The Whizzer Woes

Some of you may not have had the distinct pleasure of meeting my grrrrl Ceili yet...26764

Yup she's a beauty and heartbreaker on the health issue. I *jokingly*call her my $20,000 dog but the truth is *I wish I were kidding*

Ceili has recurrent and chronic UTI's along with vulvitis. The UTI's are kept in place with mega-doses of cranberry extract and probiotics at onset. When I remember....(yes, I know but you should see the rest of the stuff she gets for her dysplasia and general health!).... she gets probiotics every day. She has had vulva reduction surgery , also called by some an episiotomy (nope, strangely enough ~ no pix of that one !).

She continues to get whizzer infections (red, sore-looking, swollen whizzer with discharge; surrounding area is black presumably from discharge/blood/acid burn) About now you're "getting" why I posted the pretty pic of the pretty grrrrl right ? And the rest of you are getting the "stinct" part of distinct.

Anywho this has been going on for about two years or more, we've tried every antibiotic going with no lasting effect and the vulva surgery ~ I noticed when she did a roll the other day that her infection seems to be on the upswing again.

We have an invitiation to a Vet. dermatologist which I will book when her TPLO wound has healed, her leg is little more comfortably flexible and she is able to be bear some weight. That state will likely be in about 1-2 months.

But any thoughts for "the cure" between now and then ?

Poor Ceilli :grouphug: . She is such a beautiful girl.

So, I did a little research, probably stuff you already know :o . Could the blackness/irritations surrounding her vulva actually be caused by a yeast infection? With all the anti-biotics she frequently takes, I was thinking this may be a problem and would need to be treated with anti-fungal medication.

I also found this as another reason for recurring UTIs:

In up to 50 per cent of cases, there is some form of structural abnormality that predisposes the person to infection. One of the most common is a condition called vesicoureteric reflux, which affects the way the ureters join the bladder, allowing urine to flow back up towards the kidney.

As a holistic approach to help fighting infection (via strengthening her immune system), she could be given: Ester C 250mg, beta-carotene 25 000 UI, and zinc 30mg per day. I give both my dogs Ester C, up to 500mg, especially before any scheduled vaccines or if I know they may be in contact with other dogs that may be ill.

I hope that Ceilli's condition improves soon, it can't be too comfortable for her. More :grouphug: s to you both.

Hmm, found Snow Dancer's comment in another thread. Sounds interesting and may be worthwhile looking into:

"Careful with cranberry if your dog is very acidic - I know this from personal experience - I am extremely acidic and one of the many things that will cause my condition to worsen is - cranberry! (or blueberry)."

Thanks Luckypenny ~ is that structural abnormality also applicable to to dogs ?

She gets ester c everyday but I'll look into zinc and beta-carotene.

The "yeasties" is likely one of the sources of infection which is why I'm pretty careful with her diet. I'm also wondering if she doesn't have some incontinence as well ~ although she rarely feels *wet* she's always *damp* (Oy, the things we do for our dawgs:rolleyes:)

Mega doses of Cranberry extract is the ONLY thing that cured Ceil's UTI's. No amount or type of antibiotic cured those... i practically fell down on the ground weeping and praising when the crans worked:o

It is also applicable to dogs. Just Google "vesicoureteric reflux in dogs" and there's some info available. I have no experience with the issues Ceilli has, just thought I'd look it up and see if I couldn't learn more about it. I'm glad the cranberry worked so well for her. Sometimes antibiotics can cause other problems so when we find safe alternative treatments, all the better. Hope your sweetheart mends quickly :fingerscr .

I would definately give coconut oil a try. It has proven quite effective for yeast issues. I've had Lucy on it for a few months now and it seems to have helped her ears and has definately had a good effect on her bad breath :thumbs up . I also know that Prin found it quite good with some of Jemma's issues.