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UTI Supplements for Dogs – Cranberry, Tablets, Pills, Dosage & Guide

Breeding Business is passionate about all sorts of domesticated pets. They have written dozens of articles across the web.
Published on
Sunday 26 July 2020
Last updated on
Tuesday 9 May 2023
uti supplements for dogs
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A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a painful condition your dog can be affected by. Providing the proper care and UTI supplements for dogs at this time can help alleviate this problem for your dog.

Dog UTI supplements can help speed up the healing process and allow your dog to be pain and UTI free much more quickly. These supplements can benefit other areas of your dog’s health as well, which is why so many owners recommend them. Let us explain all the benefits and review the 5 best UTI supplements for you to consider.

Benefits of UTI Supplements for Dogs

The benefits of UTI supplements span across multiple areas of your dog’s health. Here are some of the most influenced areas.

Improves Heart Health

Many UTI supplements have cranberries labeled as an ingredient, something which naturally helps fight infections and aids your dog’s kidney health. However, cranberries are also very beneficial to your dog’s cardiovascular health. Cranberries have a type of structural chemical known as polyphenols which have been found to lower the risk of your dog being affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD). High blood pressure can be one of many causes for CVD which can be caused by low-density lipoproteins (LD), also known as bad cholesterol. Polyphenols lower blood pressure through combating LDL.

Cranberries also benefit heart health by lowering inflammation. Inflammation of arteries can lead to damage of them, this causes plaque build-up which can eventually lead to CVD. Cranberries act as a natural anti-inflammatory. So not only can they aid already affected arteries, but they can also prevent inflammation from the beginning, thereby encouraging a healthier heart.

dog uti supplements speed up healing
UTI supplements can relieve your pup’s pain.

Better Oral Hygiene

UTI supplements for dogs are often given as chewy, indigestible treats. They can benefit both your dog’s breath and reduce plaque build-up. With their tasty flavorings, dogs will love to chew and swallow them. Chewing these delicious pellets helps to freshen your dog’s breath and even make it smell like the flavoring of the tablets. This is because real fruit juice and flavoring are often added to increase the chance of your dog consuming it. Soon your dog can have nice, fruity breath through these natural remedies.

Along with much nicer smelling breath, your dog’s teeth can also benefit from these. Chewing these pellets will lubricate your dog’s mouth, loosening plaque build-up. This will help the health of your dog’s teeth because the plaque will no longer cause teeth deterioration. This prevents pain and weakening of the teeth which can lead to more serious issues as time passes.

Kills Microorganisms that Cause UTI

Bacteria is the cause of UTIs, it can either get contracted from it entering the urethral entering or from your dog having a weakened immune system. Many UTI supplements will kill the microorganisms that cause a UTI. Therefore these will not only kill the microorganism currently affecting your dog but prevent them from doing so again. These supplements work both as treatment and preventative measures.

Many UTI supplements also contain D-mannose. The sugar is most commonly found in fruits and vegetables. This is a type of sugar which can be used to render UTI-causing bacteria harmless. It does so by attaching itself to the bacteria, preventing it from attaching to cells. Therefore the bacteria cannot affect the kidneys and bladder wall and lead to UTIs. This ingredient plays a key role in preventing and treating UTIs in dogs and is found in almost every UTI supplement.

Helps Prevent Kidney Stones

Kidney stones can actually be caused due to reoccurring urinary tract infections, or kidney stones may be causing the UTIs. It can be frustrating and worrying trying to figure out which problem came first and therefore which to treat first. Instead of worrying, UTI supplements will actually treat and prevent both issues. Kidney stones are created when your dog’s urine is too acidic, it leads to salt crystals being created. These bind together to create kidney stones. Urine acidity can often be affected by UTIs. Similarly, kidney stones can lead to a weakened immune system, therefore both ailments make a dog vulnerable to the other.

UTI supplements will prevent salt crystals from ever being formed. They do so by normalizing a dog’s urine PH so it is no longer too acidic. This can also help reduce burning sensations in UTIs.

dog uti supplements for oral hygiene
UTI supplements can also be beneficial to your dog’s oral hygiene!

UTI Supplements Dosage in Dogs

Although UTI supplements are effective and useful, this does not mean they should be used without caution. These supplements will have cranberry in them and therefore they should not exceed the following dosage:

  • Small dogs: 100 mg for 3 times a day
  • Medium dogs: 200 mg for 3 times a day
  • Large dogs: 300 mg for 3 times a day
  • Giant dogs: 400 mg for 3 times a day

You may not think that exceeding or not providing this amount could have dangerous consequences, but they can be dire. Under providing the advised dose to your dog can lead to the UTI not being treated, therefore these pills quickly become pointless. However, overdosing a dog on UTI supplements is much more concerning. At the mild end of the scale, your dog can get an upset stomach, leading to vomiting and diarrhea. More serious consequences include causing the formation of kidney stones through disruption of PH balance, and diabetes.

Cranberry based pills such as UTI supplements will have high sugar content when the dose is exceeded. This can affect your pup’s health negatively in multiple ways which is why it is so crucial to follow the instructions on the packet. If you have any concerns or accidentally give too much to your dog, make sure to immediately contact a vet.

How to Choose the Right UTI Supplement

You want to make sure that you are choosing the right UTI supplement for your dog so there are some elements you need to consider between brands.

Sugar Content

When providing your dog with cranberries generally, it is recommended to do so in small doses because of the high sugar content. It is the same for providing your dog with UTI supplements. Exceeding the recommended dose can lead to an excess sugar content being giving to your dog. Therefore, you want to check each brand for their sugar content to make sure you are not choosing a brand with a high percentage.

Each brand you are considering should be compared to one another for their sugar percentage. It is especially important to consider this if your dog suffers from diabetes or is extremely young or old. This is because they are in a vulnerable group. Therefore, a health problem which affects them is much more concerning as they have a weaker immune system. As for dogs with diabetes, this condition affects your blood glucose levels, therefore owners have to be extra careful about their dog’s sugar intake.

Fruit concentration

The amount of fruit concentration can both positively and negatively affect a UTI supplement for dogs. Providing an amount of fruit concentration in a UTI supplement adds flavoring. This increases the chance that your dog will willingly eat the tablet. As you will be providing a pill to your dog daily, this makes the daily process much easier which can influence the worth of purchasing the supplements. Furthermore, fruit flavoring will also increase the chance of your dog chewing the pill which can lead to better oral health and better-smelling breath.

However, too much fruit concentration may lead to an upset stomach or an excess of sugar consumption. This may result in vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and even behaviorally changes. This is especially concerning in more vulnerable groups such as those who are very young, very old, and diabetic.

Other Vitamins

Although this is not a necessity, it is a bonus to consider. Extra vitamins can help to increase your dog’s immune system and aid their health in all multitude of areas. Perhaps you want to generally help your dog’s health, check the added vitamins and minerals on the pack for more well-rounded ingredients that’ll benefit different areas of their health. It may also be that their UTIs are reoccurring or severe, therefore you should check for vitamins that will benefit your dog’s urinary tract, bladder, and kidneys.

You can also consider choosing vitamins that help your dog depending on what stage of life they are in. If you have a young puppy, you may want to consider looking for vitamins that help growth or muscle development. Whereas if you have an elderly dog, you may want to consider vitamins that aid digestion and help with joint movement.

Side Effects

Side effects are especially important to consider if you have a vulnerable dog. Those with prior health conditions, very young, or very old should not take UTI supplements with strong side effects. This is because the side effects could be potentially fatal for them. For example, if you own a very old dog and give supplements with side effects of extreme vomiting and diarrhea, an old dog may have trouble re-hydrating themselves if this scenario comes to fruition.

However, side effects can also be very mild, such as causing sneezing. They exist to warn you so you can take precautions if you need to, which is why you should always go through them to check that you are prepared for the worst-case scenario. If any worrying side effects become evident, be sure to take your dog immediately to the vet so they can stop and help prevent the problem from getting worse.

5 Best UTI supplements

Here are our top five rated UTI supplements for dogs that you can order online.

1. Vita Pet Life Cranberry for Dogs

Vita Pet Life supply 120 bacon and liver flavored tablets in this one purchase. These tablets are chew-able to help your dog with their oral health as well as to make consumption much easier. This UTI supplement also acts as a “flea repellant, antibacterial ear cleaner, tear stain remover, [and a] constipation reliever” to help all areas of your dog’s health.

Multiple users have praised this supplement, detailing how it not only stopped their dog’s UTIs quickly but immediately. From one to three days of use, users saw a difference in their dog’s behavior. Many pooches could sleep for longer without waking up needing to urinate, as well as not having any accidents.

As for negative reviews, it seems that some users felt there was no improvement from the pills. However, there are no mentions of side effects or dogs not enjoying the flavoring, so these may be for personal or more severe cases of dog UTIs.

2. Amazing Cranberry for Dogs

These cranberry chews by Amazing Nutritionals contains powerful antioxidants to battle and UTI. With their bacon and liver flavoring, these pills will be quickly gobbled up by your pup with ease. These pills are both veterinary science approved and hypoallergenic, to ensure your pup is feeling good and receiving all the benefits.

Customers have reported severe UTIs being treated and prevented in as little as three weeks after taking the first pill. This is a cheap alternative to multiple vet tests and antibiotic treatments. Within a month of treatment, owners have stated that their dogs have no accidents and avoid repetitive licking of their genitals.

Users were unsatisfied with the consistency and texture of these pills. Multiple users have mentioned that this is not a chewy pill as described but instead a hard tablet, which makes consumption much more difficult. Another issue mentioned by users is that the pill just did not work for some pups.

3. MAX Cranberry for Dogs

These tasty chews are formulated to look and taste like treats, your dog is sure to eat them with their meals or as a treat in the morning. These chews not only treat the affecting UTI but help to alleviate your pup’s pain. They also prevent further UTIs attacking your pup through aiding your dog’s bladder and kidney health.

Reviews of this product have praised its effectiveness for young and old dogs alike. Not only have many customers said this is high-quality, but also fast-acting. Customers noticed huge changes in a few weeks and even days for some, depending on the severity of the UTI.

This product has been criticized for its expensive price and how it gave some dogs upset stomachs. Owners reported vomiting, diarrhea, and a reluctance to eat with these treats. If your dog has a sensitive stomach, it may be worth reconsidering this purchase.

4. PetHonesty Cranberry for Dogs

Pet Honesty offer their chicken-flavored UTI treatment with premium ingredients. This product is also stated to improve your dog’s bladder control and prevent incontinence. This is great for your dog’s health and your carpet. It is also advertised to strengthen your dog’s immune system generally, which is a great added bonus.

Reviews have confirmed Pet Honesty’s claim of the pills preventing incontinence. Many owners report the pill’s benefit towards their dog’s health and particularly their urinary tract’s health. Owners mention how their dogs no longer have cloudy urine or any physical signs of an existing UTI.

However, some owners seemed dissatisfied with the effectiveness of this product alongside how it upsets dogs stomachs. There are multiple reports of dogs loosing their appetite after ingesting these.

5. Vet Classics Cranberry Comfort Urinary Tract for Dogs

These soft chews created by Vet Classics aims to help your dog’s bladder return to ideal health standards and prevent negative bacteria from surviving and causing further UTIs. All ingredients in this product are natural and make for a great herbal remedy to aid your dog’s UTI.

Owners have praised this product thoroughly. It has been mentioned by customers that this UTI supplement for dogs helps to minimize and ultimately prevent bladder stones. This can prevent your dog need operations or prevent them from going through unnecessary pain.

The main issue reported with these chews is dog’s lack of interest in consumption. Whether its the smell, flavor, or texture, multiple pups are not interested in consuming these chews.

UTI Supplements For Dogs – FAQs

We want to make sure you know everything you need to about UTI supplements for dogs, therefore we have answered the four most searched questions about them right here.

What can I Give my Dog for a Urinary Tract Infection?

This all depends on the severity of your dog’s UTI. Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, and UTI supplements for dogs can all treat and prevent the re-occurrence of UTIs. We always recommend a vet visit if you are concerned, as they will be able to tell you the best course of treatment in their view. Supplements can treat UTIs by themselves sometimes, other times a dog will need more help. It all depends on your dog’s individual affecting factors.

Can you Give a Dog Human UTI Medicine?

We would recommend to never give your dog human UTI medicine. The first concern is that all the ingredients may not be dog-friendly, and may, therefore, cause your pup more health problems. Furthermore, you could very easily over-dose or under-dose your pup as you will not have the proper recommended dosage instructions for dogs. Finally, there are proper, dog-directed UTI medicines and supplements that you can easily purchase. These are pet designed and tested and minimize the chance of your pup feeling any worse.

human uti medicine for dogs
Only give your pup medicine that are specially made for dogs.

Can Dogs take Human Cranberry Pills?

Do not give your dog human cranberry pills. Because these are more natural, owners regularly think there is no harm in giving your dog some if they are suffering from a UTI. However, this is not the case. Your dog can easily be given too much of the cranberry pills and be affected by a much higher than recommended sugar intake. This can lead to negatives such as an upset stomach, lethargy, weight gain, and even diabetes. Furthermore, these pills may contain ingredients that are harmful to your dogs but safe for humans. Therefore, it is always recommended to buy dog-specific supplements.

What is the Best Cranberry Supplement for Dogs?

There is not one ideal cranberry supplement for dogs. It all depends on your individual’s UTI severity and health in other aspects. You will also need to consider the side effects of each supplement to see if your dog could be specifically affected in a negative manner. Always read the product description for every supplement you are considering and check the reviews. Owners can often insight into the pros and cons of each brand you are considering to allow you to make a fully informed decision.

UTI supplements for dogs are truly a beneficial product. They can benefit dogs that have been struggling for years even after many pet visits. However, you should still be careful when purchasing them to make sure they are suitable for your dog. Every product has its own set of pros and cons and these need to be considered.

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