It's one of the building blocks of the protective lining of the bladder.
- MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane)
MSM is an important source of bio-available sulfur, a natural antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. Sulfur is stored in nearly every cell in your pet's body.
- Organic Marshmallow Root
Marshmallow root, an herb, is rich in mucilage.
- Organic Cornsilk
The silky strands that line an ear of corn, cornsilk contains soothing polysaccharides.
- Organic Nettles Leaf
The leaves are rich in calcium, chlorophyll, iron, zinc, chromium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D, and K.
Stock Up Now – And Help Support Your Pet's Bladder Health
Now it’s easier than ever to help your pet experience optimal bladder health.
Simply add the liver-flavored powder to your pet’s food or to a treat, or you can mix it with broth to feed as a liquid. If you give it to your pet with broth, please ensure she drinks all of it.
Why wait when you can take action today to help your pet maintain optimal bladder and urinary tract health?
I recommend Bladder Support for all cats and dogs. If you are the pet parent of a middle-aged or older cat or dog, please consider it to help your pet maintain healthy urinary tract and bladder function into his or her later years.
Stock up today on Bladder Support for Pets!