UTI and lower pH Levels

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Hi DK Family,
Charli had what I though was silly string attached to her inner hind legs. Not so. It was mucous from a UTI. She has had 2 urine tests - both had crystals. She finished 2nd round of antibiotics. Thought UTI had cleared up - no mucous. No such luck. Mucous again today.
I finally started googling - came up with that I have to lower her pH levels. Asked the animal nutrionist. He suggests no dry - RAW - the starch in dry food.
this is his response to my question to him:
No dry food, have you talked to your vet about the antibiotic "Antirobe" I think that's it. My female also had this for about 6 months when she was a pup that antibiotic kicked it out and then I switched her to a raw diet.
I would love feedback about this. Any other suggestions?

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I don't believe you need to go RAW to eliminate the starches in her food. You could homecook. I also add Crasins to my homecooked which helps with UTI. Personally, RAW diets are not always the answer as proponents suggest they are. Start reading on the benefits and detriments of RAW. There have been discussions on this in The Food Group.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

TOTW - what do you think about it for Charli??

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I guess you would have to read the ingredients on which flavor. Some of them might have starches. As far as UTI's and crystals in the urine, as far as I know, that has to do with PH levels and you can change that with diet. Just like with people, cranberries (juice) are recommended. Antibiotics can change PH levels, too. Did you ever get a UTI when you were on antibiotics? I have. Karen is more knowledgeable on this subject.

I homecook, only add organic ingredients and brown rice and lentils as my starch and I have never had a doggie UTI.

There are good starches and bad one's. My belief is that we shouldn't rely solely on dry kibble. Other's will disagree, but I think it can't meet all their needs. If you are continuously having this issue, you might have to rethink your feeding regimen.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I cook dinner for them. Samantha eats only dinner. Charli is a chewaholic. If I give Charli a homecooked breakfast, then Samantha will go bonkers if she doesn't get it. I am afraid that Samantha will get fat. She has the Lab roll as it is. I just don't know what to do. What is a mother to do???
Cranberry juice okay for Charli? I forgot about crasins.
I will make sure she gets more yogurt.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Add crasins to her food. You can give them a cooked egg for breakfast. It's protein and not so fattening.

Give them a marrow bone to chew on as your RAW, that will satisfy the chew and not so much in the way of food.

What's a mother to do? Whatever it takes. LOL

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Whatever and everything it takes!!!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Crasins??? Aren't Crasins Raisins and Cranberries? Raisins are a grape??? NO GRAPES
Okay, I am really busy tonight and don't have time ( please forgive me if I am not reading through all of this, I have a mid-term in the morning ) So, I only saw Crasins. Cranberries YES, crasins no? Maybe I am stuck on stupid. I better go back to what I am supposed to be doing.
Spud LOVES his cranberries and I cook them in his treats.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Crasins are just dried cranberries. No raisins involved.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Thank you :) I truly had no idea. Duh me.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

No Duh. Try 'em. I eat them in cereal every morning and put them in the DF, too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The antibiotics destroy good bacteria along with the bad, which is why females get certain kinds of infections when on antibiotics; when good flora is destroyed, yeasts proliferate. Many people become confused by the "yeast" connection, but that is an entirely difference kind of yeast from the stuff that makes our bread rise, lol, and has nothing at all to do with diet. Also nothing to do with "PH" levels.
Cransberries do help. Also yogurt, to replace probiotics. Starch has no bearing on the whole thing, and you're right, there is good and bad in all kinds of foods.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Adrianne, what PH levels are we talking about? The urine? The skin? The blood? (That's kind of a joke, because it's impossible to change the PH levels of the blood without causing death.) Can you post the info you found while googling? There is no such thing as just "lowering her PH levels". Every body system has it's own acid/alkaline balance which usually doesn't fluctuate very much and is basically self-regulated. The PH levels of the stomach, which do vary slightly, have absolutely no bearing on the urinary tract.
I know you have great faith in this "nutritionist", but what he is saying doesn't make sense from a physiological or a nutritional standpoint. Starch is starch, whether it's cooked or raw, and there are kibbles that are starch and grain-free; Meat is meat, it has no starch whether it's cooked or raw. I don't understand what the food being raw would have to do with the urinary system or the PH levels; there is NO nutritional difference between cooked chicken or raw chicken, between cooked beef or raw beef, etc., except that the raw has way more bacteria and the cooked has a slight loss of nutrients. Feeding plain cooked meat or chicken would eliminate all starches; adding cooked fruit or veggies would also have no starch. Starch is found in grains and potatoes, and certain beans, cooked or raw. Period.
And what does starch have to do with a bacterial infection in the urinary tract?
An infection is a medical issue and should be treated as such. Cranberries are helpful for UTI's as Lynne said, and yogurt will put back the probiotics that are lost from being on antibiotics. But that is the extent of the influence food can have on this situation.