Nourishing your canine companion with the right diet is paramount, especially when addressing urinary tract health. This guide provides a comprehensive approach to creating homemade, natural dog food recipes specifically formulated to support your dog’s urinary wellness and help prevent common issues such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and the formation of stones. We will explore the benefits of a tailored diet, identify key ingredients that promote a healthy urinary system, and detail the steps for preparing this beneficial home-cooked meal. This article serves as an essential resource for pet parents aiming to naturally and effectively enhance their dogs’ urinary health, integrating expert insights, practical advice, and scientifically supported knowledge on canine urinary care.
Understanding the Urinary Tract and Nutritional Support
The urinary tract functions as the body’s waste elimination system. After digestion, nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream, and the kidneys, as part of the urinary system, filter out waste products and excess water. When the diet is unbalanced, or the urinary tract is compromised by bacterial imbalance or genetic factors, waste can accumulate, leading to infections, crystals, or stones.
The Importance of Appropriately Balanced Fresh Food
Formulating a balanced fresh food diet is crucial for reducing the risk of urinary infections and stone formation. An imbalanced diet can impair urinary tract function and encourage the growth of harmful bacteria. It’s important to remember that bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms thrive on the food provided to your dog. Providing an excess of the wrong types of food can promote the proliferation of “bad” bacteria over beneficial ones. Approximately 27% of dogs experience urine infections, which are primarily caused by bacterial overgrowth, though fungal or, rarely, viral infections can also be culprits. (1)
Key dietary adjustments include removing inflammatory ingredients such as gluten-containing grains like corn, wheat, rice, and pasta. It is imperative to scrutinize your dog’s treats to ensure these ingredients are not being consumed. Furthermore, identifying and eliminating any dietary intolerances, particularly to specific proteins (meats), is essential. Signs of poor protein digestion can manifest as ear infections, itchiness, paw licking, and persistent loose stools.
Gut and Urine Microbiome Support
A diverse, balanced, and healthy microbiome in both the gut and the urinary tract is fostered by incorporating a variety of natural, fresh foods into the diet. (2) A healthy gut microbiome is a strong indicator of overall health, contributing to a richer taxonomic richness in the bacterial urinary microbiome. (3) Support for the microbiome can be achieved through a balanced fresh food diet and the regular inclusion of probiotics such as natural organic yogurt, kefir, goat’s milk, or sauerkraut, offered at least 2-3 times per week.
Increasing Urine Moisture to Reduce Supersaturation
The concentration of urine significantly influences the formation of many urinary stones, including calcium oxalate, cystine, and urate stones. (4, 5, 6) Increasing the moisture content of your dog’s diet by adding water to their meals (approximately 25ml per 100g of food) can be highly beneficial. Additionally, feeding bone broth, at a rate of 25ml per 10kg/20lbs of body weight, up to four times per week, is recommended.
Specific Dietary Strategies for Canine Urinary Issues
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Support
UTIs in dogs are frequently linked to inappropriate diets, characterized by suboptimal ingredients and excessive carbohydrates, which can lead to alkaline urine. A healthy dog typically produces slightly acidic urine with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. A correlation exists between bacterial overgrowth and more neutral urine, around pH 7. (7) To combat this, increasing urine acidity is key, which can be naturally achieved through the recommended recipes. Incorporating apples and cranberries regularly can further aid in this process. For the initial two weeks, it is advisable to avoid carbohydrates. While antibiotics are sometimes necessary, their overuse can contribute to recurrent UTIs. Minimizing antibiotic use and exploring dietary interventions as a first line of defense is recommended. Always consult your veterinarian for appropriate medical advice. (8)
Homemade Dog Food for Calcium Oxalate Stones
Calcium oxalate stones are often associated with calcium homeostasis imbalances. Ensuring sufficient phosphorus and Vitamin D alongside adequate calcium intake is vital. (4) Calcium should not be removed from the diet. The provided recipes, incorporating liver and, ideally, fish regularly, can help maintain the correct balance. Remember to increase your dog’s water intake as per the general guidelines for canine urinary tract health.
Homemade Dog Food for Cystine Stones
While there is limited evidence supporting dietary protein restriction for cystine stones, limiting foods high in methionine, such as broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, and potatoes, is advised. The vegetables used should possess a high organic anion content. (9) Dietary management aims to maintain a urine pH of 6.5 – 6.75, which can be achieved with a slightly more alkaline diet than typically prescribed. Following the general rules for canine urinary tract health plays a more significant role in managing this issue. Avoid apples, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, and potatoes. If including carbohydrates, opt for squash. Restricting salt intake is also crucial; avoid giving your dog leftovers high in salt. Alpha-lipoic acid, found in flaxseed oil, is a safe and effective supplement that has shown remarkable promise in managing cystinuria. (10) If stones are present or urination is difficult, an initial high-alkaline diet with potassium citrate may help dissolve stones more rapidly. (11)
Urate Stones
Urate stones are particularly common in Dalmatian dogs due to their genetic predisposition to excrete excessive uric acid. This condition primarily affects male Dalmatians. Dogs with a history of stones should consume only low-fat meats such as lean beef, cod, venison, and rabbit. While low-purine diets are often discussed, evidence supporting their efficacy is limited and should be approached with caution. To effectively reduce purines, organ meats should be limited to liver or heart from beef, chicken, or lamb. Organ meat should constitute only 5% of the diet for sensitive dogs and 10% for healthy dogs. Incorporating small amounts (10-15%) of grated low-purine vegetables is generally beneficial for all breeds with purine metabolism issues.
Additional Support and Resources
For specific recipes or personalized dietary assistance tailored to your dog’s urinary issues, consider signing up for a consultation or the Urinary Support Plan, which includes specialized recipes for various conditions. Please sign up for a consultation, or the Urinary Support Plan.
References:
- Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs. (n.d.). Today’s Veterinary Practice.
- Melgarejo, T., Oakley, B.B., Krumbeck, J.A., Tang, S., Krantz, A., & Linde, A. (2021). Assessment of bacterial and fungal populations in urine from clinically healthy dogs using next‐generation sequencing. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 35(3), 1416-1426.
- Rodríguez, F.M., Rubio, L.S., Nanne, I.G., Martín, F.S., Emiliani, E., & Feu, O.A. (2020). The relationship between calcium oxalate lithiasis and chronic proinflammatory intestinal dysbiosis pattern: a prospective study. Urolithiasis, 48(4), 321-328.
- Hunprasit, V. (2017). Epidemiologic Evaluation of Risk Factors for Calcium Oxalate Urolith Formation and Recurrence in Dogs.
- Stevenson, A.E., Blackburn, J.M., Markwell, P.J., & Robertson, W.G. (2004). Nutrient intake and urine composition in calcium oxalate stone-forming dogs: comparison with healthy dogs and impact of dietary modification. Veterinary Therapeutics: Research in Applied Veterinary Medicine, 5(3), 218-231.
- Bartges, J.W., & Callens, A.J. (2015). Urolithiasis. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 45(4), 747-768.
- Shields-Cutler, R. R., Crowley, J. R., Hung, C. S., Stapleton, A. E., Aldrich, C. C., Marschall, J., & Henderson, J. P. (2015). Human Urinary Composition Controls Siderocalin’s Antibacterial Activity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(40), 24103-24114. doi:10.1074/jbc.M115.645812
- Werner, M., Suchodolski, J.S., Straubinger, R.K., Wolf, G., Steiner, J.M., Lidbury, J.A., Neuerer, F., Hartmann, K., & Unterer, S. (2020). Effect of amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid on clinical scores, intestinal microbiome, and amoxicillin‐resistant Escherichia coli in dogs with uncomplicated acute diarrhea. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 34(3), 1166-1176.
- Moussa, M., Papatsoris, A.G., Abou Chakra, M., & Moussa, Y. (2020). Update on cystine stones: current and future concepts in treatment. Intractable Rare Dis Res, 9(2), 71-78. doi:10.5582/irdr.2020.03006
- Wiener, S.V., Chi, T., & Stoller, M.L. (2018). Alpha lipoic acid as a novel therapeutic approach to cystinuria. Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs, 6(4), 295-300.
- Lulich, J.P., Berent, A.C., Adams, L.G., Westropp, J.L., Bartges, J.W., & Osborne, C.A. (2016). ACVIM small animal consensus recommendations on the treatment and prevention of uroliths in dogs and cats. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 30(5), 1564-1574.
