My dog recently developed a urinary tract infection and I’m not sure how. She was at the groomer’s a few days before, but I am not sure if this had anything to do with it. Anyone know?
We took her to vet and he gave us medication for my dog.
Just like humans, dogs get a UTI when bacteria enter the urethra (the pee hole) and travel up to the bladder, where they happily multiply.
This kind of thing can happen anywhere, anytime. A dog could become infected simply from lying on the ground.
One possible culprit is fecal matter that reaches the opening of the urethra. I doubt the groomer’s had anything to do with it, but if they are sloppy and your dog was dried with a soiled towel, it could be the cause, even if the soiling itself came from your dog.
Another thing you might like to know: healthy urine is both sterile and acidic. The bladder’s naturally acidic environment is enough to kill most "invaders." On the other hand, because it is sterile, any bacteria that enter and survive can multiply easily, since there is no competition, so to speak.
So your best defense against UTIs is to maintain highly acidic urine. Meat protein does that, whereas vegetable "substitutes" (grains or legumes) don’t. So if you want to help your dog, make sure you select a dog food that contains mostly meat, rather than a bunch of cereal fillers.
I hope your dog gets better soon.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 6 Comments »
My dog has a urinary tract infection and crystals in the bladder. She was prescribed that crappy royal canin urinary formula that vets always give.
I usually feed natural and hollistic food to my dogs (wellness or solid gold), so I really don’t want to give her something so unnatural and FULL of grain and by-products.
I have heard that Eagle Pack foods are good for urinary maintenance because all of their foods contain cranberry powder. Does anyone know anything more about this?
I wouldn’t feed the regular Eagle Pack but Eagle Pack Holistics are usually fine, just keep an eye out that the phosphorus level isn’t too high in the food you choose.
Cranberry powder is great for dogs with urinary problems, but it’s super easy to add that to any food. I feed Canidae, and one of my dogs had a history of UTI’s no matter what food I had her on. I started giving her a cranberry capsule (you can buy them at any drug store) every day, then cut back to every other day or every third day. She hasn’t had a problem since.
A bottle of cranberry capsules runs about $5.00 and lasts quite awhile. Buy the capsules that are regular strength, not ’super concentrated’ and get one that doesn’t have a bunch of other junk in them. You can also get cranberry tablets made specifically for dogs from veterinarians or pet supply companies. If you want to feed Eagle Pack, go ahead. But if you are ONLY feeding it because of the cranberry, then just add the cranberry to whatever you decide to feed. This is a common remedy for urinary problems among experienced dog owners, and certainly safer and less costly than repeated courses of antibiotics and vet visits caused by the UTI in the first place.
Good luck!
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 8 Comments »
I got my puppy from a shelter and she was living with a good foster parent. I was told that she is potty trained and the only way she will pee in the house is if she does not repsect me. I have raised dogs my entire life so i figured, no problem. She is an amazing dog and repect and listens very well. The only thing is, she pees everywhere! And it’s not because she has to go to the bathroom…I will take her on hikes everyday and when we get home, she will pee! What is going on? Can dogs have urinary tract infection? Is she not potty trained? I have never had this problem with any of my other dogs. Help!
Maybe she smells the other dogs and is trying to mark her territory. Everytime she does this, if you catch her, I would immediately in a stern voice tell her no and take her outside right away. I know that with my puppy we trained him to pee on command. I used to take him outside every 20mins or so and while he was peeing I would say "pee, pee, pee, pee" after about a week of doing this all we had to do was take him outside and say "Teddy pee" and he would pee on command, same thing with poop. And he never mess’s in the house anymore. Good luck with everything.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 10 Comments »
I have a four month old apricot pug and for the past week, she’s on an antibiotic to treat a urinary tract infection. How she got it, I have no clue. We tried changing her water source from Culligan to tap water and we also changed her food from Royal Canin to IAMS. I’m starting to think her UTI was caused from the food but I could be wrong. My vet recommended buying IAMS so we went with that.
Anyway, I went to Petco yesterday and I asked the employee if she could explain more about UTI and she said stress could be one of the factors. My pug has been settled here at home for almost two months. Maybe she’s a little stressed out that we’re trying to train her not to chew on the furniture or bite me or my other family members and perhaps we’ve stepped over her boundary just a tad. I don’t know.
My second question is that I want to train her to use the potty indoors AND outdoors but its tough to take her outside when its pretty cold first thing in the morning or when its raining (I know its going to rain as we approach the spring and summer months). What are some things you folks do to help train your puppy/dog on when to go potty outdoors? Do you train her to ring a bell or scratch some surface to let you know that she needs to go potty?
Urinary tract infections are not caused by stress. They are caused by bacteria. The most common reason for a b*tch to have one, is because when she squats to pee, her Vulva is close to the ground, or touching the ground, making it very easy for bacteria to enter. Now, on with the housebreaking……when you use pee pads indoors, you are teaching her that it’s OK to eliminate in the home. Since the ultimate goal is for her to go outside, don’t confuse her by trying to do this 2 ways. Just take her outside, no matter what the weather is like. Millions of people do it, and so can you. If I can take a pup out in 2 feet of snow, I promise a few raindrops will not kill you or your pup.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 4 Comments »
I have three female dogs of different breeds, all of whom have come up with urinary tract infections at the same time according to my vet’s urine tests. One has struvite crystals also. They all drink purified water and eat an organic super premium natural diet. None of them hump each other so it wasn’t spread that way. There have been no male dogs around them. I read that Kibble can cause bladder stones/UTI’s because of the high carbs and high bacteria count in dry food. One of my dogs had eaten kibble for only a month and when I switched her back to canned, she got better. However, now the infection has returned in all three dogs. All three dogs have been given two rounds of Cephalexin but this only caused a temporary improvement. Now the infections are back with a vengence (blood and mucous in the urine.)
Just because the food is super premium, doesn’t mean that it’s the best for urinary tract health. I’m sure that there are others, but Innova, California Natural, Healthwise, and Flint River Ranch are the only ones I KNOW are formulated to promote a healthy urine pH.
I’ve never heard of carbohydrates being blamed for infection, nor bacteria from dog food. A majority of dry diets are well balanced (protein and carb ratios). High protein diets have been linked to crystal and stone formation, dogs prone to this are recommended to eat in the 16%-20% protein range. And, canned food could help the dogs avoid it, due to the high water content (water flushes the system). Do they have constant access to water and toilet facilities? Holding it for too long can cause infections, too. Perhaps the infections were never cleared up completely, too-did you have a urinalysis performed on them after the last round of antibiotics were complete? Did the vet recommend a prescription diet to break up the crystals in the one dog? They do work, much as you hate to feed them…I would use it for several weeks, until the dogs have clear urinalysis, and then wean them onto a food designed to balance urine pH for urinary tract health.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 5 Comments »
Consult this site: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/urinary_tract_infection.html
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 1 Comment »
Neither work – you need antibiotics to treat a urinary tract infection. Vinegar will only change the Ph of the urine (possibly for the worse!)…it won’t cure the infection. Changing the Ph of your dogs urine is dangerous – you dog could develop crystals in their urine which could lead to stones.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 8 Comments »
My male chihuahua dog occasionally eliminates two drops of blood after urinating, which is considered a sign of bladder or Urinary tract infection. He has no other symptoms. What has the doctor prescribed for your dog and has it worked? I have two differing opinions now… and i am trying to get it right the first time. Thank!!
I have a dog that I’m treating a UTI on right now. A urinalysis was done to determine what kind of infection she has. Bacteria and struvite crystals were found on the test. The urine was cultured out to determine which antibiotic would work the best. She is currently on clavamox and a special diet. She is doing great now.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 6 Comments »
How many times she’s been to the vet. Yesterday my mom said she stopped urinating and won’t even walk. she just lays down and drinks plenty of water. She had crystals in her urine in december but when i took her earlier this month to the vet he said they had cleared up. I don’t know what is wrong with her now. My mom carried her down the stairs to go to the bathroom and she just laid on the ground. she wouldn’t sleep on the bed instead she slept under it. she wouldn’t come out so my mom and bro. had to get her out and when they touched her butt near the tail she hollered and now she hasn’t been spanked, beaten by us and one of her other dogs hasn’t hurt her that we know of. Do you know what could be the problem? She does have a vet’s appointment for tomorrow.
Chronic urinary tract infections can lead to bladder and kidney stones. She probably has a stone that has become lodged and needs immediate medical care. Urinary obstructions cause the kidneys to shut down, followed by death. Call your vet and tell him you have an emergency situation and need to get in right away. It can’t wait until tomorrow.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 6 Comments »
He perscribed ciproflaxin and today the dog will not move and is breathing very heavy, he is on the way back to the vet now, does anyone know if the drug is causing this or might it be something else?
Precautions and Side Effects
While generally safe and effective when prescribed by a veterinarian, ciprofloxacin can cause side effects in some animals.
Ciprofloxacin should not be used in animals with known hypersensitivity or allergy to the drug.
Young animals treated with ciprofloxacin may develop damage to the cartilage of their joints. Swollen joints and lameness are clinical signs that may be observed. This has not been shown to happen when the ear and eye formulations are used.
Ciprofloxacin should not be administered to puppies. Those between the ages of four and 28 weeks are the most susceptible.
Ciprofloxacin has a good safety record and adverse reactions are uncommon. Occasionally, some animals develop diarrhea or loose stools from ciprofloxacin.
Ciprofloxacin may interact with other medications. Consult with your veterinarian to determine if other drugs your pet is receiving could interact with ciprofloxacin. Such drugs include theophylline, antacids, iron supplements, sucralfate, cyclosporine and various other antibiotics.
It could be a more sever infection then what was originally thought, since vets can not always ask how the dog is feeling to evaluate the animal. This is a very common drug used in dogs with very few showing side effects.
Category: dog urinary tract infection | 1 Comment »