Bladder Infection?

[laura3278]

Can a puppy get a bladder infection? 7 mth old spayed Lab/Golden puppy. Today, she started having accidents in the house for the first in 4 mths. She is very vocal and usually lets me know if she gotta go. After her accidents, she was put outside, where she had a couple of number 1s. This is extremely not like her. Any suggestions?

[diandpat]

Oh yes, they can have bladder infections and it is probably as painful and uncomfortable for them as it is for us. Any chance to get to a vet asap to get her checked? You know your dog better than anyone...if you say it is unusual you gotta go with your gut.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

(Puppy pics are not only welcome but darn near obligatory on this board, btw...when she is feeling better of course )

[mummummum]

Hi Laura,

UTI with puppies ~ usually females, happens all the time.

Getting a sample to a Vet is a MUST. You need to know which side of PH their pee falls.

You may find that food and food alllergies is a culprit. Think not only about UTI's but also Candida).

One of my grrrrl's who had almost constant UTI's responds very well to Ultra-Cran (cranberry pills to the max, available at the drug store).

Anything else you can tell us ?

~ Suzanne

[coppperbelle]

I had a male foster pup once that had a few bladder infections so yes it can happen to pups of both sexes.

[laura3278]

Can she just have a cold belly? We had a playdate this morning. While she was playing with the other puppies, she was doing a lot of belly rolling around. Plus, normally we are there for an hour and half, but b/c of the coldness we were there only 50 minutes today. This started shortly after we got home today. She has barely any hair on her belly. She is a little reddness between her legs. Since I have put on the woodstove for her, she hasn't had a accident or a need to go out. Plus, during the play group she did drink a lot of water.

[laura3278]

If it is a bladder infection - what things can I do until I see the vet first thing in the morning.

[otter]

As far as I know, just make sure she drinks lots of water and take her out for extra pees. .

Keeping her snuggly and warm by the fire can't hurt

[mummummum]

Otter is on the money ~ with any infection of any kind FLUSH IT OUT!

Our bodies are amazing machines which can quite often take care of themselves as long as we give them the right tools like clean water, good food, lots of exercise and opportunity to get rid of it all.

A urine test is really your best bet here if only to find out which side of the PH her pee is on. I found over time that Ceili responded better in the long run to UltraCran than to antibiotics. BUT, she also has a genital abnormality which causes UTI's and affects her ability to respond reliably to any medication.

For tonight and tomorrow I suggest that you take her out often. wash and dry her whizzer thoroughly, feed her only cooked/raw meat (whatever she can handle, meat v. kibble: to reduce the amount of hard-to-digest/ allergens in the diet) and stop her from licking herself (OTC products like Benedril may help).

[laura3278]

Update on Buddy - vet thinks it is a UTI. I tried my hardest to get a sample but couldn't. Every time I came near her with the container she run away or the pee was hardly a drop. Got some antiboditics for her and if it don't improve within 3 days to go back and see the vet with a sample. Usually with her pee there is lots of it, but at the moment she is only doing little drops. I think the meds are working already.

[hazelrunpack]

Next time try something really shallow--like the plastic lid off a cool whip container (our prefered collection tool )? Slip it in between the hind legs when she squats and with luck she won't notice till it's too late and she won't step in it when she rushes off. You only need about a tablespoon to run a urinalysis.

Glad she got some antibiotics, though. She should be feeling much better soon if it's a UTI.

[rainbow]

Glad to hear the antibiotics seem to be working and hope she recovers quickly.

Another tip for getting a pee sample is to take her out on a leash so she can't run away. It also helps if you do it first thing in the morning or after she wakes up from a nap.

[laura3278]

Tks for the tip about the lid and the leash. I had her on her run which is fairly long.

[laura3278]

So, Buddy took the meds the first time and it went right away. Yesterday, I notice while we were playing that she was peeing alot and not very interested in playing stick( she loves stick). Then, we came in the house and she had an accident. Got her in to see the vet and she on more meds, this time longer. I went with the more expensive type, b/c she hate taking pills and these are smaller. Couldn't get a pee sample. But, I have to bring one in once the meds are finish. She is on wellness for puppies and she drinks lots of water. Not sure why she is having recurring bladder infections - he did a physical examination and he couldn't find any stones. But, her bladder/kidney area was extremely sore.
She is definitely getting better - slept 17 hours yesterday after I gave her the meds and not having accidents. Not having to go out as often, as well.
Is there anything I can do to be proactive against the bladder infections. I was reading else where, apple cider vingear and plain yogurt. But, Buddy is very picky and not sure if this would work. Any suggestions?

[ScottieDog]

I had UTI issues with one of my Scotties. It can be hard to collect the urine. I always leash walked her and when she would squat, I would slide a shallow container (pie tin, disposable Gladware sandwich container, etc.) under her. It never bothered her. I would also try to slide a white paper plate under her a few times a month to check for bloody urine. Some of her infections were asymptomatic and got very bad before we knew it.

If you can't get the urine, you can have the vet do a clean urine draw directly from the bladder. It sounds painful, but I was assured it wasn't. When they do this, they can culture the urine sample to see what antibiotic it responds to the best. You may want to consider this if your dog continues to get the infections. She may not respond to the prescribed antibiotic, or the bacteria could become resistant, just like for people.

If the infection is not cleared up, the bacteria can travel into the kidneys and cause kidney problems and damage.

For prevention: I was advised to keep the grass clipped short (but I had a very short legged dog). I also gave her probiotic treats (Probios). I've heard that the bacterial cultures in yogurt can help, but didn't try that. These infections can be difficult to clear and unfortunately, some dogs seem to get them frequently. Good luck.

[laura3278]

Tks for the info about the grass. I was thinking it might be the snow. First winter, and we have had a ton of snow and she loves it. As well, she slides her body about the snow. Often when she comes in I have to remove snowballs from that area.

Can anybody get me some suggestions on how to get her to drink more. Plenty of fresh cold water available, but not interested. Also, ideas for meals for her, gone off her food and she will barely eat cooked/boiled chicken or meat.

[ScottieDog]

What antibiotic is she on? Tipper was given baytril for bacterial hepatitis and she didn't want to eat. Please know my situation was very odd and my dog had severe, multiple health issues. Her immune system went haywire during her illnesses. We lost her to kidney failure brought on from poisoning from a medication she was taking for suspected cancer.

You do need to keep her hydrated. Drinking will help her flush the bacterial infection from her urinary system. Often dogs will drink more with these infections, but some won't. Depending on what she will do, you could offer warmed low sodium/low fat chicken broth or, if she likes cold things, freeze the broth in small ice cubes. (If you use chicken broth, make sure it is homemade or doesn't contain onion seasonings.) You could try feeding 3-4 very small meals per day. You could try offering water or broth-soaked kibble. I would cook small pasta or rice in broth and serve it "soupy" with a little chicken diced into it. I would sometimes add a few diced carrots as well. I know you need to keep foods low fat and low sodium. I also added water to soft wet foods to try to tempt her. Heating things slightly increases the aroma and make them more palatable. There is a food and nutrition section on this board and the folks posting there know so much about foods. My ideas are based on what I did for my dog during her end-of-life care and may not apply to your situation with a much younger and healthier dog.

If you can't get her back drinking, the vet's can do IV hydration. If you have any questions call your vet's office. I know I was given so much advice on what to do when my dog was sick. It is hard to see them sick. Good luck.

--I don't get too much snow around here, but when we do, my dogs look like walking ice balls with all the snow that gets in their furnishings. They get plunked in the bathtub for de-icing. My little girl who passed away loved to eat the snow balls. Thank you for helping me remember this very happy memory! I'm sure your girl is just as cute with her snowy coat.

[corky/max]

Originally Posted by laura3278

So, Buddy took the meds the first time and it went right away. Yesterday, I notice while we were playing that she was peeing alot and not very interested in playing stick( she loves stick). Then, we came in the house and she had an accident. Got her in to see the vet and she on more meds, this time longer. I went with the more expensive type, b/c she hate taking pills and these are smaller. Couldn't get a pee sample. But, I have to bring one in once the meds are finish. She is on wellness for puppies and she drinks lots of water. Not sure why she is having recurring bladder infections - he did a physical examination and he couldn't find any stones. But, her bladder/kidney area was extremely sore.
She is definitely getting better - slept 17 hours yesterday after I gave her the meds and not having accidents. Not having to go out as often, as well.
Is there anything I can do to be proactive against the bladder infections. I was reading else where, apple cider vingear and plain yogurt. But, Buddy is very picky and not sure if this would work. Any suggestions?

Just going to quote from a book I have: The most frequent prescriptions the veterinarian writes are for antibiotics. If your dog is on antibiotics, be sure he is also receiving a daily dose of probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that maintain the health of your dog's intestinal tract. Antibiotics destroy the friendly bacteria in the intestines, interfering with your dog's ability to digest food and absorb the nutrients that he needs to become healthy. Yogurt that contains active cultures is a good source of probiotics. You can also buy a probiotic supplement in the refrigerated section in your health food store.---end of quote. I would give yogurt (with the live cultures) every day--actually I do give to my 2 dogs all the time and they aren't even sick!
You could mix it into something else that he likes if won't eat it alone. Mine are 30-35# dogs and I give them a couple-three Tablespoons with their morning meal--I mix it in their oatmeal(after it has cooled to barely warm--heat would destroy the good stuff!) You could mix it in pure pumpkin-not the pie filling-just canned plain pumpkin. Try mixing it with small bits of meat, canned salmon, etc. If dog is peeing a lot--probably losing a lot of B vitamins--might want to supplement. I also put a couple tsps. vinegar (SHOULD USE ORGANIC RAW UNFILTERED APPLE CIDER VINEGAR--I use the brand BRAGG--might have to get at health food store but my grocery store does carry it-Piggly Wiggly)--I use this nearly every day--I feed raw food and I just mix it in the meat and veggies. Vinegar (type I mentioned) is good for a lot of things for a dog. I've even read to put a little in their drinking water to get them to drink more water as it makes them thirsty. If I decide to cook up some meat with bones--I add some vinegar---suppose to help leach out the calcium from the bones---thus they get more calcium--you don't drain the liquid--that's where the nutrients will be! You can even simmer raw meaty bones for a couple hrs--use enough water to just cover (or even a little less water--just don't let it dry up--add vinegar to this too. Use the broth in place of the water if you cook oatmeal for them or use it another way for them--I'm sure you will find a way to give it to them---nutritious---and don't add salt !!
And I know you should add a little vinegar to bean soup (for humans) to help cut down on the gasiness--so probably works for dogs as well--one of the reasons I add it to their meals esp. when I feed raw 'gassy' vegs like broc, beans, etc. I was wondering if adding vinegar to their food would help deter bloat?!! Another reason I use vinegar is because I feed a lot of alkaline veggies and a dog's system is suppose to be more acidic than ours---(helps digest food and esp. raw bones---also helps fight bacteria that could make them sick easier---I don't know if I am saying it exactly right---this last part in parenthesis here but it does in a nutshell keep them healthier! I think making sure their system is acidic enough also helps stop some kinds of stones from forming.

[corky/max]

For the heck of it, I just put vinegar for dogs-in my browser. It brought up quite a few sites on it--if you want to check them out!