Pharmacological and clinical approach to plant based complementary health products in lower urinary system diseases in cats and dogs

Medicinal plants, which are widely used in the treatment of many diseases in folk medicine, are alternative treatment approaches that allow to overcome the limitations of modern treatments such as high treatment costs and difficulty in accessing health services. In addition to their traditional uses, the World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends the use of medicinal plants as alternative applications, especially in countries where have limited access to modern medical facilities. Limitations on the methods used in the treatment of lower urinary tract diseases such as urinary tract infection and urolithiasis in both human and veterinary practice (high treatment cost, low tolerability, development of antibacterial resistance, etc.) have brought the use of natural products of herbal origin within the scope of supportive/complementary treatment approaches. Although the mechanism of action of medicinal plants in the treatment of lower urinary tract diseases is not clearly known, studies have shown that they increase the glomerular filtration rate; and they can be complementary alternatives to conventional treatment due to their anti-lithogenic, antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Patients that referred to with one or more of the symptoms of urinary system diseases such as polyuria, pollakiuria, dysuria, stranguria, anuria, hematuria, urinary incontinence constitute the case group of one of the first three systemic diseases most frequently brought to the clinic. Failure to intervene in the diseases shaped in the lower urinary system in a timely manner causes negative consequences such as the disease becoming chronic, the progression of the disease to the upper urinary system in progressive cases, and a decrease in the quality of life. Complementary products used in addition to medical treatment are sometimes used for prophylactic purposes. In this context, many supplements have been prescribed for different diseases in small animal practice in recent years.  In this review, it is aimed to convey current developments about medicinal plants, which are used effectively within the scope of supportive treatment practices in lower urinary system diseases of cats and dogs, to veterinary clinical practice.