Bladder issues?
Top remedies for UTI's in dogs
Make sure you read this tip before making a very common mistake
UTI Symptoms | Remedies for urinary tract inflammation
Nux vomica | Mercurius | How to give the remedies
Urinary Tract Infections (or UTIs) are common in dogs, particularly senior dogs, so it's necessary to understand that the cause of your pet's bladder problem might not always be what it seems.
Most urinary tract infections (UTI's) in dogs are purely inflammation and there's no bacteria associated with them at all. Dishing out antibiotics to your dog won’t help him or her and may even harm them.
Fortunately, your holistic vet can recommend natural remedies which can help your dog enormously.
To holistic vets, UTI's mean "inflammation", not infection, depending of course on the symptoms present.
Being aware of this fact plays an important role in how an holistic vet treats bladder issues, but first, let us discuss the actual signs and symptoms of bladder conditions.
UTI Symptoms
The typical symptoms of a bladder infection or inflammation are similar and include:
- Frequently asking to be taken outside to pee.
- General restlessness
- Intense licking before your he or she pees, and then often followed by more licks when they come indoors.
- Often inappropriate peeing indoors
- The urine may or may not contain blood; sometimes it is hardly noticeable, sometimes there may just be a little blood at the very end and other times there may be blood clots. If you have trained your dog as a pet to pee on paper, then making a white paper towel available to them to pee on can be an excellent indicator if there is blood in his or her urine
- Often waking you up a couple of times during the night to have a pee.
- Once your dog pees, he or she indicates they feel like peeing again and immediately starts squatting or straining to pee again and again
Remedies for urinary tract inflammation
Once you have determined your dog has one or more of the above symptoms, it is time to choose a remedy. I use an homeopathic vet for my dogs Molly and Rosie. Here is a short list of the top holistic remedies to put a plug in your dog’s bladder woes.
Nux vomica
Nux vomica is an excellent place to start for many dogs with bladder conditions.
Epecially if they are experiencing any spasms, or have an history of previous bladder conditions relating to intoxicating medication e.g. allergic reactions to:
- Chemical treatments with flea spot-ons
- Heartworm tablets.
In the case of heartworm pills these types of allergic bladder reactions typically occurs about five days after dogs have taken an heartworm pill.
In these cases, you can correctly assume the intoxication as being the culprit cause.
"Nux vomica" is the "go-to remedy" for animals who have been intoxicated - it truly is a superb choice in this scenario.
The indications for Nux vomica include
- Recent exposure to toxins, this is key!
- Cramping
- He or she may be constipated or have "gastrointestinal tract issues (GIT)
- He or she will be straining when trying to pee
- In general, he or she will will be extremely sensitive to what is going on around them
- He or she will be straining when trying to pee
- Your pet will be feeling so bad he or she will not seek or want your company, instead will want to curl up in pain alone somewhere quiet, they may even growl if you try to initiate affection
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Mercurius
Do remember, that this a homeopathic remedy, so it isn’t toxic like mercury! It helps enormously lot with acute UTIs, especially those where Nux vomica hasn't been efective.
There are two different mercuries – Mercurius vivus and Mercurius solubilis, but most homeopaths consider them to be essentially the same thing, so just choose one or the other and you will be fine.
The indications for Mercurius include:
- Frequent peeing, particularly at night. This is the hallmark!!
- Always thirsty
- Blood in the urine
- Constant urgency to pee
- Extreme straining, either for diarrhea or urine. Mercurius is very important for treating straining dog patients
- Restlessness, especially at night
- Foul smelling urine
How to give the remedies
Homeopathic remedies usually come in pellet form. You will need to be guided by your homeopathic vet with regard to the potency for all of the above remedies.
I recommend you take about three pellets and crush them into a powder with a mortar and pestle. Slowly add this mixture to about a quarter of a cup of sterile water in a glass container and make sure the powder is thoroughly absorbed and mixed with the water. This small amount makes about 100 doses.
The easiest way to give this to Fido is to "dribble" it in the side of his or her mouth off a teaspoon or a syringe - all you need to do is to wet the mucous membranes of the mouth, which will absorb the mixture.
If your dog is suffering a really intense attack, repeat the chosen remedy every 15 minutes for a total of three doses.
For less acute and or intense conditions, repeat three times, half an hour apart, or three times, given an hour apart if the intensity is even less intense than that. Basically, you just want to stack up a few doses to give your dog a "push".
After you have dosed you dog three times, observe him or her for a couple of hours. If the symptoms subside, then you know you are in the right track. The best results you should be looking for are short naps followed by a flood of urine with no complications or issues.
Store the remaining mixture at room temperature, covered with a piece of glad wrap or similar, keep a sharp eye on your dog and if any symptoms recur, stir the mixture and give him or her another three dribbles half an hour apart.
It is important to remember that with homeopathy, every dog gets the same dose. It doesn't matter if you have a Labrador or a Yorkshire Terrier. The factor of the potency your vet recommends is what counts, and how often you give the remedy - in the example given here we have used a potency of 30C.
So there you have it, a quick guide to treating your dog's UTIs at home, without reaching for drugs or antibiotics. The key is to work under the supervision of an holistic vet.
This article and information forms part of the Carole's Doggie World Holistic Library and is presented for informational purposes only.The information is not intended to be a substitute for visits to your local vet. Instead, the content offers the reader information researched and written by Carole Curtis for www.carolesdoggieworld.com