By Brent Mayabb, DVM

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Lower Urinary Tract Disease Lower urinary tract disease (LUTD) is a collective term that includes diseases that affect the ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra. Common causes are urinary tract infection, crystals or stones in the urine, and inflammation of the urinary bladder. A dog or cat with signs of this disease may have one or more of these processes occurring. Some signs include difficulty urinating, bloody urine, urinating small amounts (volume) or not at all, and increased frequency of urination. When any of these occur, a visit to the veterinarian is in order.

In treating these diseases, many times dietary intervention is necessary in addition to medical therapy. Urinary tract infections are treated with the appropriate antibiotics. There are many types of urinary crystals, but a majority of cases involve either struvite or calcium oxalate crystals. Struvite crystals are dissolvable, calcium oxalate are not. Historically, a different diet was selected for the treatment of either struvite or calcium oxalate. Our scientists have developed one diet that addresses struvite, calcium oxalate, and calcium phosphate (brushite) uroliths in dogs and cats. Royal Canin Urinary SO is the first diet to dissolve and prevent struvite, prevent calcium phosphate, and prevent calcium oxalate all in one.

Following the example of human medicine, our scientists adapted a research methodology for pets known as Relative Super Saturation (RSS). This method looks at a variety of constituents of the urine, and how these can be manipulated through the diet to reduce the risk of forming crystals and stones. By developing one diet for multiple stone types, we have solved the problem of successfully treating one stone type only to cause another. This revolutionary research is something in which we at Royal Canin take great pride. We have pioneered a new direction in the management of urinary stones.

Another area in which this diet excels is in the treatment of idiopathic cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder). This problem in cats makes up over 60% of lower urinary tract problems. No cause has yet been elucidated. However, our research has shown that by feeding only canned Urinary SO, we can reduce the occurrence by 89%. That's better than any known treatment to date. No other diet has been clinically proven to aid in the management of idiopathic cystitis in cats. At Royal Canin, we are constantly striving to innovate. This philosophy combined with Waltham science has led us to a new era in management of lower urinary tract disease. Royal Canin Urinary SO is the industry leader in nutritional management of the most common types of lower urinary tract disease.