Recurring UTI

[davevg]

Casey I believe is getting her 3rd UTI. She was on Clavimox for 10 days, off for 4, back on for 10 when it came back, now is off for 4 again, and she seems to be getting it again. The vet last time suggested that we wipe her area daily as her vulva is "hidden" and can harbor bacteria. We asked about cranberry pills and they suggested against it due to the last time they tested her urine, the PH was fine and they didn't want any crystals to form. We're most likely going to be going to the vet tomorrow, but does anyone have any other suggestions as to how to control this? My wife is going to contact the breeder for suggestions as well.

[bfiney]

The biggest thing is water. Make sure she has a lot of water. Also, try canned food. My vet suggested it because it has more water in it.

[MontanaRott]

Lots of water, frequent trips to potty and you could ask about the Hills Rx diet, that is for urinary issues. Our BT Scout is on it and doing very well. She gets the canned mixed with the dry. She also had recurring UTI's, and now is UTI free. This can be such a frustrating thing to deal with.

[JeanT]

Possibly it's a yeast infection? I don't think Clavamox would be effective against yeast.

[BostonRott]

How old is the pup? Also, are they sure this is not puppy vaginitis? the only way to truly differentiate between UTI and PV, is to do a clean draw......meaning they use a needle to aspirate urine out through wall of the bladder (stick needle through belly, draw urine). This way, the urine should be sterile, and you can see if the bacteria are lower in the track, they're usually from a puppy vaginitis, which will either clear up on it's own or go away with the first heat.

[davevg]

She is a little over 19 weeks, born March 6th. She is not spayed yet, but we were planning on spaying her in about 2 months after her 1st set of obedience classes until I read about PV.

I did a search on PV and this came up.
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ins-outs.html
"Puppies who get frequent puppy vaginitis or bladder infections and have an "Innie" vulva should NOT be spayed before their first heat. To do so is to sentence this pup to frequent vaginitis or bladder infections throughout its lifetime."

Definately going to ask the vet about this. Thanks all!

[BostonRott]

Yes, puppies who have recurrent vaginitis are often recommended to go through their first heat cycle to help "cure" it.

[carolynnl4]

Have you asked your vet about cranberry supplements? Apparently, cranberry juice can help make the walls of her urethra more "slippery" to the bacteria, and can help UTIs.