A systematic review of herbal extracts in treating urolithiasis in cats and dogs

Urolithiasis is the concretion of stone development known as uroliths in the urinary system. It is a severe condition that causes clinical pain in animals and requires early treatment to avoid complications such as urinary infections and obstructions. Although various conventional therapies are available for the urothialisis, recurrence and the side effects of the drugs are the major drawbacks of those treatments. With the increasing prevalence of urolith formation accompanied with inflammation and severe discomfort, the demand for medicinal plants in avoiding lithiasis has increased. This is a systematic review to thoroughly review the evidence on the use of common medicinal plants, particularly their herbal extract efficacy in treating urolithiasis in small animals, especially cats and dogs between the years 2000 to 2021, as there is lack of analysed data on their use in those patients. A total of 2,356 publications from 2000 to 2021 were extracted from two databases, Science Direct and PubMed and 35 studies were selected based on defined eligibility criteria. The mechanism of action of the herbal plants with their possible toxicological effects were reviewed. The main underlying mechanisms of these dietary plants and their isolated phytonutrients in the management of urolithiasis include diuretic, antispasmodic, and antioxidant activity, as well as an inhibitory effect on crystallization, nucleation, and aggregation of crystals. All proposed and reported herbal extracts appeared to be beneficial and efficient in managing urolithiasis in canine and feline species.
Keywords: Urolithiasis, herbal extracts, canine, feline, diuretic