Uti

Question
QUESTION: Hi Kim, I emailed you a while back on my 2 yr old toy poodle who would squat a little too long to pee. I took her to the Vet and you were right it was a UTI..They did a needle in the bladder specimen fo culture to be sure she was on the right antibiotic and a repeat to be sure it was gone which it is...My question is she is having accidents in the house, just at night..Those antibiotics really messed up her stomach.I tried yogurt, hamburger/rice,/chicken/rice..her appetite is good but she throws up sometimes just at nite too..It's foamy like her pill she was taking..What else can i do? She had xrays for stones and everything looked good...Karen

ANSWER: Hello Karen,
Yes, sometimes it happens where the antibiotics will reboot the dogs urinary system to where they find it tough to hold it for awhile after the treatment.  I would try to pull her water up about 2 hours before she goes to bed, and be sure to have her potty just before you go to bed.  This will help her bladder to be empty and will help her make it through the night.  You can also buy her Doggie Panties that you can put a pad in to help in case she has an accident.  You can find the dog panties for girl dogs at Wal-Mart or on-line by looking up Diapers for Female Dogs.  
Try feeding her slightly earlier than normal, and also try giving her a smaller meal mid-afternoon, then a smaller meal at her earlier than normal evening feeding, so that her evening meal is broken up into 2 smaller meals.  So if she gets 1/2 cup of food around 8pm nightly, break it up to 1/4 cup around 1-2pm then a 1/4 cup around 7pm.  This way, she has a smaller amount of food on her stomach earlier, so that her stomach has time to digest the food better rather than all at once.  
You might also try using a Probiotic in her food to help add healthy bacteria to her stomach.  They sell many different over the counter Probiotics, I would look for caplets and give her 1/2 ground up pill in her food daily.  
The other thing that would help is to make sure she is drinking plenty of water throughout the day.  Frequently offer fresh cold water to her, try adding ice or rinsing out the bowl (my dog is picky and if I don't rinse out the bowl almost daily, he is reluctant to drink) to see if she will drink more.  

I hope this helps and that your girl is on the road to recovery.  Please feel free to ask about anything else Poodle that pops up, and I will gladly help.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What can i give her to prevent future UTI's? She drinks lots of water and i clean her bowl 2 x's a day in the dishwasher..I have been giving her yogurt and the vomiting has stopped...I just don't want her to get sick again. I don't know who it was harder on me or her..I hate to see her suffer.

Answer
Hello Again Karen,
Glad to hear that your girl is doing better now.  Here are a few things you can do to help keep those UTI's at bay.

Keeping the bowl clean and fresh, and making sure its full is good.  You can also offer your dog citrus drinks (such as OJ) to help keep bacteria levels down.  If your dog won't drink the drink straight, put it in the water to see if she will drink it that way.  If your dog gets diarrhea after drinking the OJ, try and reduce the amount of Vitamin C until the diarrhea goes away.  You can also add Cranberry (in any form)to her food or drink.  If you use Cranberry juice, make sure its pure juice and not a cocktail mix, and also get the kind with no sugar added.   Cranberry helps to keep bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder by making the urine more acidic (lower ph) which creates an unhealthy environment for the bad bacteria to grow in. A diabetic cat or dog can benefit from long term treatment using cranberry to help prevent more persistent occurrences and urinary tract infections are more common in diabetic pets. Adding Vitamin C in doses of 10 mg per pound twice a day can help reduce the urine's ph level.  You can give your dog or cat supplements made for humans, but keep in mind they are made according to the weight of a person who obviously weighs more than a pet. Divide a human capsule over the course of a day in two or three doses to adjust for the differences in weight.
Also, try keeping her vaginal area shaved close, and clean her area after she comes in from going potty outside, so that bacteria doesn't enter the body through her vagina

You might ask your Vet about the OJ and Cranberry Juices to make sure there isn't anything contradictory to anything she is on now, but otherwise this should help her not get the UTI's again.  

Thanks for your questions and keep them coming if you have others.

Kim