Cranberries for your pet? A Natural Alternative to Maintaining a Healthy Urinary Tract

Does your pet suffer from chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs)?

Instead of opting for the traditional vet approach of feeding your pet a prescription diet to manage UTIs, why not try a more natural approach by simply adding cranberries to your pet's diet?

Re-think Prescription Diets. While prescription diets may help manage an acute episode of UTIs, they are not great options for the long-term nutritional support of your pet. I recently reviewed a name-brand prescription pet food commonly prescribed for urinary tract health in dogs. Here are the first five ingredients listed on the label: rice, ground corn, chicken fat, chicken meal, corn gluten meal. This food is an expensive prescription pet food, but does not offer much in the way of meaningful nutrition for your pet. Specifically, corn and corn by-products offer barely any nutritional value for your pet.

Why cranberries? Cranberries work by acidifying your pet's urine. Pets who eat fresh cranberries as part of their daily diet, or get a daily cranberry supplement will achieve a more balanced pH and therefore, discourage the growth of bacteria in the urinary tract. According to Deva Khalsa, VMD holistic veterinarian and author of the book Dr. Khalsa's Natural Dog, cranberries "...contain a polysaccharide called mannose, which decreases the ability of the bacteria to adhere to the cells lining the urinary tract. The bacteria will adhere to the mannose from the cranberry rather than to the surface of the cells. These bacteria then get flushed out with the urine."

Dr. Khalsa also explains that cranberries work well as a general health tonic, balancing the acid-base in your pet's body. If your pet is not getting the right levels of protein, or too much grain, for example, it can cause an increase in acidity in your pet's body. So adding cranberries to your pet's diet helps maintain healthy alkaline levels and makes the urine a healthier acid.

Fresh cranberries or cranberry supplements? It is easy to add cranberries to your pet's diet. Fresh or frozen cranberries can be stewed and added to your pet's meal, or you can opt for a supplement that includes cranberries, such as Cranimals or Vital Vities. Both of these supplements are developed for cats and dogs. Cranimals makes several cranberry supplements that target specific health issues, like UTI support, and Vital Vities is a whole vitamin supplement that includes cranberries, developed by Dr. Khalsa, aimed at achieving optimal health for your pet.

What are you waiting for? So, stop buying that expensive prescription diet! Find a healthier, better-tasting food for your pet, and use the money you'll save to invest in a good supplement that will keep your pet's UTIs under control. Also consider incorporating some canned or fresh food to your pet's diet - it will be easier to add the cranberries or cranberry supplements. The supplements mentioned can be found at your locally-owned independent pet specialty retailer. If they don't currently carry them - ask them to!