UTI help with corgi-herding mix
Quote: When I was walking the dog on Thursday I noticed that she tried for a long time to pee but just couldn't...she had already peed but she pees a lot on her walks. I told my husband about it and on her long Friday walk she tried about 4 times to pee so we decided she needed to see the Vet. We took her first thing yesterday morning. The vet did an xray and a urinalysis, He said she had sand in her urine and the urine had a ph of 9 which wasn't good. He thought her food might be the cause....we had left her in the kennel for 3 weeks and she ate kennel food not the special stuff we buy for her. He gave her some medication...not antibiotics and told us to return in two weeks. When we got home I went to the internet and became more confused...some say she has an UTI that is causing the stones/sand and needs an antibiotic. Others say its her diet and she needs to change her diet. What is your opinion? We're very worried about her. She still eats, drinks etc but sleeps more....doesn't cry or wimper but can't pee after the first couple times. |
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| Stones and UTI are separate. The stones often cause the UTI. Remove the irritation and the UTI goes away. Without knowing the dog's whole history and why it already on prescription food, it's hard to answer precisely.
Bladder stones (urinary calculi) are crystalline deposits in the bladder. You may also hear the term urolithiasis which means urine stones which occur anywhere in the bladder, ureter or urethra. Their size may vary from sand to baseball 
Certain breeds are predisposed to urethra stones beagles, terriers, Daschshunds, pugs, bulldogs, corgis and bassets among them. Differentyttypes of dogs have different kinds of stones; German shepherds tend towards silicate stones while Dalmatians have urate stones. Females don't get urethral obstructions as often as boys...length and width of ureter differs. The bladder stones have different origins. Low water intake or low kidney output may cause minerals to concentrate thus forming stones. A high mineral diet is not good for a dog who must hold urine for long periods....like house bound dogs. Dogs with stones may develop and underlying UTI so treating the UTI with antibiotics does nothing for the stones. A medication can be given to make the urine acidic as the lower pH will help dissolve SOME type of stones. Perscription foods lower in protein and certain minerals will help to dissolve some tpes of stones. Some of these may also contain higher levels of salt to make the dog drink more water, thus less concentrated urine. (not for dogs with congestive heart failure) If the dog is on a prescription diet,it must not be fed any other food-human or dog or play around with supplements. Dissolving stones by medical means can take months. Dietary dissolution is only effective with ammonium urate or struvite stones. Also, if the water is highly mineralized, it might be best to give the dog demineralized water. Kidney stones are far less common than bladder stones. And as in humans, far, far more painful for the dog and yes, kidney failure is possible. |
| I have no personal (me or my dogs) experience with stones, however a good friend is going through it with their 10 yr old Samoyed. They 1st noticed something wrong after their younger Sam was always trying to (sorry - gross) lick on the older dog's penis. Aparently there was an odor and discharge and he was cleaning it up.
A trip to the vet ensued, and he had a UTI and blood in his stool as well as elevated ph. After several course of ABX that cleared it temporarily, they did a renal xray and found a mass, highly suspected to be some kind of stone. So off to The U of MN Vet School and found it was indeed a stone, and VERY large. It was shaped like a jacks (the kid's toy of old) and they are composed of silica (sand). It had about 40 points and had to be surgically removed. Surgery was early spring, and they still are battling urinary tract issues, unfortunately - UTI's and elevated ph. I just got an email this morning that he is sick again with a UTI. They have totally modifiedhis diet and are super cautious. Their 2 dogs are like the kids they never had. Hope your inlaw's dog isn't this severe, but it does happen. |
No personal experience with stones, only struvite crystals. But I do know stones can kill a dog if they block the urine flow. The vet showed us a "for fun"  x-ray last week of a dog she had done surgery on that morning. 4 stones in the the boy's urinary tract and 2 in the urethra. It's an emergency, life threatening condition when it happens. Emma and Darby's dad required emergency surgery for oxilate stones.
Did the vet send the stones off to be analyzed? They need to determine the chemical make up of the stones so they can prescribe either the right meds or the right diet. Oxylate stones do not dissolve... struvite stones I believe can dissolve... might be other types too?? I was going to post this earlier today... I don't know if this might help anyone else but I thought I'd share some info on our urinary ph imbalance journey with Panda. Panda had a urinary ph imbalance, recurrent UTIs for a year and a persistent urachus that was finally diagnosed and surgically corrected. These were the causes of the "house training issues" she arrived with. The surgery corrected the UTI problems... not one infection since the surgery... but the urinary ph imbalance remains. She was put on a urinary acidifier- Uroeze- and took it for quite some time. But it was too harsh on her stomach. A holistic vet recommended we try Betaine Hydrochloride. She's only been on it for 2 months but her ph seems more stable. She can have a chunk of cauliflower or other veggies without it making her pee in the house. She has less stomach upset and a ph of around 6.5. This is something to discuss with a vet... don't try it without first discussing the particular dog involved. Have the family pick up a good brand of urine ph strips and test her often. Get the kind that you can easily read... I tried the cheaper ones and they were impossible to get an accurate reading. I use pH Stix by pH ion. Use a chart to track current ph levels. Quote: She still eats, drinks etc but sleeps more
I guess I get concerned that she's sleeping more. I'd want to make sure there aren't any toxins building up with the decreased urine flow. |
| Thanks for your experiences and stories!! I emailed them to her, so she can see if any fit her situation. I of course can't answer for her since I am not there.
SheepieBoss wrote: If the dog is on a prescription diet,it must not be fed any other food-human or dog or play around with supplements.
I think the dog is diabetic, but I'm not sure!!! My memory stinks, and if she is... this was a recent discovery. We joke because they feed the dog exactly what the Dr told them to feed the dog, but also some extras, and constantly wonder why she is overweight.  Well, maybe more papa than momma (I think she is the good one)!
Hopefully I hear something positive back in the next week or so. Thanks! |
| Diabetes and kidney stones tend to go together. Hope not for this dog! |
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