Urinary Tract Infection

I'm new to Pug Authority and have a 4 year old male pug and just adopted a 6 year old female that just got over a urinary tract infection before we adopted her. She's urinating just a little bit on the floor in the house where she wasn't doing that when we brought her home. I see her outside and she will urinate a little bit in a few spots... is that marking or is the UTI back? Help!

I'd get her re-checked for a UTI. Stress can bring on a bladder infection and re-homing is always a bit stressful. And she may be prone to these issues and it's best to get a grip on it now. I would also flood her food with water or unsalted chicken stock to encourage peeing so she can flush out her system as much as possible.

Yeah, if it was a bad infection, often one round of antibiotics isn't always enough to completely kill all the infection. I would get her checked out again. See if the rescue or whomever had her checked for bladder stones or crystals also. They can cause urinary issues that are harder to resolve.

TNPUGMOMOF3 wrote:Yeah, if it was a bad infection, often one round of antibiotics isn't always enough to completely kill all the infection. I would get her checked out again. See if the rescue or whomever had her checked for bladder stones or crystals also. They can cause urinary issues that are harder to resolve.

We did! She's going back to the vet tomorrow but the last time around we had her checked for stones and crystals.

We're going to take her tomorrow to see her vet and get her checked out... she cries every now and then, but I thought it was because she wants some love. I hope she's not in pain! Poor Bella!
My friend's mother's female pit bull kept getting UTI's after her father passed away... the vet said it was because of the stress in the house... maybe the move stressed her out.
Thank you for the chicken broth/water idea... I will do that tonight!

Saira wrote:

TNPUGMOMOF3 wrote:Yeah, if it was a bad infection, often one round of antibiotics isn't always enough to completely kill all the infection. I would get her checked out again. See if the rescue or whomever had her checked for bladder stones or crystals also. They can cause urinary issues that are harder to resolve.

We did! She's going back to the vet tomorrow but the last time around we had her checked for stones and crystals.

Sometimes these girls have stubborn bladders. I've had a couple of girls that had UTIs, would test clean and then get another one the minute any stress popped into their lives. Maddening.

So who is this former SNPR cutie pie?

She's a cutie-- formally Lilo with a name change to Bella. She came in with Miller. Our boy is a former SNPR too-- Yoda :) He's a hunk of burnin' pug :) Chubby and on a diet!

I've been through recurring UTI's with some of my girls and sometimes they do come on frequently. The most important thing is to be in tune with the signs and make sure the vet sends a sample away for a culture so you know that the antibiotics are targeted to the specific bug. Good luck!

I'll 2nd, 3rd, etc the UTI. Baby Girl gets them frequently. We can sometimes go through a round of Clavamox and be fine, but then some times it is multiple rounds of different antibiotics. Thankfully no crystals, but we have to watch her like a hawk. Welcome!

Thanks everyone for all the information and well wishes! Anxiously waiting for the vet to call me back with the prognosis after the urinalysis. She's been ok here at work with me today; just a few minutues ago she was licking and biting herself. That can't be a good sign :(
I will keep everyone posted :)
Kimm

Bella has no infection! Doctor says she's healthy!! :)
Thanks again for all the well wishes!!!
Kimm

my2puggies wrote:Bella has no infection! Doctor says she's healthy!! :)
Thanks again for all the well wishes!!!
Kimm

Good news Kimm!! I'll email you too, but I can pick up the tablecloths this weekend. We will be around doing POR stuff.

TNPUGMOMOF3 wrote:Yeah, if it was a bad infection, often one round of antibiotics isn't always enough to completely kill all the infection. I would get her checked out again. See if the rescue or whomever had her checked for bladder stones or crystals also. They can cause urinary issues that are harder to resolve.

Very true. They may also have to do a sensitivity test. Peachy had such a bad bladder infection when she came into rescue. She wasn't responding to Clavamox. We finally had to switch her to Baytril and cranberry extract tablets. She also takes Azodyl to help with her kidneys.

I found a website a couple, three years ago when my MuShu was getting UTI's. A vet on one of those sites said she eliminated ALL grains from the food of her doggie (I think it may have even been a pug) and the UTI's disappeared! So that is what I did. And no more UTI's for my little girl! Give that a try!

Really? Eliminated all grains and all was ok? Interesting! I feed both my pugs a mixture of wet/dry Iam's and Yoda (my chubby boy) eats a hearty bowl of veggies with every meal. I can't get Bella to eat veggies...although I did see her sneak a carrot out of Yoda's bowl yesterday. I will have to talk to the vet about a "gluten free" diet for Bella... Dr. said she was all cleared up, but preventative is a good idea.
Thank you for the information :)

I mix 1/3 cup of water with my girls food twice per day to cut down on the amount of urinary tract infections they get. It's really cut down the number although not 100%. I was thinking about asking my vet about using cranberry too.

Edit to add: my girls are already grain free due to allergies

LisaIzzyAggy wrote:I mix 1/3 cup of water with my girls food twice per day to cut down on the amount of urinary tract infections they get. It's really cut down the number although not 100%. I was thinking about asking my vet about using cranberry too.

Edit to add: my girls are already grain free due to allergies

I mix water with Peachy's food too and make sure she always has fresh water available in several places. She didn't have access to fresh water where she came from, so now, she likes to always have fresh water available. My vet has me give her a cranberry capsule once a day during her infections. She does get an Azodyl capsule twice a day to help with her kidneys and Proin twice a day too.

I mixed chicken broth with Bella's food the last couple of days... Yoda seems to fight her for it as he LOVES it. I will continue that and look for the "gluten free" food. The cranberry capsules sound good too-- anything holistic.
The advice as been amazing! Thank you pug mommies for all the great information!

my2puggies wrote:I mixed chicken broth with Bella's food the last couple of days... Yoda seems to fight her for it as he LOVES it. I will continue that and look for the "gluten free" food. The cranberry capsules sound good too-- anything holistic.
The advice as been amazing! Thank you pug mommies for all the great information!

Make sure you talk to your vet though, and rule out if a bladder infection is back, or if it is stones, or sludge, or something else before you look for gluten free food or try any supplements. The cranberry pills were at the suggestion of my vet.

I doubt she needs a "gluten-free" diet, just eliminate the grains. And sorry to disappoint, but your vet is probably not the best source to discuss diets with - most of them haven't had sufficient nutrition training (they certainly don't get enough unbiased training in it in vet school) and don't know what they don't know.

As for cranberries and extract, you need to be careful with that and give it only when the pH of the urine is too high (over 7-7.5). It's a good idea to buy litmus papers and test the urine on your own every so often. If the pH is lower than 5, it would be a big mistake to add cranberries as they can lower the pH even more. And remember NEVER to give cranberries while the dog is on antibiotics - they're contraindicated.

The most important thing is to ensure that the dog is getting lots and lots of water. Kibble is dehydrated and needs to be reconstituted with water. I would advise against it for dogs prone to UTIs and/or crystals/stones. I would flood the meals with water even as a preventative. I now do this with my dogs and they are on raw, which is more moist.