UTI that won't go away

[aek0411]

Hello! I'm new to this site and looking for help from other bulldog owners who may have experience with recurrent UTIs. Our female EBD started showing signs of her second UTI since September at the end of March. She was put on 14 days of antibiotic therapy. At the end of treatment our vet brought her back in for a urinalysis which revealed that the infection had subsided but there were still red blood cells present in her urine. After speaking with the vet we decided to move forward with an ultrasound and another round of blood and urine testing. By the time we did the second round of testing the infection had returned. The ultrasound also revealed a very slightly enlarged kidney. She was put on a new antibiotic (broad spectrum) for 1 month. Our vet has been awesome and laid out a very detailed follow up plan where we brought our dog back each week for testing. Everything was looking great (no infection, kidney levels normal) until our final week of antibiotics. I got a call yesterday that the infection is back. Our next step is see an internal medicine specialist to try to seek out an underlying cause of infection. In the meantime, I'm driving myself crazy wondering what could be wrong. Has anyone had experience with a UTI that keeps returning despite aggressive antibiotic therapy? I should mention that our dog has acted completely fine since she has been on antibiotics. Luckily our vet has been extremely diligent follow up or we may have just assumed she was fine.

 

[Davidh]

We have a Frenchie who has a similar problem. We are still testing her and doing ultrasounds, and lab work. We have changed her diet to help with this. Sounds like you are doing everything you can, and I hope your vet can help figure out what is causing them, and get her on the right meds.

 

[helsonwheels]

[MENTION=15810]aek0411[/MENTION], What do you feed her?
And welcome to the site

 

[aek0411]

Thanks David! Keep me posted and I'll do the same. I appreciate the reply.

 

[aek0411]

Hi Helene! We've been feeding her Fromm chicken and vegatable. We sometimes change the flavor but have been using Fromm for about a year and a half. After doing research all weekend I actually just spent the last few hours making her homemade meals for the next few days. We also bought distilled water today (we have very hard water). Any suggestions on diet?

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi and Welcome to EBN to you and Lucy. I'm sorry you're going through the this with your baby. I don't have any experience with UTI infections in dogs, but I do know some natural supplements that can help with preventing recurrent UTIs in people that can also be beneficial to dogs. You can give Lucy a cranberry extract pill everyday on her kibble. These are available over the counter at the pharmacy or a health food store. I just break open the capsule and sprinkle the powder on the kibble. Cranberry helps to prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. You can also give her 1 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar either on her kibble or in her drinking water everyday. ACV is available at a Natural Health Food Store, or in the Organic section at your grocery store. I buy mine at Nutrition House. ACV has a lot of benefits, it is a natural anti inflammatory, it is a natural anti bacterial and anti fungal so kills the bad bacteria in your body, and it also balances the PH levels of your blood and urine. Another thing you can do to help minimize bacteria from entering the urethra is to wipe her girly parts after she pees, especially if she crouches low down to the ground when she pees. She may be getting dirt and bacteria in there when she touches the ground. You can wipe her with a unscented sensitive baby wipe after she pees to see if that helps. I hope it clears up soon and she is better. Please keep us posted.

 

[helsonwheels]

Hi Helene! We've been feeding her Fromm chicken and vegatable. We sometimes change the flavor but have been using Fromm for about a year and a half. After doing research all weekend I actually just spent the last few hours making her homemade meals for the next few days. We also bought distilled water today (we have very hard water). Any suggestions on diet?

Well you are feeding her properly. My dog had crystals but no uti. Even though she was eating orijen which is great food, I decided to cook for her. She's doing great and no more crystals, cloudy urine and all. So im leaving her as so. Continue home cooking for lucy see how it goes.

 

[1Chumly]

D-Mannose is a powder that helps keep UTI's from recurring. As Vikinggirl said, the supplement binds to the bladder wall. The Christopher Reeve Foundation recommended it to us for a disabled family member who constantly had UTI's and it has been a tremendous help. We buy the NOW brand. It is safe for animals and you can do a search online to help with the dosage. My cat recently had an infection so I put him on it.

 

[ddnene]

I had a cat who had chronic UTI's and the vet took him in for several days to run some tests… ended up he was diabetic. When we put him on insulin therapy and his UTI's stopped, we also had to change his food of course. I hope that you can find a solution for your baby soon.

 

[2BullyMama]

to EBN

has your vet said anything about her maybe having too much skin in her 'girlie' area? We went thought this with Banks at around 16-24 months, and once we had the extra skin removed, I think she only had one or two more UTI's the rest of her life.

 

[aek0411]

Thanks so much everyone! It's good to know there may be some alternative options to help her get better. I'll definitely keep her on the homemade food until we see the specialist. Our appointment is next Sunday- they wanted her to be off of her antibiotics for a week before they did any further testing. I will keep you posted and please keep the stories and good advice coming. They are very much appreciated.