Diseases and conditions affecting the bladder and associated structures of the lower urinary tract are a leading cause of urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, and
kidney failure, and they often contribute to poor quality of life. It has been estimated that 35 million Americans suffer from bladder disease and most have chronic conditions. Bladder problems have been reported to cost Americans more than $16 billion per year in health related expenses, and this estimate does not take into account the associated physical and emotional disabilities that are considered "unmentionable" by many men, women, and children.

This report outlines future critical research on the basic science of the lower urinary tract and clinical studies of bladder diseases and conditions. It also
makes specific recommendations for focused inclusion of biotechnologies that offer opportunities for bladder research. In addition, the report describes the kinds of programs that will provide a pipeline of new researchers through training, new collaborations, and infrastructure to support this work. The potential consequences of rapid progress in bladder research could save many children, women, and men from the physical and emotional consequences of bladder diseases and conditions.

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Holistic veterinarians concur that there are natural substances that reverse cat bladder disease. There are some great natural remedies that fight off the most common causes of cat urinary problems symptoms of cat UTI that you can get without a veterinary prescription. Here's how to get your cat on a fast track to prevention and recovery from cat urinary problems.

Many synthetic products that are available through a veterinarian's prescription actually cause problems to crop up in other areas of your cat's internal systems. Antibiotics are notorious for destroying the natural flora in your cat's urinary tract which can actually aggravate feline bladder disease. Today's holistic veterinarians are turning away from prescribing antibiotics in favor of natural remedies.

Holistic vets are using the information that they have about feline bladder disease to match natural compounds that prevent the causes of cat bladder disease. They find that many cat patients suffering from a feline UTI have also recently experienced stressful situations.

Stress can be caused by a number of changes in your cat's environment like moving to a new home, adding family members or new partners, adding new pets and even having a stray cat hanging around the neighborhood. Needless to say, these are things that you can't easily 'take out' of your life once they are in it. As long as they remain they continue to stress your cat until he can become accustomed to these changes.

Your cat's pH level in his urinary track gets out of whack when he endures prolonged periods of stress. An inappropriate pH level opens the door for an increase in harmful bacteria in your cat. The bacteria take over and cause an infection.

Arctostaphylos uva ursi is a well known urinary tonic that helps maintain normal pH levels in the urinary tract. Berberis vulgaris is an herb which contains berberine which is well known for its restorative effect on the bladder and urinary tract. Berberis also helps to support a healthy immune system. Scutellaria laterifolia (Scullcap) is one of the best known herbs for soothing the nervous system.

All these tonics are found in commercially produced remedies. The best part is they are really easy to administer to your cat. No pills or shots. Just a pinch added to his food once or twice a day and he's on his way back to a healthy urinary tract system.

A word or caution. Cat bladder disease is nothing to take lightly. In fact, it might even develop into a feline urinary tract blockage. It is critical to get that ruled out by your veterinarian as it can quickly turn into a fatal condition.

What next? You want to find ingredients that complement your cat's naturally occurring flora in his body. Its easy to help him deal with stressful situations with a pinch of nature in his cat food. You can give this to him over a longer period of time which you can not do with antibiotics. This puts your cat in the perfect position to reduce stress naturally and prevent cat bladder disease.

With all of the current research finding natural substances that reverse cat urinary problems symptoms, it is easy to help your cat ward off feline bladder disease even during stress filled times.

About The Author: Kate Rieger has been owned by 15+ cats and is a champion of spay and release for her feral cat neighbors. She is partnered with the Kentucky S.N.I.P clinic and together through adoptions, education programs and spay/neuter efforts, they provide affordable solutions to reducing the pet overpopulation crisis in the Kentuckiana region. While she would like to extend the concept of using natural remedies for treating cat urinary problems symptoms to every cat in the neighborhood, she takes it one step at a time. Visit her at http://www.Pet-Natural-Remedies.com to find more about natural cat care products.

Have you ever had several cups of coffee and no access to a toilet? Having a full bladder and being unable to empty it is definitely uncomfortable. Cats with feline lower urinary tract disease are in pain. If this condition is untreated it can be fatal.

Symptoms of a urinary tract blockage:

Straining to urinate
Frequent trips to the litter box with either no success or only small amounts of urine being produced
Licking of the genital area
Leaving small amounts of urine in strange spots in the house such as the bathtub
Inappetance and lethargy
Some cats will walk very gingerly because of the pain in their bladder
Many cats will yowl because of the pain

A urinary tract blockage is a condition of male cats. (It is quite rare for a female cat to have this problem). Male cats have a very tiny urethra to urinate through. If there is debris such as crystals or sloughed cells in the urethra we can get either a partial or a complete blockage.

Causes of FLUTD

The exact cause is not always known. In the past we used to blame "high ash diets" for this condition. While there is some truth to this, there are actually a number of factors that can contribute to a urinary tract blockage.

High Ash?

High ash means that there is a large amount of mineral such as calcium, magnesium and others in the food. There is more ash produced when a food is manufactured with a low quality meat. But, recent studies have shown that it is not actually the ash content that we are worried about but rather the urinary pH and something called relative supersaturation.

Urinary pH

If the pH of a cat's urine is high then this creates a favorable environment for struvite crystals to form. There are several possible causes for high pH including:

poor quality cat food
bacteria in the urinary tract
feeding your cat certain foods that cause an increase in urinary pH such as milk

Struvite crystals:

A few struvite crystals in the urine do not cause a problem. However, large amounts of crystals can cause inflammation which leads to pain, bleeding and can lead to infection. The crystals can clump together and form a tiny stone which can lodge in the urethra. Or, the inflammation can cause a buildup of "debris" which can form a plug in the urethra.

How serious is the problem?

A urinary tract blockage (or partial blockage) is a serious life threatening emergency! If you think your cat may have a blockage it is important for him to be seen immediately, even if it means a visit to the emergency clinic.

If the urethra is blocked, the buildup of pressure in the bladder causes an increase in pressure in the kidneys. A cat can go into kidney failure quite quickly when this happens. We will also see an increase in potassium. If potassium increases too much this can cause heart failure.

Please do not try to treat this at home. I have had many clients of Ask A Vet Question ask me if they could give antibiotics because they felt their cat had a urinary tract infection. A UTI is actually uncommon in cats. Antibiotics alone will not cure a urethral blockage.

What will your vet do?

Your vet may do:

A physical exam including palpation of the bladder. A very large bladder tells us that the cat is indeed blocked.
A urinalysis. They may get the urine sample by inserting a small needle into the bladder.
Bloodwork to determine if there is kidney disease and to help determine how life threatening the condition is.
If there is only a partial blockage and your cat is stable your vet may decide to try medical treatment which may include medications to help relax the urethra as well as pain medications and special food to help dissolve any crystals.
Most cats will need to have a urethral catheter placed. In most cases this needs to be done under an anesthetic.
Your cat will likely have to stay on intravenous fluids to help to support and flush the kidneys and bladder for a few days.
After 1-3 days your vet will pull out the urethral catheter and assess whether your cat can urinate on his own.

What will the cost be?

The cost depends on whether your cat needs anesthesia and how long of a hospital stay is needed. In my practice hospitalization of a blocked cat usually costs anywhere from $700 to $1500.

Will this happen again? Some cats have a predisposition to a urinary tract blockage and can block again days, weeks or months after the surgery. In order to prevent this from happening it is important that your cat stays on the prescription food that your vet gives to you and any medications that are prescribed. Your vet may also recommend rechecking your cat's urine a few times a year to see if any problems are brewing. If we can catch a urinary problem before a full blockage happens then many times it can be treated with medication rather than expensive hospitalization.

For some cats, a procedure called a perineal urethrostomy is a possibility. This is a surgery that opens up the urethra so that the opening is more like a female cat.

Ask a vet a question.

Kidney disease is a main health obstruction in America, causing problems some eight million Americans.

Harm to the nephrons effects are in kidney disease. This damage might leave kidneys incapable to eliminate wastes. Generally the damage happens little by little over years.

There are no obvious symptoms. According to latest investigation published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, almost half of people with a complicated kind of kidney disease do not realize they have weak or failing kidneys.

Over 500,000 Australians a year seek advice from their doctors regarding kidney disease and urinary tract infections. One in seven Australian adults suffers some sign of chronic kidney disease and one in 35 really suffers critical kidney disease. Throughout their lifetime, one-third of women and one in ten men experience a bladder infection and one in 15 women will have kidney stones.

If your family possesses a history of any kind of kidney problems, you are possibly at risk for the disease.

Various factors can bring about kidney disease. You are may be in danger if you have:

- Diabetes

- High blood pressure

- A close family member with the disease

Your doctor can make investigations to detect if you suffer it. If your kidneys fail absolutely, an organ transplant or dialysis can change the work your kidneys in general do.

But if you are in the first stages, you could make your kidneys last longer by holding particular steps. In addition, you will desire to be convinced that risks for heart assault and stroke are reduced, because Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients are at risk to these troubles.

- If you suffer diabetes, observe your blood glucose carefully to keep it under control. Seek advice from your doctor for the latest in medication.

- Keep away from pain pills that could create your kidney disease worse. Confirm to your doctor prior to take any medicine.

Early discovery of kidney disease could be lifesaving. Medication and alterations to way of life, together with an early recommendation to a kidney specialist, can put off or suspend kidney failure. If you are in higher danger of chronic kidney disease, consult to your doctor concerning having a regular safeguard.

If you want to get some excellent resources on kidney, please visit my site on You and Your Kidney [http://allaboutkidney.blogspot.com/] or Kidney Disease [http://allaboutkidney.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-do-you-know-about-kidney-disease.html]

The term, Parkinsonism, is used to describe a group of conditions that exhibit symptoms such as slowness of movement, rigidity and tremors. A well known and common example of such a condition would be Parkinson's disease.

At some stage of their affliction, some sufferers of Parkinsonism may experience problems with their bladder. These bladder (and/or bowel) problems can affect the person's quality of life to a great degree. A decrease in the ability to move to the bathroom when needed is just one cause of the person's embarrassment.

A normal bladder can store about a pint of urine and will need to be emptied four to six times per day. The bladder's function is to act as storage place for the urine and it will normally empty itself totally when the person urinates.

While the bladder may seem like a simple storage organ, it is actually a very complex organ. The bladder can fill while it is in the relaxed state. And it can empty when it is contracted, thus the urine is squeezed out. The nerves and muscles that do this work are complex, and the nerves require long pathways from the brain to the bladder.

Because of this complexity, people suffering from Parkinson's disease may experience difficulty in emptying the bladder and an unstable bladder.

Difficulty in emptying the bladder can happen when the sphincter is not relaxed enough to allow the urine out or because the bladder doesn't start to contract when needed. There can also be a problem in maintaining the bladder contraction long enough to ensure that the urine is completely voided.

In any case, a small amount of urine often remains in the bladder which gives the urgent feeling of having to empty the bladder again and again.

Urinary tract infections tend to be common among those who are unable to empty their bladder completely as the urine residue is considered a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

The unstable bladder is caused when the neural messages from the brain to the bladder are not sent and received properly. When this happens you feel the need to go but try to delay it while you are looking for a toilet. Because the neural message from the brain telling the bladder to "hold on" isn't getting through properly, the person feels a sense of urgency. Should no restroom be found quickly, the person may wet himself. This is also known as urge incontinence.

Bladder problems often become worse during the night as sufferers of Parkinsonism often have reduced dopamine levels at this time of day. This reduced level of dopamine makes it harder for the patient to get out of the bed, walk to the toilet, and begin the process of emptying the bladder. It is not uncommon for people with Parkinsonism to have sleepless nights caused by these frequent visits to the bathroom.

For more information and resources on Parkinson's disease, symptoms, common treatments [http://www.pdexplained.com/Common-Treatments-for-Parkinsons-Disease.html], causes, surgery, bowel problems with Parkinson's disease [http://www.pdexplained.com/Bowel-Problems-with-Parkinsons-disease.html] and much more facts and resources, visit Jeremy Parker's comprehensive reference guide on Parkinson's disease [http://www.pdexplained.com].