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After careful analysis, our top recommended pH balanced dog food is Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets URUrinary Ox/St.
It’s been specifically formulated to help dogs maintain the correct pH balance, and for those prone to urinary stones. It’s also packed with antioxidants to boost your dog’s immune system.
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Healthy dogs usually maintain a normal pH in their bodies without us having to worry. If you are concerned about your dog’s pH balance, then it is likely your veterinarian has diagnosed them with a urinary complaint. In certain conditions, crystals and stones are more likely to form in your dog’s urinary tract, most commonly when their urine has become more alkaline. An acidifying diet can lower the urine pH and make problems much less likely. If your dog requires a diet to help bring his urine pH back into line, then here is what you should look for.
Calcium sulfate and potassium citrate are urine acidifiers found in many veterinary-recommended urinary diets. These diets will help reduce urine pH and are often aimed at reducing stone formation as well as helping to dissolve existing stones.
A diet containing a moderate level of protein can help to reduce the amount of substrate available for urease-producing bacteria. These bacteria convert urea in protein to ammonium, which increases urine pH to neutral or alkaline values, making struvite stones more likely. Restricting the amount of protein to 15-20%, alongside appropriate antibiotics, will help to bring urine pH values down again.
If your dog has the opposite problem and their urine pH is too low (acidic), then a high water content can help raise the pH level. A diet with a high moisture content is also a good idea generally for animals suffering from urinary tract or kidney problems. Wet or canned diets can be useful for these dogs.
All of our dog food suggestions are carefully selected by professionals. We extensively research the products to check if they’ve been approved by governing bodies before making recommendations. You can read more about our stringent review standards here. And remember, always consult your veterinarian first, before changing your dog’s food.
For one of the best dog foods for pH balance on the market today, it’s hard to go wrong with Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets UR. This high quality dog food is available by prescription only and has been formulated specifically to help dogs struggling to maintain the correct pH balance as well as those with a predisposition to urinary stones.
This food is renowned for its exceptional flavor, encouraging hearty eating in dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes. A diet formulated through careful cooperative efforts between nutritionists, veterinarians, and researchers, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets UR helps dogs to find the balance they need in their daily meals.
The antioxidants included in this powerhouse food formulation are present in sufficient quantities to help boost dogs’ immune systems to provide a vital frontline defence against disease. This recipe was designed to help break down urinary stones already existing in the body while assisting with preventing the development of further stones in the future.
Available by prescription only, Blue Buffalo Natural Urinary Care is a premium diet that helps dogs to maintain excellent urinary health to achieve the correct pH balance.
A wet food, the moisture content levels in this diet have been enriched to help dilute urine that is too acidic, and thus, restore a better pH balance to the dog’s body. Considered to be one of the best dog foods for pH balance, the concentration of fiber in this diet has been increased to assist with fluid digestive processes as well as to keep dogs feeling satisfied after a meal.
Blue Buffalo Natural Urinary Care contains magnesium and sodium, two important minerals that play a vital role in maintaining good urinary function.
This food is completely free from grains.
FirstMate LID Grain-Free is a top quality diet that earns high marks from nutrition experts and owners alike for its ability to help restore a proper pH balance in dogs. This food bases its formulation on a single protein: Australian lamb. Lamb is known to be easy to digest and is rich in essential fatty acids to support good health and excellent skin and coat quality.
FirstMate LID Grain-Free contains carbohydrates from the fruit and vegetable families, ensuring high fiber content as well as a plentiful amount of antioxidants to support a strong immune system. This diet is an excellent choice for dogs suffering from allergies and can be used in conjunction with elimination diets to help pinpoint food sensitivities since its ingredients lists is very limited.
For dogs in need of support for their urinary health, it is hard to go wrong with Hill’s Prescription Diet Urinary Care. A diet available only by prescription, Hill’s Prescription Diet Urinary Care provides all of the nutrients dogs need to achieve the correct pH balance, a vital component of preventing illness associated with poor urinary function.
A formulation that concentrates on plant proteins and grains, this diet is deliberately low in meats to help prevent an overly acidic environment in dogs struggling with poor urinary health. The calcium content has also been carefully calibrated to discourage bladder stones from forming.
This food, rated among the best dog foods for pH balance available by veterinary prescription, contains taurine to encourage cardiac health and is also rich in antioxidants to boost immunity.
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Urinary SO Canned Food is a prescription diet that has been carefully crafted to restore proper urinary health and to achieve a correct pH balance. This food is available by prescription only.
Its primary purpose is to assist dogs struggling with illness associated with poor urinary function. It is best fed short term to alleviate the problem.
A wet food, Royal Canin Urinary is rich in moisture to help reduce highly acidic urine content. The food contains ingredients proven to organically disintegrate struvite stones and to create an inhospitable environment for kidney stones.
Though it is a lesser discussed topic, establishing the right pH balance in a dog’s system is critical to achieving and maintaining optimal health. pH balance can be regulated through diet with some foods being preferable when it comes to achieving ideal levels.
pH balance is essentially achieving harmony with hydrogen levels in the body. The scale measures from 1 to 14 with 7 representing neutrality and being the desired outcome. Any number beneath 7 is labelled acidic with values that reflect higher than 7 termed as alkaline.
A dog’s body is its most efficient with a pH level that measures between 7 and 7.4, making it only marginally alkaline. When a dog’s pH balance dips into the acidic range, it makes the dog more susceptible to contracting disease. The acidic environment is inhospitable to the oxygen required to promote healthy cell growth and tissues.
Achieving a pH balance that is slightly alkaline helps to prevent many life threatening diseases including those related to the kidneys and liver. It has also been proven to help stave off type 2 diabetes in dogs.
However, pH balance does more than simply sustain health to help avoid the development of disease. It also plays a critical role in a dog’s urinary health. For dogs that are known to succumb to bladder and kidney stones, it is vital that a switch to diet that promotes the ideal pH balance be undertaken.
The correct pH balance helps put the right environment in place to keep urinary tract infections from occurring, a common problem that plays a leading role in the development of bladder and kidney stones. Stones are not only extremely uncomfortable; at their worst, they can be exceptionally painful. If large in size, they may require surgery to remove since they cannot be passed through the ureter naturally.
When an obstruction occurs due to a stone, it can put the dog’s life in jeopardy. Achieving the correct pH balance can help promote excellent urinary health, and thus, avoid many of these problems.
Acidic foods should still play a role in a dog’s diet as certain aspects of the body operate most effectively in that type of environment. To achieve optimal health and wellness, it is important to find the correct balance between foods that are acidic in nature and those that are alkaline. Experts agree that finding the harmony between the two is also a vital strategy to help avoid illnesses such as cancer.
There are many benefits dogs gain from being fed a diet that focuses on the correct pH balance. When the blood is properly oxygenated, dogs are less likely to experience tiredness after activity. The aging process is also decelerated, meaning a youthful appearance and fewer age-related health complications are experienced.
The best dog foods for pH balance help dogs to enjoy better longevity and excellent quality of life, making them will worth their cost.
The amount of the best dog foods for pH balance fed to a dog is equally as important as the ingredients that go into it. Dogs that are allowed to free feed or that are fed in too high quantities are at serious risk of becoming overweight, a condition that places excess strain on muscles, joints, and internal organs.
To determine how much of a food to achieve the ideal pH balance to feed a dog, it is a wise idea to use the table of suggested serving sizes on the bag as a starting point. The dog’s weight and appetite will help owners to understand if the amount should be increased or decreased until the correct portion is found.
As a general rule of thumb, adult dogs should be fed a food that contains a minimum of 18 percent protein and 5 percent fat. The ideal puppy food reflects slightly higher values at 22 percent protein and 8 percent fat with slightly higher amounts also within the optimal range.
It is important to note that diets that are too rich in protein can negatively impact a dog’s pH levels.
There are many different dog foods that owners can choose from to assist with achieving the ideal pH balance for their dog. A number of these diets are available by prescription only, meaning a visit to a veterinarian is necessary. It is important to note that since excess protein can be problematic in the pursuit of the ideal pH balance, many veterinary diets focus on plant-based proteins that are not as high in nutritional quality as meats.
Prescription diets are often recommended by veterinarians for dogs that have shown an ongoing problem with urinary tract infections and/or stones. Some dogs can benefit from eating these foods short term to alleviate the problem and can then return to a non-veterinary diet to maintain excellent urinary health when the correct pH balance is attained.
As a general rule of thumb, the best dog foods for pH balance should be comprised of as many natural ingredients as possible. Natural ingredients are typically highly digestible, making their nutrients easier for dogs to process and utilize effectively.
The best proteins for dogs in need of achieving the ideal pH balance are derived from animal sources. The protein amount in a food should be moderate at best with 20-27% the ideal range to remain alkaline. Too much protein will shift the pH balance to acidic, putting the dog at risk for the development of disease.
Though it is always recommended that a food base its protein content on a whole meat or meat meal, dogs experiencing difficulty with their urinary health may benefit from a diet that makes use of plant-based proteins. These should be fed if recommended by a veterinarian and should be a temporary solution to alleviate an ongoing problem.
When a dog exhibits an acidic environment in its body, it is important to increase the moisture found in its food to help reduce the amount of acid contained in the urine. To help achieve this best, it is a good idea to make the switch to a canned food. Canned foods have their moisture content boosted to increase palatability and bind ingredients together well. Alternatively, water can be added to the dog’s regular kibble to increase the amount of fluid intake naturally.
Since artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives contribute no nutritional quality to a diet and can be common allergens for many dogs, foods containing them are best avoided entirely.
Carbohydrates are important inclusions to a formula to help provide necessary dietary fiber to encourage good digestion. These can be taken from whole grains, fruits, or vegetables. However, an emphasis should be placed on the amount of fiber a food contains as well as its antioxidant profile to help boost the dog’s immune system to fight disease well. Extremely acidic fruits included in high quantities are undesirable in a food to address pH balance.
The best dog foods for pH balance place a high emphasis on including healthy fats to promote coat and skin health. These are best derived from animal sources such as chicken fat or oily fish.
Supplements help to round out a diet and provide excellent health benefits for dogs. Among the most desirable supplements to look for in a high quality dog food are prebiotics, probiotics, glucosamine, and chondroitin.
Here is a basic list of the most important things to look for in a dog food for pH balance:
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