Bladder Health

Bladder Health

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    Let's talk about something nobody wants to talk about -- your pet's bladder health.  Why?  Because you never think about it until something goes wrong.  

    In general, the three sympotms  of a bladder disease are...

    • Straining to pee
    • Blood in the urine
    • Frequent urination

    The answers to the above symptoms should always start with a urinalysis, which is why we have developed the first At Home Urinalysis Kit for you.  This kit will enable you to accurately diagnose many common urinary tract problems AT HOME, without the nuisance of going to a vet.  And if you do end up at the vet, our kit enables you to be an active participant in further diagnostics and treatment.

    I went into this thinking that I would carry cranberry, D-mannose, and glucosamine for pets but found that the science shows NO benefit to any of them for either dogs or cats.  They will certainly do no harm, but I don't carry products that lack scientific proof so you'll have to look elsewhere.

    About those symptoms mentioned above...

    1) Straining to pee....

    • Best case is that this is "just" irritation of the bladder wall.  In cats, this can be caused by stress, so think about that.   Here's a great review of stress-related bladder problems in cats, by a doc I hung out with back in the day.
    • Straining can be caused by a bladder infection, but NOT due to a kidney problem
    • In male cats, straining to pee is an EMERGENCY.  They may have developed small crystals or stones within their bladder, which have clogged up the plumbing.  If you have a male cat that is straining to pee, TAKE THEM TO THE VET ASAP.
    • In some older pets, straining to pee may be caused by bladder cancer.

    2) Blood in the urine....

    • Can be caused by all the above -- bladder inflammation or infection, urinary obstruction, bladder cancer
    • It can also be a symptom of kidney problems, autoimmune disease, or clotting problems.  

    3) Frequent urination...

    • This is a classic sign of a urinary tract infection
    • Can also be due to inflammation of the bladder wall caused by stress or, occasionally, cancer
    • Can also be caused by bladder stones which are taking up some of the bladder volume

    4) Dribbling urine...

    • in female dogs, this is usually a hormonal issue caused by spaying and resultant loss of estrogen hormones.
    • can also be caused by urethral irritation or foreign body.