Dog foods PH

Question
I took my 6 year old Chihuahua to the vet because I suspected she might have a bladder infection.  She would get up during the night and go potty after about 2-3 hours.  I would go get her and bring her back to bed and then within maybe an hour she would get up and sit in her chair in the living room (closer to her potty.) and she didn't go again.  My Chihuahua hates to be away from me, she goes to work and shopping with me and if she has to stay behind hates it and gets reverse cough when I get home because she is so excited to see me.  So, I couldn't understand why she would sit in the chair.  Well anyway, the vet ran some urine tests and said she had a bladder infection and that her diet was to alkaline.  He said to change her dry food to the California diet or Wellness diet.  He also knows she gets turkey, chicken or beef mixed in with the dry food.  He said it was the vegetables in her dry food that made her diet alkaline and not the meat added in.  She was on Eukanuba for years, then with the grain scare I switched her to Nutro Ultra Holistic for several months.  Does this all sound right to you?  I am so confused. These better dog foods seem to have basically the same ingredients.  Which dry dog food would have a tendency to be slightly acidic and help her?  He said she could form bladder stones if this is not corrected.  Please help.  Thank you,  Theresa

Answer
Most vets would go with Hills Science Diet C/D.  My vet put one of my puppies on it, and that was the last of her UTI's.  I question much of what you have been doing, and am not convinced your vet is on the right track.  In the big recall mess, there were more problems with the specialty brands such as Nutro.  Your dog may have been safer on the Eukanuba.  None of the major brands of dry chow were recalled.  The big companies have more resources to devote to QC, and their suppliers more careful of their bigger accounts.  

I think you must find a vet to prescribe the Science C/D.  Cut out the meat.  Modern dog chows are carefully formulated to provide the complete and balanced diet dogs need.  Not only is it unnecessary to add meat or anything else, doing so messes up the careful balance of the dog chow.  Your dog may not have had all the problems if you stuck to the Eukanuba and nothing else.  If your vet says adding the meat is OK, or needed, he is a kook at odds with most of the colleagues.  Find a different one.