A 6 month akita with pelvic bladder and frequent UTIS.

Question
I just acquired a 6 month old pure bred akita that has a pelvic bladder and frequent UTI's.  I want to make sure i give her the best diet possible to help her and prevent any added problems.  I have 2 golden retrievers that are on a raw diet and i introduced her to that but she refuses to eat the food raw, I did boil it for her and she ate but then it loses nutrients.  I just put her on duck,oatmeal and rice dog food by holistic select but I wanna know if there is a food out there that would actually be a lot better for her, or if this food will be fine while i continue to try her on the raw diet?  Also is there Vitamins and other natural supplements I should give her daily to help her strengthen her bladder and prevent the UTI's so she can live a long healthy life?

Answer
The most important thing you need to know is that puppy requirements, especially large breed puppies, are significantly different from that which an adult will need.  I have no idea from what you have said whether the "raw diet" you are offering is correctly balanced for a growing large breed dog, and chances are excellent it is not. I would first address the nutrient requirements of your puppy by using a premium quality large breed puppy food such as this Innova Large Breed Puppy or Canidae All Life Stages. That's your first concern. Next, the recurrent UTI nees to be addressed and I wonder if the underlying cause is perhaps incorrect nutrition? Hvae you had a culture done, has she been put on antibiotics?  You can use some cranberry tablets to help minimize recurrence of the infection, but other factors such as zinc deficiency or fatty acid imbalance  (very common in home made diets) will make her more vulnerable to pathogens. I'd get working on the diet first and foremost. Mistakes you make in the first year of life can be difficult to correct later on.

If you want to transition your pup to a home made diet later on, I applaud that idea as long as it is a properly formulated diet, and wait till she is at least 14 months old to start on it.

Let me know if I can help more,
Catherine