Kissy developed urinary tract problems

Kissy's vet had checked the urine, and Kissy had a bladder infection as well as struvite crystals from eating Scrumbles

Struvite Crystals

Updated on June 2024 by Just Be Kind Dog Food Arielle

Kissy is a much loved rescue dog called a Podenco (a highly sensitive breed with gentle personalities and intolerances to certain foods).

Her Mum contacted me as Kissy had begun urinating indoors which she had never done before. Their vet had checked the urine, and Kissy had a bladder infection as well as struvite crystals.

She had been giving Kissy Scrumbles plant-based food that she saw in their local Sainsbury's and was so pleased to see a plant-based option on the shelves locally. Unfortunately Scrumbles is a pet food company that focuses on meat-based ingredients, and they have not formulated their plant-based wet food correctly.

Scrumbles plant-based wet dog food found in Sainsburys

Analytical Info of Srumbles Plant-Based

Protein 5%*, Fat Content 2.5%, Crude Fibre 0.5%, Inorganic Matter 2.5%, Moisture 72%, Phosphorous 0.71%

Please note that the protein level of this food on a dry matter basis with *5% protein as formulated, is equivalent to 17.4% on a dry matter basis – this is below the recommended protein level for all dog foods of 18%

As a dog food company with a plant-based option, they are moving in the right direction trying to be more sustainable, but this new food can only really be used for dogs that are going to eat both their meat-based as well as their new veggie recipe as the new recipe is so low in protein with many essential amino acids lacking.

Scrumbles lacks the important addition of Taurine and the sulphur amino acid Methionine (the precursor to Taurine). These 2 valuable ingredients must be added to plant-based dog foods to ensure that the urinary tract environment is sufficiently acidified to prevent the build up of these crystals and an associated bladder infection.

Their local vet who gave the antibiotics, recommended that Kissy go onto a meat-based prescription diet – ROYAL CANIN® Canine Urinary S/O Ageing 7+ Adult Dog Food.

I looked up the ingredients of Royal Canin S/O senior that it was recommended Kissy go onto and they are –

Rice, maize flour, dehydrated poultry protein, animal fats, wheat flour, minerals, hydrolysed animal proteins, maize gluten, cellulose powder, wheat gluten, egg powder, fish oil, soya oil, dried tomato pulp, fructo-oligo-saccharides, hydrolysed crustaceans (source of glucosamine), marigold extract, hydrolysed cartilage (source of chondroitin). Protein sources: dehydrated poultry protein, hydrolysed animal proteins, maize gluten, wheat gluten, egg powder.

We are SO much happier with this ingredient list of the Greta food that we stock that has much kinder ingredients that suit Kissy’s urinary tract concerns as Greta contains one of the highest levels of the amino acid Methionine (and it is delicious as full of plant-powered proteins)!

INGREDIENTS
Rice (from certified organic cultivation 24%), Potatoes (23%), Pea Protein (9,5%), Vegetable Oil, Potato Protein, Lentils, Sunflower Seeds, Flaxseeds, Carrots, Brewer’s Yeast, Banana Meal, Beetroot, Seaweed Calcium, Cranberries, Sea Salt, Marjoram, Savory, Tomato Powder, Papaya Leaves, Fructooligosaccharides, Schizochytrium limacinum (rich in Omega 3)

ANALYSIS
22.00% Crude protein, 11.20% Crude fat, 2.60% Crude fibre, 5.70% Crude Ash, 0.61% Calcium, 0.46% Phosphorus, 0.50% Potassium, 0.35% Sodium, 0.15% Magnesium, 1.24% Lysine, 0.53% Methionine, 0.23% Tryptophan

Another option for dogs prone to urinary tract infections like Kizzy, is to feed a tinned food such as Give A Dog A Bean (with a protein level of 30% on a dry matter basis compared to the 17.5% protein level of Scrumbles!!) to ensure that they are taking in enough moisture to flush the bladder; or to home cook using our Just be Kind Supplement that contains the right levels of Methionine to prevent crystals from forming.