Foods that promote acidic urine in dogs?

Question

Does anyone have information on prescription diets that will help prevent formation of struvite crystals in a dog's urine (by promoting acidic urine)? Does anyone have experience in using an acidifier in place of a prescription diet? If you have experience with both, which did you prefer, and why?

I am concerned mostly with my dog's comfort, and then with the nutritional value of the food. I am aware of the Hill's products, but prefer to use something more nutritious.

I shouldn't have implied that Hill's is not nutritious, I'm sure that it is nutritionally sufficient...but I really want to avoid the corn in the Hill's products...the dog also has allergies...my vet only provides the c/d, and I'd like to explore other options.

She's been on a dry holistic diet, the only grain the diet was brown rice-she is currently using Hill's s/d, because it's the only thing my vet offered, and I felt it neccessary to start eliminating the crystals immediately. The s/d has done a fine job of making her feel better (she is no longer avoiding urination, therefore, I assume she is no longer in pain). The s/d will be done in 7 days, and I want to avoid feeding the corn in the c/d...the s/d is a corn-free food, so she has done fine with it. I certainly can't argue with any of your opinions, and will definitely consider them all when making a decision, I just want to find the best thing to work for my dog...the input from all of you will help me discuss her options with my vet next week...I do think I will keep her on canned, but worry about a raw diet giving her too much protein...my vet is not very supportive of raw, therefore can't offer much guidance, though I do have a resource to guide me in raw feeding, if necessary.

Answer 1

Yes, Hill's prescription c/d is the only brand that promotes acidity. Unfortunately, Royal Canin SO and Purina UR make urine less acidic.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I would recommend maybe trying to find some herbal treatments. Also, trying to find good quality food and taking a good look at the ingredients list. I personally don't trust the food Vets give you since I know people's pets who been on that stuff and their pet getting a sick again. Sorry it's not a lot of info....

Answer 4

Your best bet would be to join K9KidneyDietatyahoogroups.com (use @ for at - this site won't take the link).I had a pup that went back to back UTI's with struvites and joined the K9KidneyDiet list. I raw feed by the way and never used the prescription diets. There are both raw feeders and kibble feeders on this list. Good luck.

Answer 5

Hill's, Royal Canin, and Purina all make veterinary diets for the prevention of crystals/stones. The food changes more than just the PH, so acidifiers alone may not be advisable. Ask your vet about ordering one of the other brands for you. Hill's is a very nutritious brand of food--don't know what you've been told!

Answer 6

Apple Cider Vinegar capsules, twice a day!

Answer 7

I know a person that put her dog on a home cooked diet balanced for dogs. She had a dog that had been on a prescription diet when the recalls happened and that included her dog food. That is why she went to home cooked. She fed it to all her dogs and one ingredient in the food was cranberries. She steamed whole cranberries slightly and then mashed them and added them to the food.
Ask your Vet about cranberry supplements.

Answer 8

May I suggest that you join these groups? http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9KidneyDiet/
- K9KidneyDiet
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
- raw feeding for dogs and cats group
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RawMeatyBones/
- Raw Meaty Bones group

They will have more information on dog nutrition and feeding experience than most vets!!

From the reading I have done, the protein in raw meat and offal is about at about 16-18%. http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ While this is higher than k/d (for example) it is much lower than many other kibbles and far more digestible. A RAW carnivore diet will not cause extra stress on the kidneys as it is what the dog's body is designed to digest. It also appears that the need for a low protein dog is over stressed and possibly erroneous. http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html#protein ***there are findings on this site from pet food manufacturers that state that low protein diets may cause more harm than good - Why doesn't this reflect in their food??

Good luck and stay away from that crap-in-a-bag!!

Answer 9

I wouldn't ever go with a prescription diet. They contain very poor ingredients and though you would think/hope that because they are recommended by a vet they would be good, they aren't. Unfortunately vets are not well versed in nutrition.

You're best bet would be to put your dog on a canned food. While a lot of people believe dry diets are better for an animal that is incorrect. The ingredients are fresher, of better quality and will actually keep your dogs teeth cleaner. But the reason in this case they are better for your dog (besides all that other stuff) is because they contain more water. The high water content is what prevent the crystals. You only want to use a high quality canned food though (others are all sugar, corn and by-products, not what you want). Basically any canned food you can get in a typical chain pet store such as Petsmart or Petco is going to be low quality. You will want to go to mom and pop small independent pets stores.

The best canned foods available (in my opinion) are Wysong, Innova Evo Canine, and Nature's Variety Instinct Formula. Go to each brands website and they will have a "where to buy" find a store near you that carries it.

If your dog is bigger and you can't afford all wet food go with a higher quality dry food, that should help the stones also.
You want to go with a no grain food, I would Innova Evo Canine, Wellness Core, Orijen. Other good dry foods are Solid Gold Barking at the moon, C&P Organix and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul Adult

Another option is to go to an all raw diet. If you aren't willing to deal with carcasses then Nature's Variety Raw Pellets is the best way to go. They are fully formulated and contain all the fruits, veggies and meats necessary to keep your dog healthy. This in my opinion is the healthiest diet available
If you can, doing a mix between all three of these options would create a very healthy diet for your dog help prevent and get rid of the crystals. If you choose to go with dry I would recommend still supplementing in canned food or raw.