Many of us have had young dogs and cats that have had a terrible time with cystitis or recurrent UTI’s. Usually these infections are from E. coli when they are cultured. Cranberry juice or extract has been shown to prevent bacteria from adhering to the walls of the bladder. Urinary tract infections or UTIs are something that both cats and dogs suffer and while cranberry will not cure an infection they are an excellent preventative for those animals (and humans) that seem to have recurring infections, in addition to a diet change.
Cranberry juice is very high in anthocyanidins flavonoids- quercetin, cyanidin and peonidin as well as polyphenols and tannins. These have demonstrated a large number of beneficial actions including preventing urinary tract infections in hounds as well as humans, and are also good for pooties.
I have had male cats that suffered with horrible bladder stones and infections and one of the actions of cranberry is to relax the smooth muscles in the bladder which helps to relieve the constant irritation.
If you have a young dog with recurring UTI’s, please discuss this with your veterinarian and try to give her cranberry capsules or unsweetened juice starting while on medication and continuing until her first heat. I recommend NOT spaying dogs until after the first heat to prevent this kind of problem. Actually, large and giant breed dogs should not be spayed until the bone plates close to help prevent osteosarcoma, usually after the age of one year. Dosage will depend on the size of the dog and the contents of the capsules. I have kept young females hounds on cranberry for over a year. It is an incredibly safe food/herb. Pooties are different, and I would never want to live with an unspayed cat in heat. (OMG!).
I also recommend giving the capsules or berries to an older, veteran hound as a preventative, especially if you have a "low squatter". It is very important to prevent opportunistic infections in our older hounds and pooties and this is an easy thing to do for them. The fellows will benefit from this, too. I started giving it to Arafel again at 6 which is considered veteran age for wolfhounds and she still gets it every day. All my hounds think it is a treat and I don’t tell them otherwise, LOL.
Be sure to buy a good quality brand from a health food store or website that you trust; some low quality brands are highly colored and don’t contain as much dried berry. After you end up with one of those you will be able to tell the difference. Cranberry has become fairly expensive, so if you can find a discount website that carries your favorite brand, buy in bulk.
While dogs are fairly easy to dose, cats can be more difficult. Pilling a cat is an adventure in itself. I have found three brands of cranberry for cats and one looks particularly good. These are Cranberry Relief, PetNaturals UT Support (which Tabitha will eat), and Natural Pet Cranberry Wellness Powder which is the one I will try next. The other two have silicon in them which I don’t think is necessary, but I was looking for anything at the time and that was the one in the local store.
Cranberry has shown benefits for preventing dental plaque- again that same substance that prevents bacteria from adhering to the bladder walls seems to prevent the build up of dental plaque. This may help with heart disease, too.
There is active research now going on regarding benefits for anti- cancer and immune system benefits.
Cranberries are antibacterial and have antifungal and antiviral properties. The research has shown that they may control E. coli, Proteus bacteria and H. pylori. The anthocyanosides antioxidants can be especially good for the eyes and improve cataracts and other problems of aging eyes. The antioxidants may also prevent cancer- all of these can benefit our cats and dogs as they age.
Whether you have old or young furbutts, this herb should be one of those that you keep close at hand to keep them healthy.
The only cautions are that those with diabetes or glucose intolerance should be careful to use only capsules or sugar free juice. Humans with kidney stones should not drink more than 1 liter of juice a day.
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