By Lisa Newman
Copyright 2001

I can practicality recite their story before they do. “My cat has had F.U.S. for the past few years,” they begin with frustration heavy in their tone. “Our vet recommended a prescription diet low in ash and magnesium, but still have at least one yearly bout, and it seems to get worse each time…now the vet is recommending surgery to remove bladder stones.” The story also sometimes goes like this, “We’ve tried several different antibiotics and a few course of prednisone over the years, but now the vet feels that this is creating the other symptoms our dog has developed.” “Our pet has been hospitalized, on subcutaneous fluids and has so many pills so often that they freak out at going to the vet, even for routine exams…and have withdrawn from the family…seem depressed often.”

Chronic urinary tract, bladder and kidney problems are epidemic in our country today. Hundreds of dollars are spent during crisis intervention, on medications and prescription diets yet the problem never seems to quite under control. Allopathic awareness is mostly focused on symptoms treatment, even in prevention, that the underlying causes are not truly being considered. Of course nutrition is being discussed in the allopathic circles, but from a scientific basis, not as nature intended.

In the twelve years that I have been researching naturopathic alternatives for animals, I have documented hundreds of cases involving chronic urological problems, stemming form biological (genetics, assimilation, viral/bacterial), emotional (anxiety, depression), and environmental (diets, pesticides, pollution) causes. Regardless of the triggers the end result is always the same, irritation of the tissue linings and the development of calculi in the kidneys and bladder.

This later is most often the focus of treatment through a low mineral diet. Unfortunately it is my conclusion that this actually helps to perpetuate the problem. When the body is lacking a certain substance, in this instance a mineral base, it will store this very substance in an effort to ward off total depletion. This is most commonly recognized in terms of calories and fat storages, whereas the less calories consumed and assimilated, the less calories available to burn as energy, the body begins to store these calories as fat to ward off starvation (or total depletion of energy reserves). This holds true for mineral assimilation and storage as well.

A diet low in ash, magnesium and calcium (all vital nutrients necessary for cellular activity) can trigger a reaction in the body towards storage, rather then utilization and subsequential elimination. With each and every animal that I have supported, through a proper and even sometimes “higher than normal” mineral program, the rate of relapse has been mush lower (if at all) then was the case during the years the animal was on a low mineral plan. Certainly, a diet high in minerals is not the main factor, but rather a diet with easy to assimilate (and thus utilize) mineral sources and often herbal and/or homeopathic supplement to support assimilation.

I do not believe that minerals are the culprit as much as the body’s inability to utilize the minerals. For instance, in a standard commercial diet full of artificial ingredients, byproducts and other toxins which interfere with the body’s digestive process, minerals may not be properly utilized. Instead of looking at this factor, we have focused on them eliminating even more minerals from the diet. When micronutrients and chelated minerals are available to the body, they are in turn utilized for cellular activity and the waste excreted, rather than stored.

The fact that many chronic cases has also exhibited skin and coat problems as well, lead me to suspect poor mineral assimilation, rather then an abundance. The success rate of my programs based on proper mineral supplementation and assimilation in managing or totally eliminating symptoms (for years on end), has confirmed my beliefs.

Certainly, there will be cases that require acute veterinarian treatment but rehabilitation and (especially) prevention is best served nutritionally, herbal and homeopathically. Each and every puppy, kitten and foal that I have had the opportunity to start on a natural program has never (really!) had a bout with urinary tract, bladder or kidney problems. Those adult animals who came to me for other, unrelated, problems and where then put on a proper nutritional program have lived out the remainder of their lives without incidence. Even when stressed and exposed to viral or bacterial infection, poisoning or severe trauma such as car accidents or surgeries, quickly recovered without these urinary conditions whereas it is not uncommon for this to be a problem in such instances.

I hope that more of us come to recognize the importance of, and utilize proper mineralization in the prevention and rehabilitation of chronic urinary conditions.