Our Goldendoodle has recurring E-coli

[Rae]

Our eight year old Goldendoodle has a nearly constant E-Coli UTI and we can't get it cleared up for more than a couple of weeks at a time. We have learned the first sign for us is the strong smell Rozee has after going pee. She rolls over on her back and the smell is really bad. If we don't catch it by the smell we certainly find out about it when she starts having accidents in the house, on her bed, etc. We have her on meds for 10-14 days, wait 5 days for retesting, she may or may not be clear, then back to another round in a few weeks. Different med, retest, and if she's clear it only stays that way for 2-3 weeks. We have the urine MIC culture done every time to determine her sensitivity to the various meds. We're all concerned that she's developing a real resistance to the meds so our vet is trying different meds per the culture results. So far our baby has been on Amoxicapsules (2-3X), Simplicef, Baytril, Zeniquin, Doxycycline (2X). All of this since October! We're just don't know what else we can do. Any suggestions will be more than greatly appreciated. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Julie Kudron]

Is she eating animal poop? The only time one of our dogs got ecoli was from eating rabbit poop in the back yard. Maybe she's re-infecting herself by eating poop?
Also, have you tried giving her a little plain Greek yogurt? Our vet recommended that when our dog had it. The live cultures and probiotics helped.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Eating poop should not result in a UTI. The urinary tract is separate from the GI tract and should it result in a problem aside from possibly exposing her to rabbit pathogens.

[Donna K & Quincy]

It could happen if she licked herself with that dirty mouth. :>)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Try cranberry capsules which may prevent bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall. Keep the hair around her vulva short and clean. Encourage her to drink lots of fluids and give her the opportunity to urinate often. Good luck.

[Marsha and Lilly]

Rae.  As an RN I've had first hand experience that mirrors yours. No matter what species, e-coli and the cell type in the urinary tract are the same.  Eight canine years old is about the equivalent of my 74 human years.  Females encounter this more frequently due to the shorter length of the urethra. The only thing that I've seen that really works in cases like this is a combination or cranberry supplements and a prophylactic very low dose of an antibiotic like trimethoprim.  

Resistance to those antibiotics you've listed just leads to stronger drugs needed.  The cranberry is very important. It protects the cells of the urinary tract.  My vet says there are cranberry supplements for dogs.  It took a consult with a urologist and a physician specialing in treating those infections to be infection free. 

  Good Luck!

[Brittney & Cally]

My only advise is with her taking all those antibiotics, I would introduce a probiotic in to her daily routine!

[Rae]

Thank you for all the info. Rozee is taking Crananidin, a bio active cranberry extract for dogs. We're giving her 2 tabs twice a day. She also gets yogurt (1/2 c daily). Is there a better source she could/should be taking? Rozee is a big girl at 72 pounds....not fat, just a "big gal" as our vet calls her! She has had this problem on and off for a long time. Her first bad series started when she was just four months old, lasted about two months then finally cleared up and she was fine for about two years. Then we would have a "series" once about every 12-18 months until this last round. She is in a fenced area for potty with free access via dog doors and since we are retired and home most of the time all poop is cleaned up within 5-10 minutes. She has never been a poop eater. We do keep her vulva area clipped short. One vet (we've seen several including an Internist) suggested it might be linked to her early spay....I have no idea!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm so sorry that you and Rozee are going through this challenge. I know how painful UTI's can be from personal experience. You might look into a product called D-Mannose which is actually the active ingredient in cranberries and available from health food type stores or on line. It has a sweet flavor and is much more palatable than a cranberry and comes in powder that can be added to food.  There are many anecdotal stories relating it's effectiveness in treating e-coli infections and I have used it quite successfully myself.  Also here is an account of some limited research of the product and as you can see  it is effective but dose is important relative to the degree of infection. I hope you are able to get this resolved soon you've both been through too much already!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6346629

[Wendy]

I"m not sure if the link will show, but the article has a great overview of testing protocol for recurrent UTIs. You may want to see if the vet can refer you to a vet who specializes in kidney or infectious disease issues.  Good luck.

http://www.veterinaryteambrief.com/sites/default/files/sites/clinic...