[Suzanne J]

I’ve been pretty sick so I haven’t been checking in. I’ve decided to keep feeding Cookie the Ziwipeak, and I am going to order some of the “wet” food. I ordered Zignature ,too. I’m sure Cookie would enjoy some variety. I know I’d get tired of eating the same food everyday.
Thank you for the advice…

[Suzanne J]

Ziwipeak Dog Food. My dogs love it so much I can also use it as treats.

[Suzanne J]

I’ve got an appointment with another vet Thursday afternoon. I hope he is more helpful.

[Suzanne J]

Cookie seems fine to me, but I know she still has crystals without an infection. She is peeing a lot more in volume (not times) since I got her off Purina and started giving her Ziwipeak. It’s very expensive, but worth it to me if it is helping her. My vet wants to keep doing tests, and I know she cares, but I am really seriously thinking of switching to another vet with more experience.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Suzanne J.

[Suzanne J]

Update!!!!!!!!!!! The results are in. Cookie does NOT have an infection. I didn’t think she did, but now we know for sure. She said the vet will call me on Thursday, and if I haven’t heard from her by noon to call her to see what she has to say about what to do next. She’s at a conference.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Suzanne J.

[Suzanne J]

aimee, it certainly sounds like you’ve had a lot more experience in this sort of thing than I have. Cookie is fine so the test did no permanent harm. I get worried very easily since I lost a precious dog I’d had for more than 12 years last year. She died in my vet’s hospital, and I’m still not over losing her, so I know I’m more upset than is normal.

I still have no results. Maybe the test results will be in today or tomorrow. If Cookie really needs an antibiotic & has an infection we will soon know. Since my vet gave her antibiotics without knowing if she had an infection I am still sort of angry with her for my puppy having to have the needle test repeated. The vet also charged me another $200 even though she admitted it was a mistake on her part to give antibiotics without doing a test first which probably screwed up the results last time. That would have bought a lot more ziwipeak dog food , which my puppy loves. 🙂

Thanks for your kind concern. I’ll let you know the results as soon as I do. I’m waiting by the phone hoping she calls very soon.

[Suzanne J]

Aimee, I do not like the thought of my puppy having a needle stuck in her bladder again. The vet did this exact same test recently & nothing showed up; no infection at all. She’s never had a positive test for a UTI infection like your pup, and she has had so many urine tests I can’t even remember how many. The test is not without risk & it scares me. Maybe I’m overprotective, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong either.

Dogfoodie, the vet did this “clean urine” test right before Christmas because she thought my puppy had an infection. I don’t know if you read my whole story or not, but Cookie had two rounds of antibiotics without having a urine test first because my vet just “thought” Cookie had an infection. Then she made us wait a week after the two rounds of (maybe unneeded) antibiotics and then the vet did the first “clean urine test” to see about the “infection”. She did not have an infection per results of that culture, and I don’t think she has one now. The vet didn’t believe that culture was right so she is doing another culture right now. I don’t think my vet has ever seen a puppy with crystals that didn’t have an infection & she just doesn’t know what to do, but that doesn’t make her a bad vet or a bad person. Still, I feel like my vet is treating Cookie (my puppy) like a test case. She keeps calling a specialist in another state & he told her to just do a regular urine test every two weeks & to let him know if there was a big change, and we agreed to do that and there has been no change. There just comes a point where you say “what the hello” is going on? I may have to eat my words after this new culture if it comes back positive so we’ll see. If it comes back positive I’ll let you know. Either way, I’ll let all of you know the results.

zcRiley, as soon as I finish typing this I will order the lamb you recommended from Chewy. I do think my poor puppy is being over treated for something she could very well grow out of. I am a librarian and I have read several “peer reviewed articles” by experts in veterinary medicine that say crystals are not really that unusual in young female puppies unless there is a UTI, and that the crystals will usually go away after the first heat. That is the main reason why I’m waiting to have my puppy fixed. I do not plan to breed her, even though she is a purebred, very beautiful cocker spaniel puppy. She a solid buff color with deep brown (almost black) eyes that make my heart melt when I look at her. I do believe she deserves a better vet, maybe a vet who is a few years older and has much more experience in the field.

Thank you all for your replies. I really do appreciate your concern and advice. It helps to belong to a board where everybody loves their pets so much.

[Suzanne J]

My puppy Cookie is at the vet again today having another “clean urine test”. Her urinalysis yesterday still shows a lot of crystals, but no protein or blood. My vet still does not believe she does not have an infection. My puppy seems fine, healthy & happy to me and my husband, but we agreed to this test because the vet insisted. If Cookie does not have an infection & she has put her through this test again for nothing I’m finding another vet. I have seen lots Internet research from qualified professionals saying crystals are of no concern in female puppies if there is no infection.
Opinions anybody? It will be several days before I know the results of this latest culture. I am getting very frustrated with this whole situation, & I made myself not write until today because I was afraid it’d turn into a rant.

[Suzanne J]

Hi Everybody,
Sorry for the late update. When Cookie went back for her last urinalysis the crystals were much better, but the vet was still concerned. She admitted she probably jumped the gun on giving Cookie all of those antibiotics before she even knew if she had an infection. I’m upset with the vet because she made me wait so long (over a week when worried seems forever) for the results. She apologized and said she was trying to talk to the specialist before she talked to me. The specialist said just to keep an eye on Cookie by doing the every two week urine tests; to see if she keeps doing better and to let him know if she gets worse. She is still peeing more than she used to, and she eats a lot of ice. I’m just in wait and see mode.
Now I’ve been doing some Internet research, and some of the articles I’ve read written by vets think crystals in female puppies is not that unusual and not a huge concern unless they have an infection, too. I don’t know what to think since we will never know if she really had an infection.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by Suzanne J.

[Suzanne J]

The vet always said how great our dog’s teeth looked. We used Denta-sticks.

[Suzanne J]

Hi again,

Thanks you for the information, and your much needed advice. I’m so sorry to here about your poor baby & her troubles. We are going to the vet next week, but for now, my puppy does seem to feel a little better. Her urine output is more, and I am getting her to drink more water. I did tell my vet about the Berry Balance so she does know, and I will remind her again when I see her next week. When I get the results I will be sure to post them, & we will do whatever is necessary for our puppy.

[Suzanne J]

Thank you both for your very kind replies. I had a feeling that Purina was NOT the best for my puppy, & that’s why I joined here ~ to educate myself & to find better food. I would appreciate any suggestions for food, and I don’t mind paying more. I’d do anything for her health. My vet said Purina was fine.

crazy4 cats ~ The reason the vet even gave her antibiotics in the first place was she suspected an infection because I said she pees a lot without much urine coming out, and she was licking herself a lot. When I took Cookie, my puppy, back again after the first round of antibiotics she did give her a urine test and it had some protein and crystals showing up so she gave Cookie another round of the same antibiotic. A week later her second test came back even worse with even more protein and crystals. She said I had to wait a week to get the antibiotic out of her system before the “clean urine test”. She suspected a resistant infection like e-coli or something. When my vet did the clean urine test no infection showed up at all, but she still had crystals. My puppy has not been the same since that test. She was so scared they had to sedate her to do the test. Now she’s jumpy and gets scared way more easily than she did before, but that may just be typical puppy behavior. My vet was stumped and put her on Cosequin, and just from stuff I read on the Internet I also added the Solid Gold Berry Balance. I was hoping it would help.

I am going back to my vet in two weeks for yet another urinalysis. If this one is still bad I am taking her for a second opinion before I take her out of state to see that specialist. I found a vet in Gulfport that has an ultrasound machine, and I have already told them I may be coming. His machine may not be as great as the specialist in Louisiana, but at least he could give me his opinion of what I should do. I think my vet suspects a structural defect, but she admits she doesn’t know. She just keeps recommending more and more tests. The specialist told my vet his test may not show anything, but then again it might. I’m hesitant to put my puppy through too many more tests. She’s just a little puppy, & I am really hoping with good food & The Berry Balance she may get better.

Yes, I am very open to suggestions on food. I’ve been trying to get Cookie to drink more water by adding ice cubs & taking her to the water bowl several times a day. I don’t mind feeding her wet food either, even though my vet told me dry food is better. Heck, my vet hasn’t helped me or Cookie yet unless scaring us both to death counts.

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