Cranberry supplements and excessive urination?

[im_nomad]

I thought this stuff was supposed to "support" healthy urinary tracts in dogs, it seems to be having the opposite effect !

I decided to buy a container of NatureVet Cranberry Relief thinking it would make a good supplement to my dog's diet. She is 14 years old, and has a history of crystals in her kidneys for which I watch her protein. Over the past several months she's had a few accidents, often involving her wetting her bedding for some reason, and was heading outside a lot, usually in the evenings (about once an hour). Anyway, I decided to get this stuff because I'd read that it can help strengthen things bladder wise, or clear out anything that might be causing her to go a bit more.

Anyway, it seems to be making her worse by far !! I started giving this to her a little over a week or so and I have washed bedding twice this past week, a couple of times she's had "not made it to the door in time" slip ups and in general she seems to be urinating excessively. One day this week, she put her paws up on me to get petted while I was sitting on the couch, and just let everything go on the floor. This morning, after being outside less than 8 hours before (never a problem for her previously), she flooded her bed, peed across the floor and pretty much proceeded to drag it everywhere else in the house.

I'm fed up and feel like I'm up to my ears in urine! Is it possible that the cranberry is making her worse? I didn't give it to her this morning.

[Love4himies]

What has your vet diagnosed? How is her blood work?

[SamIam]

If your pet-store remedy hasn't been working, it's time to get professional help on this. You could be dealing with any of several problems: bladder/kidney infection or disease, age-related incontinence or senility, spay-related incontinence, or one of many many other health concerns, and you could be dealing with one or a combination of them. I think a vet check is in order, and probably some basic bloodwork and urinalysis. Take the bottle of NatureVet Cranberry Relief to your appointment with you, so your vet can have a look and help you decide if it will be part of what you do to help your dog.

[hazelrunpack]

Cranberry is sometimes useful in preventing UTIs--as I understand it, it acidifies the urine so that bacteria don't grow well. However, if your girl has spay-related incontinence (fairly common in older spayed fems), the cranberry is not likely to help at all.

Regardless, it sounds like it's time to see the vet. If you can get a urine sample before you go, that would probably be very helpful--and if you can get a sample from the first visit out for that day, that would be the best. If your appt is more than two hours from the collection time, you should refrigerate the sample.

I hope whatever is going on, the fix is easy!

[im_nomad]

Just a small update, I took a urine sample from first thing in the morning and brought it into the vet, without Molly as I wasn't able to get her in there at that time. Anyway, the urinalysis revealed no infection, no sugars, no evidence of cancer cells, but her urine was very dilute. So the vet wants me to bring her back in soon to do some bloodwork and give her a once over (she was last seen in Dec.) She I think suspects kidney problems relating to age, and said we might have to put her on the lowest protein diet. Hoping that is the quick fix. She also wants me to monitor her water intake for 48 hrs, to see if it is excessive (she drinks a bowl full a day ).

Anyway, I did already know I had to take her to the vet, I was mostly wondering about the cranberry making things worse and anyone's experience with it. She got pretty good again for several days but then yesterday peed several times. Aside from the excessive urination, she seems pretty good for her age, her eating habits haven't changed and she still plays when I can get her to (she has no interest in toys at her age), loves bones, and when I took her for a walk a couple of days ago, she was the one pulling me around.

We've had a lot of down time over the past few months because i've been going through cancer treatment, so she's been a lot less active. Been trying to get back on track and remedy that as I start to feel better myself.

[hazelrunpack]

I hope the vet can come up with some answers for you and get her on an effective treatment protocol! Sending some along for her and for you as you recover from the cancer treatments. I hope you're both feeling much better soon

Let us know how Molly's tests go, pls!

[im_nomad]

Thanks Hazel, will do

[SamIam]

Cranberry helps prevent bacteria from sticking to the inside of the bladder, and that is why it is helpful. It can also change the pH, but if it has any affect on the dilution of urine should not be anywhere near the point of causing incontinence. People who drink cranberry juice to help clear up an infection pee more because they are drinking more fluids - not drinking enough is often a contributing factor to bladder infections. I would take the bottle in to your vet when you take your dog in for the appointment, as there may be other ingredients that your dog is having an unusual reaction to. Hopefully some basic bloodwork will give you answer!

[im_nomad]

Update time !

All is well for the most part with Molly. I didn't get to get in for bloodwork until this week, and everything was checked. Her bloodwork, as described by the vet was "actually quite good" (phew), but that there were early early signs of kidney problems. So the treatment protocol will be estrogen and continuing to monitor her protein intake. After monitoring her fluid intake for a 48 hr period, that was normal for her size (about 2 1/4 cups in a 48 hr period).

Here's the kicker, she got booted from a kennel recently due to her excessive peeing and apparently she was non-stop barking the entire time she was there over a weekend. I was so upset over this, because the barking was out of character and no other boarding places had ever told me this, and hello, dogs pee. I figured I was in for a long haul of being more housebound. So I'm relieved that things are as they are, and I have other places to board her thankfully. I will never for the life of me understand people who are in the business of caring for animals, and are intolerant.

One other issue with myself, is in the handling of the estrogen tabs, which the vet checked out for me with a pharmacist (she really is awesome). I will have to glove up for those (I had an ER+ tumor removed )

Will ask the vet about the supplements later, but any others who have had experience with this, all welcome