Uti

[Sadie2016]

My furry little girl has had 4 UTIs, we are working with our vet to figure out an underlying cause (UA, culture, xrays) and I have read a few similar posts where members recommend cranberry tablets. I am all for it, I just have no clue what it is. Can someone recommend a brand for me?? Im unsure where to get them...are they for humans? My petstore said they dont carry and cranberry pills when I called, so Id like to know more please

 

[Darwinsnewfie@1855]

My breeder uses D-Mannose 500mg, but I would not use it until you ask the vet first. Did you try a special diet yet? I hope you get some answers about the root cause and that your pup gets better.

 

[Newfs Forever]

I used Nature's Sunshine Cranberry and Buchu tabs, 500 mg. I gave my guys 1 tab per meal (2 meals per day) and I never had any probs with UTIs.

HTH,

 

[Sadie2016]

Thank you both for the quick responses! I will ask my vet for an ok to start her on cranberry tablets before I give them to her. Darwin-I have not tried a special diet for her yet...to be honest she has never been good at eating her dry food. I have to break up treats and mix it with her dry food or she wont even touch it. Ive tried Solid Gold, NutriSource, and a few other brands and its the same with all of them. I tried to "wait her out" and she refused to eat her food for 3 days :-( However, my vet said she is on the smaller side but is in excellent shape! She is 10 months old and around 80 lbs. Im trying to find a holistic vet to work with us. Sadie is my first ever dog Ive tried to be a responsible pet owner and have researched on about every subject imaginable for training and behavior, but I was blindsided by this. Its been frustrating to say the least. Ive gotten pet insurance this past week and am doing my best to make her feel better

 

[Angela]

Did the vet do a culture and sensitivity test on the urine? I found that most vets don't treat a urinary infection for long enough. One female Newf I had needed a 6 week course of the appropriate antibiotic and that cleared it up for ever.
Oh, and welcome to NN

 

[Sadie2016]

Well, I got my girl at 3 months of age and she is now 10 months young...after 4 UTIs and me having to get irate in the office he finally mentioned getting a culture done. I am in the works of finding a new vet altogether at this point. A culture will be started on Friday and we will go from there...what is a sensitivity test?? At this point Im scratching my head and doing research on my own. I am also doing the cystinuria test by mail. I hope it is something minor that can be cleared up with proper antibiotics for awhile...im wondering if it could be a food allergy?? Or something anatomical like ectopic ureters? Ive never known anyone to have a problem similar to this.

 

[DAWNMERIE]

Sensitivity test is when they let it sit and grow the bacteria and see what antibiotic fight best against it. My Myra had a bladder infection that was determined after an ultrasound. We did numerous cultures/sensitivity tests and numerous antibiotics. (after each culture, it was something different) I shaved her backside down to help not contaminate the cultures. I've had her on D-Mannose for about a month just to make sure I've got her finished after such a long bout. Our issues started back in Sept!

p.s. After such long bouts with antibiotics, it does mess up the gut so keep that in mind!
p.s.s I also started wiping her after her pees, cause she's a very low squatter. It's all routine now & also agree with Angela, they don't seem to keep them on the antibiotics long enough at first and sometimes that's why the re-occur
p.s.s.s. and some dogs have issues with their vulva's (there is a name for it but for the life of me I can't remember what it's called) and they tend to keep a little urine caught in the wrong spot and it makes the UTI's re-occur

 

[Sadie2016]

Thanks for the clarification Dawnmerie. I hope Myra remains well from here on out! Ive been told to give my dog yogurt to keep the bacteria in her gut healthy. Im also thinking I should switch her food to one specific to urine health. We are starting the urine culture for Sadie tomorrow. Im keeping my fingers crossed that it is a UTI and not a major problem!

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

Thanks for the clarification Dawnmerie. I hope Myra remains well from here on out! Ive been told to give my dog yogurt to keep the bacteria in her gut healthy. Im also thinking I should switch her food to one specific to urine health. We are starting the urine culture for Sadie tomorrow. Im keeping my fingers crossed that it is a UTI and not a major problem!

Rather than a nasty prescription diet for urine health (read those ingredients...eww), you may be better served looking into supplements and a raw or homemade diet. If you're not into that, at least make sure her kibble is good quality and wait on all those culture results before you make any changes.

Yogurt is good, but a quality probiotic supplement will also be better than yogurt, especially if she's on a long course of antibiotics. The Dr. Ohhira brand is well regarded.

 

[Sadie2016]

I will definitely ask my vet about supplementation when I take her tomorrow! Shes never been fond of her dry food so I may have to look into a raw or homemade diet for her. Thanks for all the advice, it is much appreciated. She is my first ever dog and first ever newf

 

[Sadie2016]

Update: My vet didnt use the urine sample I brought in today bc she was worried it was contaminated by the vaginal canal, etc. So we have an appt Monday for her to use a needle to get a fresh urine sample for the culture. They also want to inject Sadie with dye and take multiple xrays to check her out anatomically. They are thinking she has ectopic ureters :-( does anyone have experience with a corrective procedure for this? I am so worried about her having to be put under anesthesia, even if it is for the best.