Natural Remedies for UTIs

[cocoincanada]

Our dog had a really bad UTI in late October, one that was treated with 1 month (4 weeks) of strong antibiotics. Now, he's been off the meds for 3 weeks, and he's starting to pee frequently again, and when he does, it's little dribbles. I'm wondering if he's getting another one...but I know the vet will only put him on more antibiotics. He's getting plenty of water and exercise and is acting normal (not lethargic, or anything).

A few years ago, I had chronic UTIs, and I went through rounds and rounds of antibiotics. I barely got rid of one UTI and a week later, I had another. Someone mentioned, "The antibiotics kills the good bacteria too", so then I started taking cranberry supplements and acidophilus every day as preventative treatment, and they have never returned.

I wonder if there is a way to treat my dog without making him go through even more antibiotics? They will kill his good bacteria, like they did to me, and it will only make him more susceptible to other infections.

Are frozen cranberries safe for dogs? I thought that I could make my own mixture of plain yogurt and pureed frozen cranberries and feed this to my dog once a day....instead of giving him a supplement.

Has anyone had recurring bladder infections with your dog? What did you do to help the situation, other than go through numerous doses of antibiotics?

Any help is appreciated!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I can't answer the questions about the UTI's themselves, as we have not had those problems, but I can tell you that cranberries are perfectly safe for dogs; they are included in many higher end dog foods, and I know some of the people who home-cook for their doodles add "craisins" (dried cranberries) to their recipes. I just don't know what amount of cranberries you would need to have a therapeutic affect, and whether or not that would be too much gastrointestinally. Maybe you can ask this question in The Food Group, a lot of the members there refer to Pitcairn's Natural Health for Dogs book and may know the answer to this.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Is there snow on the ground in Nova Scotia right now?....I ask because it could be a reason that your doodle is getting frequent UTI's..... UTI's are almost always associated with E.Coli bacteria. E. Coli is a normal inhabitant of the digestive tract of animals, or at least it is found frequently. Certain strains of E. Coli do consistently cause problems and other strains can cause problems when the conditions are right. E Coli is certainly a bacteria that shouldn't be taken lightly. Unfortunately, this is a very widespread contaminant in fecal material and may even have its source from a rotting small animal carcass. If your dog is out in snow that happens to be deep enough to make contact with the gential area or they are wet beneath several things can happen:

1. They come in from playing or walking in the snow and will immediately start licking the area....Bacteria from whatever they happened to have their noses into is transfered from the mouth and nose and the result can be a UTI...Try to dry your doodles belly and genital area with a towel after a snow romp...This will discourage the licking.

2. If the snow is deep enough their genital area can be making direct contact with the bacteria deposited from other dogs or animals.

3. The cold and wet can exacerbate the infection....

It is my belief that if the dog does have a UTI they should absolutely be treated immediately with a combination of antibiotics and natural remedies ( cranberry). Natural remedies take longer to have an overall effect and a UTI is very uncomfortable for the dog. Live culture acidophilus can quell any possible side effects of antibiotics ( stomach and bowel upset etc) and can facilitate with the absorbtion of the medication.

Hope this information is helpful.....

[1np1tlyyqzo7v]

I give my LD cranberry and apple cider vinegar everyday both as a preventative and cure. The ACV works especially well!

[Deena Womack]

I never would have thought to give Cali cranberry to help prevent UTI's. She had a really bad one when she first came to live with us, she was miserable and it took a couple of days for us to realize what was wrong. It was also a very expensive vet trip. So I am constantly freaking out thinking she either isn't peeing enough or is peeing too much. I am like the water bowl guard, I am always checking to make sure she has water. So probably using a preventative such as cranberries would probably help me relax some.