Maltese excessive drinking and urinating

Question
Maltese excessive drinking and urinating
I have a 4 year old Maltese who was put at a kennel for 10 days while I was away on vacation. He is up to date on his shots and had a physical just before being broaded for the 10 days.  Since his return home (5 days now), he has been drinking around 3x more than usual and constantly urinating.  Is this a sign of him acting up? Readjusting or is he sick?

Answer
Hello Tom -

I would take him to the vet to be sure but he may have a urinary tract infection. A typical sign of an UTI is frequent urination, excessive drinking and painful urination.

Sometimes a pet may not show pain when they urinate but there is a good chance that it is present. There also maybe a little blood in the urine.

There are a few effective herbal remedies for pet UTI's but I am hesitant to give them to you until you know for sure if it is in fact a UTI.

UTI's are caused by bacteria that is present in the urethra and bladder. Depending on the severity, depends on the symptoms for obvious reasons. Sometimes a fever may accompany a UTI as well but may not be noticied until the pet is further along with the infection.

The best thing I can tell you right now is to take him to a vet and try to get a urine sample. I know its not easy but it is a good way for the vet to tell right away. They will be able to run a few tests on the urine and give you a definite answer.

Another thing to do just as a security is to begin to add Garlic powder to his food. Garlic is an anti-microbial and will help to fight and kill infection and bacteria should it be present in the body. Don't be afraid to sprinkle it with a heavy hand, dogs love Garlic and he should eat it up right away. The only draw back to adding Garlic to food is flatulence. It may be a little stinky but the Garlic is doing its job by pushing the bacteria through the system. Just keep a couple clothes pins handy! This is safe and effective treatment for long term use and will not harm your pet while on any conventional medications.

Should your vet put him on antibitoics, I would also give your pet a supplement of Probitocs such as Acidophilus. This supplement are the live cultures found in yogurt and help maintain the good bacteria found in the gut. When humans or animals take antibitoics they kill all bacteria, good and bad, in the system and can increase chances of further harm. Probitoics help to maintain and produce more good bacteria to allow for better over all health, less digestive upset from anti-bitoics and will help regulate the system to fight bacteria naturally. You can purchase this in capsule form or simply give your pet a serving of plain yogurt daily. This is safe and effective treatment for long term use. This will not interfere with any conventional medications.

You could also add a supplement of Cranberry to his food. It will not hurt him either way, whether he has a UTI or not. Cranberry helps with all urinary functions and will help cleanse and support the urinary tract. This is the best remedy for a UTI in humans and animals. If your pet takes pills well, give him one capsule twice a day for 5 days. If he doesn't like pills, sprinkle the capsule over his food.

Please keep me posted on your pets condition and if he is diagnosed with a UTI, feel free to contact me again and I will be happy to help you heal your pet naturally.

I hope this information has helped you and your pet.

If you would like information on natural and herbal remedies for human and animal concerns please contact me at wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to assist you. I also offer a catalogue of specially formulated herbal remedies which I would be happy to send to you as well. My products are also available online at www.localharvest.org.

Thank you and best wishes to you and your pet.

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist