Possible UTI? Pet Insurance?

[enklined]

Mina, 9 weeks, is urinating constantly - like 4 or 5 times in the last 20 minutes, including once in her crate, on her bed, right after she had gone outside to pee. She even tried to go a few times outside and it only dribbled.


I did some research and it sounds like shes got UTI. What do you guys think?

I dont have pet insurance yet, but I want to try and get some before I take her to the vet (unless that process takes a long time). What is good pet insurance? I was looking at VPI - is that any good? Also, what level of coverage do I want? Does it cover all her shots and spay too?

Thanks,

Jesse

[moondog]

This is likely a UTI....do NOT wait until you have pet insurance. Take her to the vet NOW. UTI's are very painful. It's unfair to make your puppy suffer with it and if you do, the infection will get much worse. Make an appointment right away.

My dog had a UTI at the same age, so a bit of advice for you. PLEASE be patient with your puppy during this.....she can't help it. My puppy was squatting every 15 seconds until we got it under control and I am very aware of how frustrating it can be. I was concerned it would really hamper our housetraining, but once the infection cleared up, she had no problems with housetraining at all. Remember to continue with the housetraining exercise (take her out when she squats, praise for any effort to go outside - and do not use any form of punishment at all for all the squats in the house). She really can't help it and it hurts.

I can't help you with the pet insurance, I don't have it. I set aside a fund for my dog's vet care.

[TrinaJ]

I too would take her to the vet immediately, you dont want her in pain. Generally Insurance company's dont cover a pre-existing condition, so it is doubtful that if you get insurance today she will be covered tomorrow for a UTI.

With regard to pet insurance, get a quote on the cover you think you will need and then calculate how much on average you would spend in a year on all her shots and having her spayed. Once you've done that, get another quote to include spaying and shots, then see if the difference between the new and old quote is higher by that amount. Make sense?

I'm in Australia so i dont know about your insurances, but I have taken out the top cover for Jett which cost a little over $400 pa. This does not cover her shots, I just wanted peace of mind if something occured (she's my 5th rotty and i've spent many thousands on vet bills over the year).

Hope she is okay!!!

Trina

[spidey]

I agree that you shouldn't wait with a UTI (especially since there is often a waiting period even after you have signed up for insurance).

Look into Pets Best insurance, they are the first one I've found in the US that I'd even consider buying (I work at a vet clinic, so I see a lot of the plans), if you don't go with them, then consider putting the payments you would have made into a high-interest savings account for the dog's health care only.

[Anne]

Please take your pup and a sample of her urine to the vet urgently. UTI's are painful.

Worry about the pet insurance later. The health of your puppy is more important right now.

[enklined]

She was taken to the vet Friday, and determined, from the symptoms, that she most likely has a UTI. The vet sounded like she didnt want to do the exam/test which would give us a definitive answer because it requires a needle be injecting into Mina's bladder - she said its troublesome because the pups are squirming around and all, plus the symptoms pretty much tell the story.

She has started antibiotics, and I must say, already is doing quite a bit better.

[Anne]

Collect a sample of her urine in a clean container and take it to the vet for urinalysis.
I sterilize containers with boiling water and use the container to collect the sample. Take it straight to the vet soon after you collect it. A direct sample is better but this is the next best thing. Then you will know what bacteria you are dealing with and receive the appropriate antibiotic.

An insurance company will not cover a pre existing illness.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by enklined

She was taken to the vet Friday, and determined, from the symptoms, that she most likely has a UTI. The vet sounded like she didnt want to do the exam/test which would give us a definitive answer because it requires a needle be injecting into Mina's bladder - she said its troublesome because the pups are squirming around and all, plus the symptoms pretty much tell the story.

She has started antibiotics, and I must say, already is doing quite a bit better.

Good, I'm glad you got her to the vet. My puppy's UTI was very tough and the vet did finally need to obtain a sterile sample using a needle. Not something I would prefer, but this does make the chances of correctly identifying the offending bacteria more likely, as a sample collected through urination can be contaminated on its way to the cup. She survived just fine and it took awhile, but finally we got her on the correct medication and it cleared up, never to be seen again. If your puppy is getting better, then the medication prescribed is working.

I'm glad your puppy is feeling better!

[enklined]

Mina is closing in on completely her two weeks of antibiotics for her UTI (62.5mg of CLARAVOX twice a day). She had gotten better within a few day of starting the antibiotics, HOWEVER, SHE IS NOW WORSE! She cannot control her bladder AT ALL! In the last 24 hours, she has peed her crate at LEAST 6 times. Just prior to this post, I took her out to go pee - she peed THREE times in about 10 minutes. We then both came in, played for about 10 minutes, and I put her in her crate. About 5 minutes later, I notice her crewing on the blanket we are using as her bed (while her bed/pillow is in the wash from being peed on today). I walk over, and notice she PEED AGAIN! So I took her out, and while I was talking to my girlfriend, telling her something isn't right, she peed on the carpet, right in front of us, and looked like she didn't know it was happening!

Whats going on here? Anyone have any ideas? I'll be calling the vet first thing in the morning. I hope its not something more serious than the UTI she is being treated for...

[brunie's mom]

Some UTI's are really hard to get rid of as moondog said . She may need another antibiotic...and most likely a sterile needle draw of urine. They then do a culture to see what bacteria they need to fight.

Let us know what the vet says when you take her back in.

Gina

[enklined]

Weak sauce. Took her in, and they are going to do a urinanalysis, and gave me another weeks worth of CLARAVOX - $218 total! OUCH!

The vet said the medicine she is getting is the best they can do at her age - there is better, but apparently it can mess them up while they are still growing...

She seems to not pee when sleeping...if it were a medical condition where she couldnt hold it, wouldn't see pee in her sleep?

This morning I took her out pee, crated her, and 10 minutes later she peed her crate.

THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! We're having to wash towels and sheets everyday!

I tried to invest in some puppy diapers, but she bites/chews on them, attempting to tear them off.

I guess its time to invest in a washable/reusable super absorbent bed cover thingie - saw them at Petsmart for $25...I feel so bad that she eliminates and then has to lay in it for a period of up to 3-4 hours!

[moondog]

Originally Posted by enklined

Weak sauce. Took her in, and they are going to do a urinanalysis, and gave me another weeks worth of CLARAVOX - $218 total! OUCH!

You keep saying claravox - do you mean clavamox?

Originally Posted by enklined

The vet said the medicine she is getting is the best they can do at her age - there is better, but apparently it can mess them up while they are still growing...

Ask your vet about Tribrissin - this is what Chili ended up taking with her UTI at 9 weeks old, as the Clavamox did absolutely nothing for her. It took THREE MONTHS to resolve her UTI, but we DID resolve it.

Originally Posted by enklined

She seems to not pee when sleeping...if it were a medical condition where she couldnt hold it, wouldn't see pee in her sleep?

If it were a medical condition where her sphincter muscle was lax and not functioning properly, you would see leaking during sleep. With a UTI, it is the stimulation during waking hours that precipitates the urge to go. That's why puppies that are not truly housebroken can and do sleep through the night, but can't hold urine for the same number of hours during the day.

Originally Posted by enklined

This morning I took her out pee, crated her, and 10 minutes later she peed her crate.

THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! We're having to wash towels and sheets everyday!

I tried to invest in some puppy diapers, but she bites/chews on them, attempting to tear them off.

I guess its time to invest in a washable/reusable super absorbent bed cover thingie - saw them at Petsmart for $25...I feel so bad that she eliminates and then has to lay in it for a period of up to 3-4 hours!

Please remember what I said before....I KNOW how frustrating it is, but it's not her fault so please don't take out any of your frustration on her.

Do NOT use diapers! All that will do is trap the bacteria against her body. No, no, no! Pick up some "wee wee" pads to put down on the floor/in crate for her instead, and potty train to them. I did resort to this, as I couldn't get from upstairs to outside fast enough or often enough for it to be of any benefit to my puppy. As soon as the UTI was cleared up, I stopped using them and she did just fine.

You might see if a waterproof crib sheet is cheaper. They are covered in flannel and waterproof. If you pick up a couple of those you would still have to "do laundry", but it would be limited to a couple of these instead of every towel and blanket you own.

Ask your vet about Tribrissin.