Cystsis: cranberry juice

[racebuddy]

My horse is being treated for cystsis, on bute from the vets / just wandering if anybody elses horse has had this / and if gave cranberry juice like us ?

 

[Equi]

There is a lack of any real scientific evidence, but in my view the old home remedies have stuck around for a reason and should not be totally ignored. Although with stuff like this i often think it is more psychosomatic...people have pain peeing so don't drink, then think the cranberry will help thus drink more thus pee more thus flush things out more etc.

Im not sure a horse will think in the same manner, but it might enjoy the cranberry as a nice treat anyway!

 

[Mule]

Mine recently had cystitis. He was treated with antibiotics.
I'd say for the cranberry juice to work, the horse would have to drink quite a lot of it.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Commercial Cranberry juice is full of sugar which can make cystitis worse in humans so if you are going to use it go to Holland and Barret and get their cranberry concentrate which is sharp to taste and has none of the sugar. It's worth trying although as Equi says there is no scientific evidence to say it works.

 

[blitznbobs]

If on antibiotics don’t use cranberry juice as it changes the ph of the urine which makes the antibiotics not work as well.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I know that Bearberry has been used for humans with cystitis?? Don't know about the effectiveness of it.

Just putting it in the pot.........

 

[Coblover63]

Cranberry juice doesn't work as well as a teaspoon of bicarb dissolved in a glass of water. Much cheaper too.

 

[SpringArising]

I used to get cystitis a lot so I did a lot of looking into this. I couldn't find anything factual or scientific that proved cranberry juice works - the general consensus is that cranberry MIGHT work if taken in extreme concentrated form as a preventative measure rather than a cure. By the time cystitis has occurred, the cranberry wouldn't do much, basically.

Cranberry capsules are the most effective.

Personally the only thing that used to work for me was a REALLY hot flannel on my you know what, and LOADS of water to flush it out.

 

[tamsinkb]

In theory, cranberry juice (unsweetened) helps relieve the symptoms not the cause of cystitis....as does sodium citrate by reducing the acidity of the urine. Not sure how to encourage a horse to drink lots of water, which us equally as important though!