Both the Anti Struvite supplement and a urine-acidifying diet have been formulated to achieve a specific urine pH. When these two products are combined, it is virtually impossible to predict the effects on the urine pH. It is therefore not advisable to combine Anti Struvite with a urine-acidifying diet.
Kidney problems and struvite are two disorders that are difficult to tackle simultaneously. This is because anti-struvite diets acidify the urine and this is undesirable in kidney patients. Kidney patients are less efficient in regulating the acid-base balance in the body. When a urine-acidifying diet or supplement is given, the animal’s kidneys are unable to raise the pH of the blood sufficiently, which can lead to acidosis (blood acidification). Acidosis can cause health problems in the long term. To prevent acidosis, kidney diets slightly raise the urine pH. This, however, increases the chance of the formation and precipitation of struvite.
In patients with kidney problems and struvite, a choice between two evils has to be made. In these cases, the priority goes to kidney failure, because animals with this condition can only be supported with a kidney diet. Struvite can be prevented by acidifying the urine and by increasing the urine volume. Since animals with kidney problems are less able to regulate the acid-base balance, increasing the urine volume is the only option for the prevention of struvite. We recommend that animals with these two disorders should be prescribed the wet food variant of a kidney diet. This minimises the burden on the kidneys and dilutes the urine, which reduces the chance of struvite formation.
Intestinal Support is a supplement that should be combined with dry food. It supports, among other things, the growth of carbohydrate fermenting microorganisms. These so-called ‘good bacteria’ provide a better intestinal health when they are offered the right food source.
When the growth of carbohydrate-fermenting microorganisms is stimulated with Intestinal Support, this bacterial colony needs more carbohydrates in order to maintain itself. Dry food is rich in carbohydrates, which is an ideal food source for the good bacteria. Wet food, on the other hand, contains little carbohydrates and relatively high quantities of protein and fat. In case of a shortage of carbohydrates, the good bacteria switch to fermenting proteins. However, they are very inefficient in using proteins as an energy source. As a result, the bacteria produce harmful by-products, which can lead to health problems in the long term.
It is therefore very important to tune the diet and the pre- and/or probiotics supplement.
No, TROVET does not have an anti struvite diet with a lowered energy content.
Pregnant dogs mainly need extra protein and energy in the second half of the pregnancy to support the growth of the puppies in the womb. For this purpose it is best to choose food that is rich in protein and energy. Puppy is a product that meets these requirements and can be fed to support your pregnant dog. Consult your veterinarian for the correct dietary advice for your pregnant dog.
(Dietary) food for dogs is specially formulated based on the nutritional requirements of dogs. These are different from the requirements of cats. It is not harmful to feed your dog cat food for a short period. This is because dogs need fewer essential nutrients from the diet than cats. However, because cat food contains more protein, it unnecessarily stresses the liver and kidneys when fed for a long period.
This is because dogs ingest extra water via ingestion of wet food. Water intake of more than 100 ml per kg bodyweight is abnormal in dogs. In these cases it is wise to consult your veterinarian. The veterinarian will perform a urine test to analyse if the increased water intake is due to health problems.
