Raw for Repeat Urinary Infections?

[Praellwyn]

Hi!

Desperate!!! Pls respond!!!


Just wondering about a raw diet for repeat urinary infections w/ no known cause. This is the 2nd yr that my 4 1/2 yr old Bulli, Scarlet, is ringing in the holidays w/ a urinary infection. She is hypo-allergetic & has been more on then off of meds since I met her 2 1/2 yrs ago while interviewing for a puppy at her breeders. She was part of a stud fee & was meant for breeding but thankfully she is sterile so I got to have her. Her "excellent rep" breeders have both since vanished. She came eating Medi-Cal
Hypo-Allergetic for a possible food allergy. I had her tested for allergies (dust & dust mites) but food has been trial & error. She was given a Wellness sample at a local pet store & refused anything else. A 1 1/2 later came the 1st urinary infection. Thinking it might be an allergic reaction to grains I switched her to Natural Balance's Duck/Potato & Salmon/Sweet Potato foods. The whites of her eyes are now occasionally white instead of brown & her coat is better. W/ Scarlet's vet bills I can't afford to feed a canned diet but I already feed veggies, tofu, cheese, kefir, yogurt. She used to love rice, couscous & the occasional pasta & toast before her no-grain diet. She will not touch fruits or carrots.

W/ all of her meds & surgeries (lung & back legs reconstructions) she is 13 lbs overweight & I would like to try a simplistic elimination w/ low carbs but I haven't because I worry about how to correctlycalculate suppliments/vitamins/minerals etc. It seems complicated. LaPrairie makes a Raw kibble. Any thoughts?

Thnx

[Scott_B]

Anything is worth a shot. The only thing is, some people think raw is a miracle food, and will cure anything. Its not. So don't get discouraged if it doesn't fix everything. That said, its done wonders for many pups and may help yours. So its worth a try IMO.

Raw kibble? If its cooked its not raw

Pre-made is nice for convenience, but is expensive, and to get 100% of the raw benefits, you need to feed large chunks that promote a good chew workout IMO. Check around in your area to see who feed raw, if anyone can take you under their wing and guide you until you feel comfortable.

Here is a good site that has many recipes for your pup

http://www.rawfeddogs.net/

[TeriM]

My cat had a chronic urinary infection. Interesting it was while he was eating Wellness. He had been on raw (with occasional canned) from kitten to about a year ago and then we were going to be away for a month and my mom wasn't thrilled with the raw thing so we switched to Wellness. He developed the infection after about 3 months. After about 6 mos of recurrent bouts (Vet said would likely have that problem all his life) I switched him back to raw and he has had no more infections in about a year & half.

[barkley21]

Hi Praellwyn,
We had almost the same situation happen with our puppy Barkley. Right after the day we brought him home from the breeders, he had problems with loose stools. Eventually he got colitis and a UTI with struvite crystals in it. He too was put on Medi-Cal food and given a round of antibiotics. Once it cleared up, we switched him to DVP Duck and Potato and once again, he got a UTI and another round of antibiotics. Once that cleared up we switched him to Solid Gold and he got crystals again and it looked like another UTI was in the early stages. Did I mention that all this time he was still having loose stools. We said "no more". We switched him to raw and guess what? perfect poop from day one and the crystals dissolved on their own within one week, without any antibiotics or any kind of medical intervention at all.

I'd highly recommend giving it a try.

[Prin]

I'd just give her a supplement with cranberries in it.

[TeriM]

I tried the cranberry supplement and it did not work for me but I have heard it can be quite helpful.

[technodoll]

praellwyn, if you want to check out information on raw feeding and its benefits, and read forum member's positive experiences with the switch to raw, you can head on to the raw-feeding section of the forum - glad to answer any questions you have over there