UTI's and bladder infections - long

[Julie Fred]

I need some advice....Shortly after we brought Tank home she had a UTI or bladder infection. She was treated with Clavamox, but the infection came back, she was treated again, the infection came back. I talked to my breeder and she said the treatments were not long enough. I made a special appt to go in and talk with the vet, but she seemed to think that Tank's urethea tube had attached at the wrong point or there was a deformity were urine was pooling and that is what was causing the repeated infections. I demanded a longer Clavamox treatment first (following my breeders knowledge) and the infection cleared up. We brought her home in late June and I guess cleared the infection in August finally.
This weekend she started peeing a lot. At first I thought it was bc we were dog sitting Miko and she was drinking his water, her water, and water from her kiddie pool. I took her in Sunday during the emergency hours and they sort of giggled at me as one of those overprotective, run to the vet, moms. The vet called late yesterday and said there was not bacteria that they could see but they did see red blood cells which is usually present in UTI's. They are sending her urine off for a full culture as well to see what bacteria, etc is present and that tells them what antibotic to use to treat it....I should get those results in a few days.
BUT now I am worried.
The vet seems to think again that it is a problem with pooling or the attachment of the urethea tube. Is not August til November a long time for the infection to reoccur if it was a problem with pooling and the urethea tube?
Has anyone else experience problems with this? Or have any advice?
Should I have her have an ultrasound or is that premature?

 

[Erika]

No advice but if your not comfortable about this get a second opinion........prayers from here for Tank

 

[dee]

Puppy girls seem more prone to bladder infections until they are taller and not so close to the ground where they can easily sit in a pool of urine. Sometimes it can take a month or so of Clavamox to beat the bacterial infection IN ADDITION to frequent cleaning of the vulva area--that's a very important part to battling UTI's. Frequent bathing as well as using baby wipes to wipe her rear after urination will minimize re-infection.

 

[NewfLove]

We are battling one right now(along with her being in heat and many other things). I think the culture results might answer your question for you - we are awaiting ours now, too. I forgot which antibiotic Darcy is on, but he gave it to her based on the initial findings in the office. Let us know when you get the results. I'm interested in how this all works out.

 

[Ginny]

Have you inspected her well in that area? Sometimes the vulva is retracted and covered with skin folds making for a moist, dark spot -this can set the scene for a yeast or bacterial infection. Cleaning her as Dee described, will help with that too. Often, the swelling of the first heat cycle and general maturation and growth will help with the anatomy there so that the infections become less of a problem.

 

[Lori]

Sydney got a lot of UTI's. I give her cranberry pills to help. Also she has the retracted vulva as Ginny mentioned. Vet did mention surgery, but it seems that since she has lost 18 lbs it has gotten better. She still got an infection about a month ago, but cleared up with Cephalexin. The vet also has me clip her hair short in that area, wash every so often with Malaseb shampoo. I also have the Malaseb wipes and we do use baby wipes also.

I agree that if you are not comfortable, it's always good to get a second opinion. It can't hurt to get someone else's perspective.

 

[janices]

A repro vet should be able to check for any anamolies that would be causing recurrent uti's. It could be a vaginal stricture which will cause urine pooling also. If it's a vaginal stricture vet can do a procedure which will open it.

 

[chiwolvesfan]

My large breed (we think Great Dane/Husky) had recurrent UTIs for about 2-3 years. Our vet said it was because she was spayed too early. She was constantly on & off antibiotics and it never seemed to go away completely... UNTIL I started using cranberry and UNSCENTED baby wipes. I purchased cranberry powder and put it on her food. I got CranVet -- liver flavored cranberry chewables specifically for dogs. Used Craisins for treats. Purchased Zuke's cranberry chews. You get the idea.

As others have mentioned... a second opinion never hurts.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

Clip the long hair from around the vulva away. Puppies wick up bacteria with that hair when they squat. I'd also go with the cranberry. Ectopic ureter seems unlikely because that does NOT come and go...it's just there all the time (I have a girl with one..she leaks all the time, not just on selected days!) She may have a recessed vulva, and that can contribute because it stays moist and is a good place for bacteria to grow. I've had puppy girls that had frequent UTI's when they were little, and never had them again once they were older. You can check for a recessed vulva yourself...just google it and there are some good pictures of the condition. A normal vulva on a puppy is like a little rosebud sticking OUTWARD, not in skin folds.
Another thing they might need to check for is crystals in her urine. This causes a lot of UTI problems and can probably be dealt with by diet changes if it's there.

 

[Julie Fred]

Thank you for the responses. I am going shopping for some cranberry items....going to try to find that powder. I used baby wipes on her yesterday and checked her good....she looks like a rose. I will also try to trim the hair this morning. It means the world to me to get the repsonses and I am not as worried as I was. Thanks!! The vet called last night to check on her to see how she was doing. I told her she is acting pretty normal except she is a little more sleepy than usual. Still waiting on the results. Steve said the vet also mentioned that this could be something she could grow out of but I guess I was panicking and did not hear that.