Are you looking for healthy dog food options to promote urinary health?
Proper nourishment and exercise are necessary key components in keeping your dog healthy. Providing a means to keep their bodies active through exercise is one way you can achieve this. Even so, you need to provide an ample amount of food and water. This does wonders for their sustenance and also helps their urinary health.
To ensure that your dog’s urinary tract remains healthy, you need to pay attention to what you feed them. Today, we will look at dog food for urinary health. We look at the dos and don’ts in choosing what they consume for nourishment. We will also cover the other details on issues that target the canine urinary tract.
The Canine Urinary Tract: Why is it Important?
Let us look at the urinary tract real quick before we proceed in choosing dog food. First, this particular system helps with processing and expelling waste products. Parts of this system include the kidneys and the bladder.
Dogs would urinate to purge the waste out of their system. They would also use this to mark their territory. In this case. urine leaves their scent behind, alerting other dogs of their presence.
Water plays a significant role for dogs. Most especially with how it helps with the urinary tract’s functions. The water helps dilute the substances found in urine. Thus lessening the concentration of various minerals and other cells. This helps lessen the chances of developing any form of stones within the kidneys.
Urinary Tract Issues in Dogs
This time, let us look at the issues that would affect the dog’s urinary health. This also includes the symptoms in each to help you identify them.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
This is one of the more common infections that affect dogs. Even so, it can also complicate and end up affecting the kidney if left unattended. This is how a urinary tract infection (UTI) can prove fatal to your pet.
Kidney or Bladder Issues
This one occurs when you have minerals crystallizing within the urinary tract. These crystals aggregate into stones. Small stones can get passed through urine while large ones end up blocking the urinary tract.
The crystals would usually comprise of magnesium ammonium phosphate, calcium oxalate, or calcium phosphate. Other times, it would comprise of silica or uric acid. These crystals tend to be microscopic but they would adhere to each other once they unite.
If they unite, you end up with small grains of sand-like material. Enough accumulation would result in stones within the kidney. This would obstruct the tract as mentioned earlier.
Either way, the presence of stones can inflict pain on your pet when urinating. This is also a dangerous issue if left alone.
Incontinence
For older dogs, such as the ones at age seven and older, there is a possibility that they would also lose their capability to control their urethral sphincter. This leads to the dog leaking urine out of the bladder. This particular issue is notably easy to spot.
Kidney Failure
This is among the worst possible issues that your pet may encounter. The cause for this would usually involve the dog ingesting a toxic substance. The result for that is kidney failure, where you should get this treated as soon as possible.
Symptoms for Urinary Tract Issues
How would you spot these issues on your pet? Some telltale signs and symptoms can help you check if your pet suffers from these issues. There would be notable changes in their behavior.
Here are some of the signs that you have to keep an eye on. This can help as an indicator if there is something wrong with the dog.
- Frequent Urination
- Small Drips
- Struggling with Urination (Painful)
- Blood in Urine
- Restlessness
- Repeated licking of genitals
- Reduced appetite
- Loss of energy
- Foul-smelling urine
- Urinating in unusual areas
- Fever
- Lower Back Pain
- Abnormal pH levels (below 6 or above 7)
These symptoms are something that you should pay attention to. Aside from behaviors, you can also have the pH levels of the dog’s urine checked to see if there are any abnormalities. Using testing kits can help you determine if their urine leans toward acidic or alkaline.
If you notice any of these, you need to take your dog to the vet. They can help you in addressing these issues, as well as provide advice on what to do.
Where Does Dog Food Come In?
Now, with these issues laid out, we can see the common thread here regarding water. In this case, it pertains to the amount of water they take in. Though there is another factor that also comes to play aside from how much water the dog takes into its body.
In this case, it is in the components contained in dog food. Aside from having the necessary nutrients found in many of the ingredients within dog food, one of the other aspects that you can influence is the PH levels.
With the right dog food and copious amounts of water, you can bring the dog’s pH levels to a balanced state. Also, the amount of water helps in stopping the onset of kidney stones and bladder crystals.
Picking the Right Kind of Dog Food for Urinary Health
This time, let us look at the options available. With these details, we now have some pointers to consider as to what to pick for the food. Here are some pointers to consider when looking.
Check the Dog Food’s Brand History and Specifications
First, you need to consider the dog food’s brand history. What you need here is a brand that you can trust. For this, check the company’s history and look into the details regarding their products.
Another area to check into is in the ingredients and where they sourced them. This should give you an idea of what goes into your dog's food. Lastly, make sure the food is in the appropriate stage for your dog.
Canned Food with High Moisture Content
Next, make sure that you choose the dog food that has high moisture content. This can help in increasing your dog’s water intake.
Moderate Amounts of Protein
The next thing you need to check is the amount of protein included in the dog food. Make sure that it is of a moderate amount. Those with urinary tract issues would not do well with a high-protein diet.
The reason why you should avoid going for high-protein is due to the decrease in pH. This turns the urine to become acidic instead.
Rich in Omega-3, Fiber, and Other Helpful Ingredients
This is another thing you should look into. When it comes to nutrients, Omega-3 helps with the urine. You also have fiber to help with increasing the absorption of vitamins and nutrients.
Meanwhile, you also have antioxidants to bolster their immune system. Combine these with the right number of vitamins and minerals for a nutritious meal for your pet, such as Vitamins E and B for kidney health.
Restrict Certain Ingredients
Some necessary minerals can aid in the dog’s nourishment. For these, you might need to watch the levels and manage how much they take in due to how some dogs display adverse reactions when processing them. These minerals include magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus.
Beware of Inflammatory Ingredients
When choosing food, avoid the ones that cause inflammation. In this case, avoid including grains, refined carbohydrates, or high-starch ingredients. These can only worsen inflammation.
Balance the pH Levels
One way to aid your dog is to help it balance its pH levels. In this case, choose foods that can bolster the alkaline count that the pH range does not end up being too acidic or too alkaline. To help in the balance, adding some vegetables to the meal can bolster the alkaline levels.
Other Ways to Help the Dog
Now you know what to get for dog food. Make sure to check the ingredients and the nutrients that it provides. This also applies to pet treats, especially when those provide the same ones that your dog needs.
Of course, make sure to increase the water intake as much as you can. Encourage it by adding more water to the bowl and providing it wet food. Focus on moisture and taste on the dog food while providing the needed nutrients.
Use the Best Dog Food for Urinary Health
When situations like this happen, dog food for urinary health can help your dog avoid such circumstances. If already afflicted with urinary tract problems, you can also follow these guidelines for better recovery. As long as you have ample water, your dog should be able to normalize and recover.
Another thing to note is that when dogs have urinary issues, they can't control their bladder well, so having a washable waterproof dog bed for them to rest and recover on that has a waterproof liner and a machine washable cover is vital so you don't have to throw their bed away when they can't control their bladder on their bed.
We also have a means for your dog to recover and rest with our bully beds and our various pet bedding. You can check out the bully bed and our other products today. Find the best one that suits your furry companion now!
