Jump to content
BC Boards

Info on Cranberry Extract for Dogs?


gcv-border

Recommended Posts

My 14-year old rescue dog (Sheltie mix) has a UTI. (first ever) She has been on amoxicillin for 6 days and her multiple urination episodes have disappeared. The results of the culture came back today - predominantly E. coli and it is susceptible to amoxicillin so she will be on amoxi for another 5 weeks. Because she has a 'juvenile vulva' (which I found out because of the UTI), the vet thinks that to prevent additional infections (i.e. E. coli travelling up to her bladder) I might want to add cranberry extract to her food or give her capsules??

 

Can anyone provide information on cranberry extract (not cranberry juice) for dogs? Have you used it and what for? In what form do you buy it? Do you buy dog-specific cranberry extract or is there an equivalent, and cheaper (or not) human equivalent?

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Jovi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

For Johnson, who was eventually diagnosed with diabetes insipidus, we used Solid Gold Berry Balance for the last few years of his life. It was recommended by another rescue friend who had used it successfully, and we also saw a reduction of his UTIs. I'd have to check the timeline to see how long he was on Berry Balance before we finally got the DI diagnosis and started treating for that, but we were happy enough with the Berry Balance that we never took him off of it.

 

Good luck finding the right supplement for your dog. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you, Angie, for the suggested product. I think Solid Gold has quality products.

 

I finally had some time to do a little searching on the web, and came across the below on www.thewholedog.com

*************************************************

 

The administering a botanical vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry extract), in tablet form has been known to attain the necessary acid pH to dissolve and prevent the formation of magnesium ammonium phosphate crystals and bladder stones. Your Animal's Health Vol 4 Wendell O. Belfield DVM.

 

Cranberry Extract has proven to be the "magic bullet" needed to treat, prevent, and control the formation of struvite crystals in cats and bladder stones in dogs. This product is toxic free and will dissolve struvite crystals sometimes in a few hours.

 

Cranberry contains - among other things - the sugar substance D-mannose which has the special ability of being able to prevent harmful bacteria from sticking to the walls of the mucosal wall without harming the friendly-minded bacteria. They also contain the substance arbutin which is effective against certain bacteria and fungi, among others the Candida fungus.

 

Cranberry prevents E. coli, the most common cause of UTIs and recurrent UTIs, from adhering to the cells lining the wall of the bladder. Cranberry's antiadherence action renders the bacteria harmless in the urinary tract. Cranberry has been shown to reduce bacteria levels in the urinary bladders of older women, which may help to prevent future infections. Cranberry can help people with urostomies and enterocystoplasties to keep them clear of mucus build-up.

*************************

 

My dog did not have crystals (per sonogram). the vet recommended the cranberry extract because of the presence of E. coli. According to the above, D-mannose can block E. coli from adhering to the bladder walls, and since she had an E. coli infection ....

 

I learn something new every day. :)

 

Jovi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for sharing the results of your research, Jovi. It turns out that information is perfectly timed for me, as Ody is having an urinalysis tomorrow to see if he's cleared his latest UTI, which was, in fact, E. coli. Perhaps it's time to stock back up on the Berry Balance. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Molly was diagnosed with Transitional Cell Carcinoma (bladder cancer) in March of 2010, and a urethral stent was placed in August 2011. Along with all this comes the propensity for bladder infections. I started out giving her Crananadin (sp?) as recommended by the oncologist. Talked to my holistic vet, and she recommended Pure Encapulations Cranberry/d-Mannose, says it has properties that prohibit more strains of bacteria. When I went over it with my oncologist, she agreed. Molly has had a few bladder infections, but not nearly as many as expected for a dog like her, so I think it is making a difference. I found it on Amazon.

 

Right now, we are working on changing chemo protocols, as the one she has been on has stopped working. Just found out today, she has some major tumor growth since November. Been through 4 different chemo drugs, the fourth one has been working well for about 9 months, but the cancer has finally gotten "smart" <sigh>. Hopefully, we'll find one that will be able to shrink it back down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use vet classics cranberry comfort. I don't think you can get it on amazon, et al. But your vet should be able to get it for you. Gilly has renal failure & tends to get pyelonephritis...sometimes with antibiotic resistant bugs. Cranberry/d-mannose has been a life saver, literally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys for the product suggestions. I just ordered the Pure Encapsulations Cranberry/D-mannose via Amazon. Because I know that the D-mannose was in the formulation, that was the one I went with. The other formulations didn't seem to have info on whether or not it contained D-mannose.

 

Great Help from all.

 

Jovi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't remember for sure how much I used to give, but I used to give Zippy (my 11 lb Papillon) cranberry tablets to help with his UTI situations. I did a search, and according to this Post I gave him 300 mg per day. I can't remember how I came to that dosage - seems like I was trying to find a miniscule amount of a human dosage. I kept thinking I'd been breaking the pills in half, but apparently not.

 

It helped him a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...