Urinary tract infections are a common ailment in dogs. Typically, they are nothing to worry about – as long as you treat them in a timely manner. If your dog is prone to urinary tract issues, you may be able to help prevent them with a change in diet – like switching to this homemade dog food for urinary tract health.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are more common in female dogs and dogs with diabetes, Cushing’s disease, or chronic kidney issues. However, all dogs are susceptible to this bacterial infection. In fact, UTIs are one of the most common infections in canines, with veterinarians seeing them in 14% of the dog population.
It's important that you seek veterinary treatment at the first sign of a UTI. When undiagnosed in a timely manner, the infection can spread to the dog's vital organs such as the kidneys. If your pup is prone to these infections, you know what to look for. If not, keep your eyes out for signs including:
- excessive thirst
- uncontrollable bladder
- bloody urine
- foul-smelling urine
- cloudy and/or dark urine
- excessive licking of genitals
- painful or strained urination
Before switching your dog's diet (to this or any other food) you should have a chat with your vet or a canine nutritionist. They will evaluate your dog and the recipe you're switching to in order to decide if it is nutritionally balanced for your pet's unique needs.
Homemade Dog Food for Urinary Tract Health Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 can of tuna in water (5 ounces)
- 3 eggs
- 2 ounces of beef liver
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 3 cups DRY white rice
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 1/2 cup carrots (chopped)
- 1/2 cup peas
Directions
There is much prep work to making this homemade dog food for urinary tract health. It will take about 45-60 minutes to prepare, but you can make it in bulk and freeze for future use to make things a little easier.
First, brown the ground beef and ground turkey in a large skillet. In a separate pan, fry the liver in the olive oil. While the meat is cooking, steam the carrots, broccoli, and peas.
You will also need to cook the rice according to the instructions on the packaging. Next, scramble and cook the eggs. As you will see in my video guide above, I scramble the shells right in with the eggs. They are a natural source of calcium for your dog, but you do not need to include them if you don't want to.
Once you've prepared all of the ingredients, you will need to mix them together in a large bowl to create this homemade dog food for urinary tract health. You can feed it to your dog after the ingredients have cooled.
The recommended serving size is about 1/2 cup for every 20 pounds of body weight. Remember that more active dogs may need more calories than lazier pups. This recipe is not nutritionally balanced for all dogs, so you'll need to check with your veterinarian to ensure it will provide all the nutrients your canine companion needs.
You can store leftovers of this homemade dog food for urinary tract health in an airtight container in the refrigerator. As I mentioned, you can also make the recipe in bulk and store it in the freezer for use up to 3 months.
