[molliesmom]

My poor 10-yr-old female English Springer gets two to four UTI’s a year (for three years now). Vet puts her on heavy duty antibiotics and just recently suggested Craninadine which she’s been on for a few months now and yet another UTI!
She’s had crystals too, but not this time. Her urine is very diluted so I’ve been told to cut back on her water intake.
She is on thyroid meds and doing well with that (not so ravishingly hungry and weight back to normal)
AS FOR CAUSE: she’s been tested for other things – vet doesn’t see anything. She DOES lick herself often (you know, lady parts) and vet thinks she keeps transferring bacteria from her mouth to there and may be causing UTI. And her teeth and breath have gotten so bad because of that! I’ve asked about probiotics but no real enthusiasm from vet.
BEHAVIOR: Outdoors often (fence). Highly intelligent, stubborn and high-strung. Has more obsessive habits as she ages. Examples: more barking; she LOVES rabbit poop! YUK! Vet says that would not contribute to UTI problem, but I wonder, and try my best to keep her from it – we have so many rabbits in the yard! I also wonder if the licking is more behavioral.
I am with her all the time due to my disability, so she’s hardly ever left alone.
DIET: Here’s where I could use some advice. I’ve always suspected that it might be her food at least contributing to her problem and recently switched her to Blue Buffalo Senior. I’ve just found your wonderful site and realized that she DOES need more protein even though she’s older. DUH! So do I!! She’s not really a fan of it and she’s sick again, anyway. Vet gave me samples of Hills Adult t/d. Very large kibble to use as treats for tartar control. But now unsure of the quality!
Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I do live on a limited income so all fresh food may be hard to do, but some (like raw chicken wings?) may be possible.
I thank you in advance — Colleen

[pugmomsandy]

Has her urine been sent for a culture and sensitivity? Her strain of infection could be resistent to certain drugs.

Can you get her a dental cleaning? If not giving her real bones to gnaw on will help with tarter. Bones that are considered recreational bones and are not consumable like a big femur bone or marrow bone.

As far as food goes, I’d feed her a regular food. Not a “senior” food or a “dental health” food. There are few “senior” foods I’d recommend like Merrick or Amicus (but Amicus is for small breeds). Some budget friendly foods would be Nutrisource, Dr Tim’s, Fromm, Victor, ProPac and a Tractor Supply brand called 4Health Grain Free or Coscto brand called Kirkland’s. A kibble will break up into bits before doing much scraping on the teeth.

You might also try a d-mannose supplement. It attracts a certain kind of bacteria away from the bladder wall.

Also a fellow pugvillage.com member called 6BeautifulPugs has used Cystex tablets (OTC) with success for her troubled UTI dog. You can contact her if you wish. She’s a foster mom that specializes in the old and infirmed.

http://www.pugvillage.com/forum/pug-life/124181-good-news-ching-once.html

[molliesmom]

Yes to culture and sensitivity tests. She’s resistant to many! I just learned about the kibble not being that helpful to outer tartar. Thank you for your recommendations! I will research all of them. I am willing to pay a bit more for a quality dog food. It’s either the vet bill or the good food and supplements! Saving now for dental cleaning. I’m going to try grain-free and not senior. Thanks again!! I’ll let the forum know how we make out.

[pugmomsandy]

I had a dental done on my dogs a couple years ago (maybe 2 or 3) and then started them on raw food and bones and they’re teeth are still clean (even though they still eat kibble and canned foods)!! The bones really help. My dogs are small so the marrow bones, beef rib bones and cow hooves work for them. There is a product called ProDen Plaque Off that seems to help too. And Mercola.com has a new dental gel also in the pet department.

[theBCnut]

Her breath is not due to licking and she would have to have some structure issues for licking to be the cause for her infections, however if her teeth are bad, they can be the cause. Bacteria in the gums can get in the bloodstream easily and cause infections in the urinary system, as well as other places in the body. She is seeking out rabbit poop because they are a terrific source of probiotics.

[molliesmom]

Wow – I did not know that rabbit poop is a good thing! The only thing is her tummy really grumbles and she has bad gas after she’s gotten into too much! She used to have beautiful teeth and they turned after (or maybe same time) as these infections. I agree, it is bad for the whole system. I’ve been doing some more research. Anyone heard of PetzLife Oral Care for taking care of tartar and gum disease? Reviews seem good.
As for some bones (marrow, bully sticks, hooves), she’s had those in the past and they too give her upset stomach. She’s always had a sensitive stomach.

Thank you Pattyvaughn and pugmomsandy!!

[lovemypets4life]

my kitten had the same problem until I switched her to holistic health extension for kittens/cats. her UTI problem has disappeared, it has low magnesium and is had cranberries in it to help prevent UTI’s

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