Urine pH tells you how your dog's body handles the food she eats. If the body has enough organic minerals from the foods Nina is eating then the urine pH should be 5.5 to 5.8 (highly acid). This is a favorable or ideal physiological response if the dog is eating a well balanced diet.
If the urine readings register in the ranges of 6.0 to 6.6, or 6.8 to 8.0 (high alkalinity), this means that the body has used up it’s mineral supplies and that the body is now getting these minerals from its own body (mostly from bones). Over time, the pH numbers keeps going up. An alkaline urine following feeding your dog an acid diet (meats, dairy, grains and cooked foods) is the result of the body adapting to protect itself.
Here’s more explanation:
The acid residue of acid ash-producing foods (meat, grains, processed and cooked foods, drugs, medicinal herbs....etc.), are strong and dangerous to the urinary tract. Strong acids must be neutralized or weakened. Acid urine is neutralized in one of two ways; either alkaline minerals are added through the diet, or, if appropriate minerals are not available, the body will use ammonia. Ammonia as a urine neutralizer is an emergency backup system. Ammonia is more highly alkaline than alkaline reserve minerals. It has a pH of about 9.25. Does your dog’s urine smells like ammonia? Does your dog’s urine burn the grass when your dog pees? All of these symptoms indicate ammonia in the urine.
So we have a strong acid that is going to be eliminated in the urine and two methods of neutralizing it are: (1) the alkaline reserve, if any, and (2) the emergency backup, ammonia.
When alkaline minerals are taken from the alkaline diet and added to the strong acid foods, the strong acid is made weaker. It is still acid, but weak enough not to irritate delicate tissue in the bladder.
If the alkaline reserve has been depleted (that’s most dogs’ cases since they are being fed an acid ash producing diet and might be taking medical drugs or medicinal herbs), minerals aren’t available from that source to buffer the acid. Yet the body is intent upon survival. It will neutralize the strong acid even if it has to alter its normal way of functioning. One of the alterations it makes is to use ammonia produced by the body. Ammonia is used to neutralize the strong acid. Again, ammonia is a very strong alkali. It overpowers the acid and the urine registers highly alkaline, around pH 8.0 or higher.
The only reason the urine is alkaline when acid ash foods, herbs and drugs are being consumed is because the body has adapted its function to take care of an emergency situation. Alkaline urine following acid producing foods or drugs is a sure sign that the alkaline reserve is depleted and that the body’s resistance is faltering.
Summary:
If a dog has high alkaline urine pH readings, then their body does not have enough minerals especially sodium to buffer the acidity from the diet.
When you add organic vegetable juices such as organically grown zucchini and celery to your dog’s diet which is high in organic sodium and other organic minerals the pH numbers will begin to decline. This is not only to be expected, it’s what you are trying to accomplish. As your dog’s mineral reserves are replenished, enough sodium will be available for the urine and it will start registering around 5.5 and the burning sensation will stop (a natural solution to recurring UTI). This will not happen if your dog takes any types of drugs but after you stop giving your dog the drugs and you take care of feeding your dog a good diet full of fresh veggies, micro algae and fruits, then the urine pH will start to drop and will become acidic.
Organic micro algae is one of the supplements I recommend from a product called bluegreen body because it is the most mineral rich food (this algae feeds on volcanic soil), and dogs usually will benefit greatly from including it in their diet.