Tuesday, September 13, 2016

D-Mannose & Your Cat's Urinary Tract Health


One morning a few weeks ago I was rushing around getting ready for work when I realized Mudpie had made several trips into the bathroom. In checking out her litter pan I discovered a couple little squirts of diarrhea. A few minutes later she meowed, and it was different than her usual tortie chatter. It sounded like something was causing her pain. Then she headed to the bathroom again and this time there was a tiny pee clump and an itty bitty spot of blood in it.

Immediately noticing the signs of a urinary tract infection, my mind went into overdrive. Should I call the vet right away or keep an eye on her for a while longer? Since she subsequently chowed down on her breakfast and acted like nothing had happened, I decided to take the wait and see approach and asked my mom to stay with her while I was at work. Happily her next trip to the potty several hours later was perfectly normal, and continued to be so. Still, not knowing if she might have a slight infection I decided to start giving her D-Mannose for a number of days.

D-Mannose is one of the many holistic alternatives I discovered through Angel Tara's various health issues. Diabetic cats are prone to urinary tract infections because the sugar in their urine is a breeding ground for infection. In the first 6 months after her diagnosis she had 3 infections and I was desperate to find something to prevent yet another round of antibiotics. When I stumbled upon information about D-Mannose I was skeptical, but I became a fan for life when over the next 18 months taking the powder in her food twice a day Tara had only one very minor infection!


Interested in learning more? Here's what you need to know:

1) D-Mannose is a naturally occurring, entirely absorbable sugar that is extracted from cranberries and other fruits, but is reported to be up to 50 times stronger than cranberry, non-toxic and completely safe, with no adverse side effects.

2) Most of the D-Mannose is filtered through the kidneys and routed to the bladder, then quickly excreted into the urine. Once it's is in your cat's urine, the bacteria clings to it and is then flushed out when the cat urinates.

3) D-Mannose is safe for even diabetic cats. Although it's a simple sugar, very little of it is metabolized and therefore doesn't interfere with blood sugar regulation.

4) It comes in both pill and powder form. The best cat food for urinary health is wet food, so the recommended dosage can easily be mixed into your cat's regular meals. Since I can't depend on Mudpie eating all of her wet food each day, I mixed it into her daily yogurt treat.

5) It's effective for both short and long-term use, so you can administer it only when symptoms of an infection appear, or on a daily basis as a method of prevention if you cat suffers from frequent infections.

6) Use of D-Mannose originated in the large animal veterinary industry! As the daughter of a former dairy farmer I know that nursing dairy cows are predisposed to urinary tract infections. When these cows are receiving antibiotics their milk must be thrown away, resulting in a loss of income. With D-Mannose there's no wasted milk! D-Mannose has subsequently been found to be helpful for women with recurrent urinary tract infections and now it's being used to treat our household pets!

Antibiotics are highly overused both in humans and in our pets, so an alternative for such a common medical issue is definitely worth discussing with your vet, especially as a preventive supplement. I know my home will never be without it!

Have you or your cats ever had a urinary tract infection? 
Have you heard of D-Mannose or used it?

I am not a veterinarian. We are sharing information we've learned about a product that we use and believe in. If your vet recommends that your cat's UTI should be treated with antibiotics, you can use D-Mannose as well, but it should not take the place of prescribed medication.

15 comments:

The Menagerie Mom said...

I have been so lucky in that my feline furbabies have hardly ever suffered from any form of urinary issues. Nevertheless, it is so great to know that there is something like D-Mannose on the market to help. I am so glad that it helped you, Mudpie! We always appreciate hearing firsthand accounts like this from furiends like you, because without such input we might not know whether we can truly believe in a product. Thank you so much for sharing this, Mudpie and Melissa! We're certainly going to keep this great info on hand.

Summer at sparklecat.com said...

My human wishes she had known about this before! I had a minor UTI a few months ago, on a weekend (nothing life threatening), and she was so unhappy seeing me so uncomfortable that she spent the money to take me to emergency clinic. If we'd had this, at least she could have tried it on me to see if it made me feel better, and then taken me to the regular vet on Monday.

Unknown said...

We've never heard of this product. It sounds very good and worth remembering. Thanks.

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat (Katherine Kern) said...

I had no idea they made this kind of thing for cats! Thank you for sharing!

The Island Cats said...

Thanks for this info. We haven't had UTIs lately, but this is something that can be tried if we ever do.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Melissa. I had never heard about D-Mannose.

pilch92 said...

I have not heard of this before, thanks for telling us about it.

Anonymous said...

We use d-Mannosew too. Mommy learned 'bout it when sis Lexi got sick with her kidney disease. CKD cats are prone to urinary tract infections too. So mommy keeps it on hand now and gives it to me and now Raena when she suspects a purroblem. Great posty. Sendin' purrayers fur Mudpie.

Luv ya'

Dezi and Raena

The Swiss Cats said...

We didn't know that such product exists for cats. Thank you for letting us know ! Purrs

Three Chatty Cats said...

Thanks for the review. I have never heard of this before.

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

That is truly great to know, thank you for sharing.

Nancy said...

Thanks for the tip, Melissa! I will try it! My vet has also told me to feed canned food exclusively--or really limit dry food. She said that cats prone to UTI and/or crystals need the extra water they get in canned food. If a cat does not like canned food then sprinkle a few bits of kibble on the wet food to win them over. I also sprinkle a few flakes called "Life Essentials" by Cat-Man-Doo to entice my gang.

da tabbies o trout towne said...

mudpie, bak in me yooth, eye hada few soooper bad UTI'z....knock on wood...dai$yz head.....eye
haz knot had any ina few N at me age hope never two again....we haz hurd a oh D Mannose N we haz
all sew herd bout stayin a way frum fish, spesh a lee with infectionz.....N thatz just.....wrong ~~~~❤️❤️❤️

boomer

Unknown said...

How much D-mannose can I give my 10 lb. cat that has crystals and bacterial infection?She won't eat the wet prescription food for bladder problems that the vet gave me along with amoxicillin for 2 weeks. Not sure about antibiotics working, plus we can't get it in her without her stressing out.

Unknown said...

cant wait to try this. My 12 year old cat has had stones and is on an S O diet, but has been getting recurrent UTIs. She has been banned from all rooms except the kitchen because of her litterbox non-use. She has been on antibiotics 5 times in 7 months. The vet feels she she should be put down. she still eats and plays, and loves to be pet. I hope this works.