Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (57 page)

Acute Cases

If the urethra has become thoroughly plugged up, the cat cannot pass urine, and the bladder will become enlarged and hard from urine accumulation. It feels like a large stone in the back part of the abdomen.

This is a special problem for male cats, because they tend to have long and narrow urethras. (A female cat may have bladder problems, but she isn’t likely to get plugged.) The condition is quite serious, since urine and poisonous waste products are backing up into the bloodstream. Make an emergency run to your veterinarian to have a catheter put in, a plastic tube that relieves the obstruction and allows urine to pass. If you are too far from a veterinarian or can’t reach one right away, however, try one of these treatments while you are waiting for help.

Homeopathic
—
Belladonna
30C: Give 1 pellet every 30 minutes for a total of 2 treatments. This is the first remedy I think of using and is suitable for the cases with severe symptoms, much pain, straining, and agitation. Especially indicated if there is much fresh blood in the urine. It is often sufficient for many cats.

Homeopathic
—
Nux vomica
30C: Give 1 pellet every 30 minutes for a total of 2 treatments. This remedy is best for the cat that, before the bladder trouble came on, has become irritable, doesn’t want to be touched, and withdraws from company, preferring to be by himself.

Homeopathic
—
Pulsatilla
30C: Give 1 pellet every 30 minutes for a total of 2 treatments. This remedy is best for the cat that becomes quiet and unusually affectionate, wanting to be held as the attack came on.

Homeopathic
—
Cantharis
30C: Give 1 pellet every 30 minutes for a total of 2 treatments. The cat that needs this medicine will be very upset, angry, and growl with almost constant and intense attempts to urinate. Often the anger and growling is directed against the inflamed penis as he licks it intensely.

Homeopathic
—
Coccus cacti
30C: Give 1 pellet every 30 minutes for a total of 2 treatments. Choose this remedy if one or more of the previous ones listed here are not effective and it appears there is complete blockage and no urine coming out (due to stones or mucus plugging the urethra).

With any of these treatments, improvement will mean a sudden passing of a large quantity of urine with considerable relief for your cat. Often the cat will now drink a large amount of water and begin to be more comfortable, even grooming himself for the first time. If this happens, you may be through the crisis and catheterization will be unnecessary. Watch closely for the next several days to make sure that urination continues unimpeded. Follow the crisis with the nutritional changes already discussed above.

If your cat needs to be catheterized, an additional treatment that will assist recovery from this procedure is:

Homeopathic
—
Staphysagria
(stavesacre) 30C: Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
).

Subacute Cases

Here, the problem is not obstruction but inflammation. The cat feels a frequent urge to urinate, but the flow is scanty or blood-tinged. This misery can go on for days, perhaps with temporary improvement (especially with antibiotics). However, the problem continues or recurs every few weeks. The remedies that follow are often useful for this stage of the problem. From the three remedies below, choose the one that best suits the condition. Don’t mix them.

Homeopathic
—
Belladonna
30C: Use Homeopathic Schedule 2. The first remedy to try. Symptoms are intense pain, agitation, frequent urging, even some traces of blood in the urine. Pupils of the eyes will be very dilated even in good light. Cat very excitable and nervous.

Homeopathic
—
Pulsatilla
30C: This remedy is useful for the cat that does not like heat in any form. Here is how you can tell. Put out a hot water bottle or heating pad wrapped with a towel. If your cat is not interested in huddling next to it and prefers to lie on something cool like cement, tile, linoleum, or even the bathtub or sink, then you will know it prefers coolness to heat. Usually the urine is passed in small amounts and contains blood. Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
).

Homeopathic
——
Cantharis
30C: Same indications as given above, especially the anger and growling at the condition. Symptoms intense. Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
).

Homeopathic
—
Mercurius vivus
(or
solubilis
) 30C: The cat needing this remedy will act very annoyed with his rear end, doing a lot of licking after urinating, thrashing the tail around, and straining to produce small quantities of urine. Sometimes the straining is associated with passing stool, with continued efforts even after some has been passed. These cats will have prior mouth problems, with red inflamed gums and loose teeth. If the cat also has become unusually thirsty before the attack, this is probably the remedy to use. Use Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
).

Note:
If you do not see any improvement after 24 hours of using one of these homeopathic preparations, discontinue the treatment and reassess the situation. If antibiotics and other drugs were used at any time, they may have altered the symptom picture. Think back to the symptoms that were present before treatment was started. Use these as your guidelines in choosing a remedy.

Chronic Cases

If one of the treatments above has been successful or if your cat has needed catheterization and is now recovered, then it is time
to think of giving a homeopathic treatment that will stop the tendency for formation of sand and sludge in the bladder. The most useful remedy for this is
Calcarea carbonica
30C, given once only. It is very important not to repeat this treatment. It is possible that another medicine may be more specific for you particular cat, and this is where the advice of a homeopathically trained veterinarian is especially helpful. What is called “chronic treatment” takes more skill and experience to be successful.

The remedy mentioned above will correct the problem in many cats, but you do have to be watchful for the tendency for this to return. Further treatment can be needed, perhaps not right away but in a few months time. How will you know if there is mineral deposit in the urine? Easiest way is to feel it with your fingers. Yuck! I know, an unpleasant thought, but it is surprising how easy it is to detect that way. Prepare the litter pan like this: wash it out and when dry, instead of putting litter in it, just tear up some strips of paper about ½ inch wide and several inches long. Put these in the pan instead of litter. It sort of looks to the cat that there is something there and he will scratch around in it and urinate just the same as with litter. Where the urine has settled on the bottom, feel it for grittiness. It will feel like small sand grains.

If you don’t want to do this (understandably), then collect the urine into a clean container and take it to your veterinarian, either right away or refrigerated until you can, to be analyzed under the microscope. They will let you know if there is a problem.

Note:
If you take some urine in a jar to a veterinarian, she may say to you that it will do no good to analyze it because it is not sterile. The veterinarian is thinking of looking for bacteria. Ask them to do it anyway. What we want is not a bacterial evaluation (not the cause anyway), but a “microscopic examination” to see if crystals are being formed. Also ask for one other thing: pH (how acid or alkaline the urine is) measurement, which should be about 6 to 7. The range of 2 to 5 is too acid and from 8 to 10 too alkaline. This information helps you to know how if there is a problem with the urinary system.

Herbal
—What if indications are too vague to fit any of the remedies listed above? Try the following herbal treatment, helpful for a cat that never has a severe bladder problem, just a weakness in that area, such as a tendency toward urinary frequency or urinating outside the litter box.

Herbal
—Use shave grass, also known as horsetail grass or scouring rush (Equisetum). To use the medication, use Herbal Schedule 2, (
view
), for 2 to 3 weeks.

D
OGS

Though bladder problems are more common in cats, dogs do get them too. Their most common disturbances are either cystitis (as in cats) or stone formation.

If your dog has a case of cystitis resembling the symptoms described above for cats (increased frequency of urination, discomfort,
blood in the urine), you can use the feline treatment program, adjusting nutritional supplements to your dog’s body size. However, I usually start with
Pulsatilla
30C, using Homeopathic Schedule 2 (
view
). It seems suitable for many dogs with this condition.

What if it’s a stone problem? They occur in two forms—small, pellet-size stones that form in the bladder but move down and block the urethra, and very large stones that fill the bladder.

Small stones are most troublesome to the male dog. They pass down into the urethra and get caught at the point where it passes through the bone in the penis (a hard opening that cannot become larger). When this happens, the unfortunate fellow will attempt to urinate frequently, without success, or will give off little spurts of urine instead of a full flow. In such cases immediately use:

Homeopathy
—
Nux vomica
30C: Homeopathic Schedule 2. First one to try.

Homeopathic
—
Coccus cacti
30C: Homeopathic Schedule 2. This remedy is a treatment for obstruction of the urethra with a stone, associated with severe crampy pains in the bladder.

Homeopathic
—
Pulsatilla
30C: Homeopathic Schedule 2. This remedy will often relieve the spasms of the muscles of the urethra where the stone is caught, allowing it to move out.

Herbal
—Shepherd’s purse (
Thlaspi bursa pastoris
or
Capsella
): Use Herbal Schedule 1, (
view
). Like
Coccus cacti
, this is a treatment for presence of stones.

Sometimes the stone will pass through when these treatments are used. The remedy will not make the stone dissolve, of course, but it may reduce the spasms and inflammation from the presence of the stone. If it is small enough, the stone may then pass through.

Large stones are another matter. Numerous large stones can grow to fill the bladder and eventually irritate the lining, causing bleeding and recurrent bacterial infection. This form of large stone formation is more common in dogs than in cats. Such stones will need to be surgically removed. They usually will recur at shorter and shorter intervals, however, which necessitates repeated surgery.

The causes for this condition are not really understood. There are various ideas about the role of calcium and other minerals and the relation with vitamin D and other nutrients, but nothing is (in my opinion) really clear about the etiology.

The animals I have worked with have done well on a natural diet program with appropriate homeopathic treatment. Considering the many kinds of stones that can form and the many clinical problems that they can be associated with, however, I can give only general advice that will be helpful regardless of the type of stone involved. More specific, individualized treatment will be needed for persistent and recurrent problems.

First improve the diet. This will help the animal by strengthening the urinary tract, normalizing liver function, and adjusting the animal’s metabolism. A home-prepared diet
with the following supplements will be of great help.

Cod-liver oil:
The lining of the bladder and urinary tract is kept in top condition by adequate vitamin A in the diet. In addition, vitamin D, which is produced by the animal’s body in the presence of sunlight, can be deficient in many animals that live indoors much of the time. Use cod-liver oil or another source of both vitamin A and vitamin D. Give 2,500 IU per day of vitamin A to small dogs, 5,000 to medium dogs, and 10,000 to large dogs.

Vitamin C:
Give this vitamin to aid in detoxification and to acidify the urine, which helps control bacterial infection and reduces the likelihood that stones will form. Twice daily, give 250 milligrams to small dogs and 500 milligrams to medium dogs. Large dogs get 500 milligrams, three times daily.

B-complex:
The most important B vitamins for this condition are B
₂
(riboflavin) and B
₆
(pyridoxine). However, don’t give them alone. Always use a complete natural formula so no imbalances of the B complex occur. Give small dogs a daily tablet with the major B vitamins (including B
₂
and B
₆
) at the 10-milligram level; for medium and large dogs use the 20-milligram level (you many need use part of a tablet or capsule to get these amounts).

Do not restrict calcium in the diet. Sometimes people are advised to follow a low-calcium diet with the idea that restricting calcium will reduce the formation of stones. However, there is no evidence that this is effective; in fact, insufficient calcium actually makes the problem worse by increasing the amount of oxalate (a common component of bladder and kidney stones) in the urine.

Magnesium:
This mineral helps prevent reformation of stones. Magnesium chloride or other magnesium chelates are good supplements to use, given at levels of 50, 100, or 300 milligrams a day, depending on the animal’s size.