Urinary Tract Infection

[JMHuss]

Hi all,

This is my first post to this site, and, unfortunately, is because my EM puppy is sick. Cooper is male, 6 months old (today), and weighs in at 98 lbs. I just got back from the vet a little while ago and Cooper was diagnosed with a UTI. I took a urine sample (which was exciting to collect) and the vet saw calcium <something> (oxalate?) crystals in the urine. However, the vet didn't know if the crystals caused the UTI, or the UTI caused the crystals. So, he recommended to treat the UTI and then retest in a couple of weeks to see if the crystals remain. I got the impression that he really thought the crystals caused the UTI. There was no blood in the urine, but all the other symptoms were present. He gave the following medications to treat the UTI:

Torbutrol (Butorphenol), injected at the office
Poly (ampicillin)/Dex, injected at the office
Amoxycillin, pills to be given at home
Tramadol, pills to be given at home
Meloxicam, liquid to be given at home

I asked about what might cause the crystals and the vet said it was likely his food. We've been feeding Cooper Canidae ALS for the past 3 months and he seems to be doing well on it. The vet had never heard of it (really?!), but suggested that if the crystals are still present during the next test that I should switch to Science Diet urinary food. However, the vet wasn't sure if the urinary food is safe for puppies.

So, my questions:

-Have any of you had any experience with Canidae causing crystals/UTIs? If so, any alternative recommendations? I'm really not thrilled about the idea of feeding Science Diet.
-Are UTIs a common thing with EMs? I've done a ton of reading about EMs and don't recall reading about UTIs, but he's my first EM.
-Do the meds seem reasonable? Other than the meds mentioned, he's only on Trifexis for heartworm.
-Any thoughts on the UTI vs. crystals chicken-or-egg debate?
-Any other ideas on what could cause the UTI?
-Any other tips/suggestions for the situation?

Thanks so much for any feedback.
Jonathan

 

[rebeccastone]

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection that affects part of the urinary tract. When it affects the lower urinary tract it is known as a simple cystitis (a bladder infection) and when it affects the upper urinary tract it is known as pyelonephritis (a kidney infection). Urinary tract infections occur more commonly in women than men, with half of women having at least one infection at some point in their lives. Recurrences are common. Risk factors include female anatomy, sexual intercourse and family history.

 

[NeoBull]

Yikes... 99% of the time vets scare me when it comes to nutrition. I ca'nt offer much help, but I'll say that I wouldn't want my dog on SD! If you're interested in feeding a RAW diet I bet that would help! My Beagle/basset used to get those and I'd always refused to feed the prescription crap... I used to feed boiled chicken, rice and/or sweet potato, cranberry, and some other stuff for a week, along with offering A LOT of water (distilled water would be even better), that always seemed to work for us, but it's not exactly an expert opinion!

---------- Post added at 12:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 AM ----------

I forgot... instead of prescriptions we gave her some sort of all natural drops that we got from an natural pet supply shop... I can't remember what they were called, but if you have a good natural or holistic pet shop they might carry it too, it worked GREAT... maybe I can call tomorrow to see what it's called. She used to get about one a year for like 6 years... hasn't had one in at least the last 2, maybe 3 years... I wonder why?

 

[NeoBull]

I forgot... instead of prescriptions (after like the 1st 2 I started trying to find alternative treatments) we gave her some sort of all natural drops that we got from an natural pet supply shop... I can't remember what they were called, but if you have a good natural or holistic pet shop they might carry it too, it worked GREAT... maybe I can call tomorrow to see what it's called. She used to get about one a year for like 6 years... hasn't had one in at least the last 2, maybe 3 years... I wonder why?

 

[angelbears]

Hi Jonathan,

My mastiff didn't have UTI's but my female ACD did. She had off and on UTI's from 3 months of age until we switched to an all raw meat diet. Antibiotics would clear it up but it would come right back once we were off them for a week or two. Funny thing is we switched to raw to help our mastiff with his skin problems, it helped a little but the bonus side effect was we have not had an UTI since we switched. A little over a year now. She still has some leakage when she gets excited or has had to hold it for a long time. I'm not sure if that is from all the UTI's or from being spayed to early.

 

[ruthcatrin]

(Angel, thats a common problem with early spay's unfortunetly, and one that they often forget to warn owners about, I talked to a lab owner once who's female had that issue, she found a supplement that helped, I'll see if I can get the name from her again for you)

That is one heck of a list of medications, all you mentioned is the crystals, did the vet say anything about testing for bacteria? Usually for a dog with his or her very first UTI they take a bit more of a laid back approach. One antibiotic for 10 to 14 days with a retest a day or two before the drugs run out. There's a variety of reasons for this, first time UTI is usually pretty minor bacteria that doesn't take much to make it go away, and there's no point in over kill which isn't nessecarly good for the dog and can cause antibiotic resistance. On the other hand if they tested for bacteria and the vet saw something that they didn't like then the overkill might be warrented.

On a side note, my vet told me that crystals can form in a urine sample if its left to sit for "too long" between collection and testing. I had one that sat for an hour because I collected it at home before I went to the vets and then they were running behind. The vet insisted on a retest because that sample had crystals, the new sample did not. However your vet is correct (according to what my vet said anyway) that if the crystals came first they CAN cause the UTI, but usually they also cause irritation of the tissues, which results in blood in the sample.

I'd avoid Science diet personally, not a fan. Canidea isn't one I've looked into closely but it generally has a good reputation, which doesn't nessecarly mean its right for your dog, as individual dogs vary.

It is less common for males to get UTIs than females, but like my vet said when Apollo got one: once happens, twice might mean a problem. Is your dog having any other issues (even if minor) such as gas, loose/soft poo (or even outright diahrea) on a semi regular or regular basis, dry skin, itchy...? If so then I would defiently consider finding a new food once your sure he's healthy again (don't switch while he's on the antibiotic, his body has enough to cope with). Like several other people here I feed a raw diet, but its not for everyone.

What you may want to try instead of outright switching foods (especially if he's NOT having any other issues), feed him a meal a day of wet food instead of just kibble, or mix wetfood into his kibble for all meals. And definetly make sure he's got lots of water availible. Dogs (and cats) are meant to get alot of their liquid intake from their foods and some dogs seem to have more trouble making up the difference by drinking water than others. Not enough water in the system can cause a whole host of medical problems from UTIs to kidney issues, and some of the problems can be quite major. And contrary to popular opinion kibble does not nessecarly help clean the teeth. If it did there's be alot less call for the huge mess of dental products out there for dogs and cats (and alot less tooth cleanings at the vet).

General tips, LOTS OF WATER, though you should see the worst of the symptoms go away in a few days. When you go in for the re-test go little early and spend time on a close by grassy area till he pee's and you can catch a sample there to bring right in for them to test right away. At this point though I'd worry a bit less about the crystals, unless/untill they show up in the 2nd sample it really is a chicken/egg debate.

 

[angelbears]

Wow, another excellent post. This forum is very lucky to have a handful of very knowledgeable members who will share what they know and try to help. Thank you!

 

[JMHuss]

Hi again all,

Thanks for the responses. Cooper seems to be feeling better. He's back to sleeping through the night, which he's pretty well done since he was 10 weeks old, except for the past couple of weeks. He's also back to urinating in one spot in the yard, rather than just a few squirts in a bunch of spots each time he goes out.

I don't recall the vet mentioning bacteria. It really seemed to me like he thought the food caused the crystals, which caused the UTI.

At this point I think I'm just going to wait until the medications are about finished, then take another sample to the vet, and re-group based on the results. I'm also going to consider some alternative diets. I've done some reading about raw diets, and I'm just not so sure that's right for our lifestyle. However, I don't have any issues paying for high quality dry food, so I'll be doing some more research in that arena. We have another dog (some kind of Great Dane mix) who seems to have a little bit of a sensitive stomach and some occasional dry skin, so switching foods can sometimes be an issue for him.

Anyway, thanks again for the responses! I'll post again if anything changes.

Jonathan