Home Remedies For Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs
I will share with you here some natural home remedies that you can concoct in the comfort of your home.
Cranberries
It is well known that when we catch a UTI, we as humans are recommended to drink cranberry juice. But can our dogs do the same thing?
This has not been scientifically proven, but there is every reason to believe that cranberries can actually help your pooch. They could help lower the urine pH levels and therefore prevent bacteria from developing in the bladder.
Be careful not to provide cranberry juice that is too sweet to your pet, in order to prevent weight gain! Some cranberry treats for dogs may be more suitable and safer.
Consult your vet to find out if this treatment is right for your pet. Cranberries may be advised against in some special cases.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar for dogs uti? Yes, this product that is both common and popular with sick humans would help to lower the pH of your dog’s urine.
Therefore, this liquid will help relieve a bacterial urinary tract infection by neutralizing the bad bacteria in the bladder.
It is suggested, for small dogs, to add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to their water or food. For a big dog, one to two tablespoons can be added.
You can give this remedy up to twice a day for seven to ten days depending on the severity of the infection.
Be mindful to also provide your dog with a bowl of water or food without apple cider vinegar, in case they do not like the taste.
Vitamin C
What Can I Do To Prevent A Uti From Occurring In The Future
Your veterinarian will let you know if there is anything that can be done to prevent your dogs UTI from recurring. Often, a diet change may be recommended. They may also recommend some medications or supplements that can help to change the pH of the urine, making it harder for an infection to take hold. It is best to discuss UTI prevention with your veterinarian in order to put into place strategies that have been shown to be effective.
Contributors: Malcolm Weir, DVM, MSc, MPH Robin Downing, DVM, DAAPM, DACVSMR, CVPP, CRPPHow To Prevent Uti In Dogs
Below are three tips for preventing bladder infection in dogs.
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Uti In Dogs: Know The Signs Treatments Prevention
Urinary tract infections in dogs can be serious business, especially when they go undetected. Integrative veterinarian, Dr. Julie Buzby, shares causes, symptoms, and treatment plans for UTIs in dogs. Plus, learn practical steps you can take to ensure your dogs urinary health. Because you can never have TMI on UTIs.
Most of us are familiar with UTIs in humans, which are much more common in females. But do you know the often subtle symptoms of urinary tract infection in dogs? And why UTIs are often a hidden condition?
Lets take a look at this often sneaky yet very common medical condition, so that you can be armed with the information you need to help your dog.
Additionally, Ill introduce you to three of my veterinary patients. Each dear dogs story illustrates the gamut of ways canine urinary tract infections can present.
Changes In Urination Habits
Paying close attention to your dogs urination habits isnt just important for care and training, but also for their wellbeing. Any abrupt or noticeable changes in their bathroom habits warrant a discussion with your veterinarian.
Accidents in the house or increased frequency in urination may be symptoms of diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushings disease, cancer, trauma, as well as urinary tract infections.
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What Are The Causes Of Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs
In most cases, UTIs are caused by bacteria, most commonly Escherichia Coli. They migrate from the outside through the urethra to the bladder. When the bladder is inflamed, this is called cystitis.
A dog that does not urinate often is more prone to bacterial urinary tract infections, as these bacteria have more time to migrate and develop in the bladder. That’s why it’s important to provide frequent wee breaks for your dog.
Some dogs are also more susceptible to UTIs and can have them repeatedly.
Diet plays an important role as well, as it influences the pH of the urine. A slightly acidic pH is preferred, as the bacteria develop more easily in an alkaline pH environment. See below how to help achieve this optimal pH level.
- Your dog has a harder time holding his bladder.
- They need to wee in small amounts, and more often.
- They start to have accidents in the house.
- Noticeable dripping after they have finished urinating .
- The urine looks darker and smelly.
In the case of a more advanced urinary tract infection, symptoms can change:
- Your pet seems in pain during urination, it seems forced.
- You notice blood in the urine.
- Your dog becomes incontinent .
- Your dog frequently licks its genitals.
- They become more apathetic in general.
Other Natural Products For Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs
We also offer these two natural products to help you with your dog’s UTI.
A NATURAL URINARY DISORDERS PRODUCT
The URINARY DISORDERS product is the perfect tool to support your dog when facing urinary tract infections in our canine companions. In addition, if you are looking to relieve your dog’s pain caused by inflammation of the bladder and even dissolves some urinary crystals, this product will help maintain the urinary system healthy.Its suitable for all animals suffering from mild urinary disorders.
A NATURAL ANTIBIOTIC – SILVERPET
Combining this product with the previous one is a good choice for your dog’s urinary tract infections. The SILVERPET product acts as a natural antibiotic agent and can be used in case of bacteria that develops in your dog’s bladder.In addition, this product helps strengthen the immune system and therefore helps your dog to help himself. It is natural.It can also be used for the other animal species mentioned above.
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What To Do If Your Pet Needs Antibiotics
Before giving antibiotics to your pet, its best to first consult with a vet who understands your pets medical history to ensure there are minimal side effects and no interactions with any other medications.
Once you have a prescription, you can usually pick it up at a pet store or your local pharmacybe sure theydont stray from the original prescription in any way unless theyve consulted with the vet. Some medications may have side effects like low appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. If your dog or cat exhibits any of these symptoms, its a good idea to contact your vet.
Most importantly, its critical that you administer the entire course of antibiotics, even if your pet improves and the infection looks like its resolved. Because animals usually arent eager to take medication and it can be tough on their owners, people sometimes stop pet antibiotics early, leaving your pet at risk for becoming unwell again. Stay the course and your pets health will thank you.
Preventing Canine Urinary Tract Infection
It is always easier to prevent a disease than treating it. In order to avoid canine urinary tract infection, make sure to upkeep a proper hygiene for your pet.
The water bowl should always contain fresh and clean water.
Don’t forget to take your dog out so he can urinate regularly and the bacteria will not be collected in the bladder. Walking also stimulates urination.
It is most likely that a dog will have a urinary tract infection at least once in his lifetime.
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Dog Uti Treatment: Over The Counter Options
There arent any over-the-counter medications that will treat your dogs UTI.
UTIs are typically treated with antibiotics , and most antibiotics are prescription-only drugs.
There are a few herbal remedies that some claim will treat a UTI in dogs. A few of the most common include:
- Goldenrod Horsetail extracts
- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi extracts
- Vitamin C
- Berberine
However, you should never administer these to your dog without speaking with your vet first.
There is a tiny bit of evidence that suggests some of these herbs most notably goldenrod horsetail and Arctostaphylos uva-ursi extracts may provide some value in treating UTIs, but most have not been the subject of many clinical human studies, let alone studies involving dogs. In fact, the study of goldenrod still involved antibiotic therapy.
Weve written about cranberry extracts for dogs before. Theyre likely safe , and they may offer some preventative value, but theyre unlikely to treat an existing UTI.
Vitamin C is completely unnecessary your dogs body already makes all of the Vitamin C she needs. Additionally, in large doses, the antioxidant benefits Vitamin C can provide actually have the opposite effect and lead to premature cell damage.
So, given that:
Its usually a better idea to skip these types of unproven remedies and just use the medications your vet recommends.
Thomas Labs Fish Flex Cephalexin 250 Mg Eisenhut Dog And
Fish Flex Antibiotic for Dogs . Cephalexin a broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections of the skin, urinary tract, respiratory tract, bones, and joints. Fish Flex Antibiotic for Dogs is a cephalosporin antibiotic. Cephalosporin antibiotics suppress the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoa so it prevents secondary infections.
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Are There Home Remedies For Urinary Tract Infection
You may be wondering what can you give a dog for a urinary tract infection or whether there are home remedies that cure a UTI in dogs. Unfortunately, the answer here is essentially no.
While cranberry extract may be useful in some situations , it is NOT a stand-alone cure for UTIs and should NOT be used that way. The best thing you can do for your dog is to get him or her to the vet if you think a UTI is brewing. And if it is a holiday or weekend when your regular vet isnt open, consider an emergency vet visit.
Does cranberry help a UTI in dogs?
The question of cranberry supplements for UTIs in dogs comes up frequently. In fact, you may have heard about using cranberry for your dogs urinary tract health. Theres a half-truth here.
Cranberry only works against one bacteriaE. coli. You see, cranberries contain substances called proanthocyanidins, which can make it harder for E. coli specifically to adhere to the bladder wall.
In other words, its not going to work for every single type of UTI in dogs. Dont think of it as a panacea. But if you know that your dog is specifically prone to E. coli UTIs, a cranberry supplement such as CranMate® is a great option.
Interestingly, cranberry juice doesnt seem to be as effective as a cranberry extract. So stick to proven supplements rather than pouring your dog a glass of cranberry juice.
Antibiotics For Utis In Dogs
Antibiotics are standard treatment for UTIs. The problem with this is that antibiotics dont just kill the bacteria causing the UTI they also destroy the healthy bacteria in your dogs gut. Remember that many holistic vets say that urinary tract problems in dogs are actually inflammation, not an infection. So using antibiotics will damage your dogs microbiome without effectively treating the real cause of your dogs UTI. Thats why UTIs become chronic recurrent infections in many dogs. Urinary concentration of antibiotics is also a factor. The drugs are less effective if they dont achieve high antimicrobial concentrations. In fact, a 2014 review of antibiotics for UTIs at University of Copehagen concluded: there is little published evidence relating to antibiotic treatment of UTIs in dogs and cats. Well-designed clinical trials focusing on the duration of treatment are warranted to create evidence-based treatment protocols.
Antibiotic resistance is also a concern. The more your dog takes antibiotics, the less effective they are. So save them for when theyre truly necessary and avoid antimicrobial resistance thats becoming a problem for all of us!
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Why Does Your Pup Keep Getting Utis
There are a number of reasons why pups may be prone to getting UTIs again and again.
For pups who are suffering from underlying health conditions, reoccurring UTIs is definitely likely. Such medical conditions include a poor immune system, diabetes, and urinary stones.
Female pups with a lot of skin folds around the genital area may also be at an increased risk of UTIs because the folds can harbor harmful bacteria.
Lastly, if your dog has suffered from a lot of UTIs, the infection may not have responded to treatment. This instance is known as a relapse UTI.
Treatment Of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs
The treatment of UTIs in dogs has two goals: addressing the underlying cause as the exact approach depends on the primary issue, and addressing the infection which involves long-term antibiotics .
To evaluate the improvement and antibiotic treatments efficacy, dogs with UTIs need regular urine re-culturing. This is the standard urine re-culture protocol:
- Between 5 and 7 days of the antibiotic therapy initiation
- 3 days before discontinuing the antibiotic therapy
- Between 7 and 14 days after the discontinuation of antibiotics.
Recurrent urinary tract infections are a predisposing factor for bladder stones and dangerous kidney infections. Therefore, dogs with UTIs histories need to have urine culture evaluations every three months regardless of whether they are showing any UTI symptoms.
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Nsaids For Pain Relief
Since urinary tract infections can be quite uncomfortable, your vet may also prescribe a NSAID to help reduce pain and inflammation.
Its important to note that not only are UTIs distressing for your dog, but they can also be quite dangerous. Thats why it is important to seek treatment from a vet right away rather than trying to treat your dog at home.
Preventing Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
There are several ways of preventing urinary tract infections in dogs, including:
- Providing fresh drinking water a dog that drinks copious amounts of water is less likely to develop a UTI because it will urinate more frequently thus flushing the urinary tract.
- Make sure your dog makes frequent potty breaks dogs that do not eliminate urine regularly have a higher risk of developing a UTI.
- Supplement your dog with probiotics to ensure and encourage healthy bacteria growth.
- Keep the genital area clean it is important to maintain the urinary opening free from debris. This can be achieved with antibacterial wipes formulated for pets. In dogs with long coats that tangle in the anal area, trimming the coat short can improve the overall hygiene level.
- Have your dogs anatomical or functional abnormality surgically corrected in dogs with congenital abnormalities that can be fixed the sooner the correction is made the lesser chances of developing a UTI.
- Cranberry extract many holistic vets recommend using cranberry extracts to treat and prevent urinary tract infections in dogs. However, scientific data proving the cranberrys beneficial effect on this condition is scarce and most positive reports are anecdotal.
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Regular Vs Recurrent Utis In Dogs
The bladder is like a storage room for urine the kidneys produce. On its own, the bladder is sterile. However, the bladder is closely linked with the external genitals, and they are contaminated with lots of different germs.
If these germs find their way into the bladder and start multiplying, they trigger an infection that results in UTI symptoms.
This is how a simple or regular UTI develops, and most dogs get regular UTIs that can be controlled throughout an antibiotic treatment.
However, if a dog develops more than three UTIs in a year or, alternatively, more than two UTIs in six months, the condition classifies as a recurrent UTI.
Simply put, both the regular and recurring UTIs are the same in terms of causes and symptoms the only difference is the frequency of occurrence.
My Veterinarian Sent A Sample Of Urine To A Laboratory For A Culture And Sensitivity Test What Is This
All urinary tract infections are NOT created equal! Even though the most common organism to cause UTIs in dogs is Escherichia coli , there are several other organisms that may be involved. The only way to identify which specific bacteria is to blame, is to grow it in a laboratory. At the same time, the lab can also test which antibiotic is best suited to treat the infection.
Often, a veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic that is among the most commonly used for treating UTIs in order to try to provide immediate relief to the dog. Pain medication may also be prescribed , and a diet change may be recommended.
Once the culture and sensitivity results are received, an appropriate antibiotic will be prescribed. After the course of antibiotics is given, it is important to recheck the urinalysis to confirm that the infection is resolved. If it is not, then it will be important to investigate additional issues that may contribute to a persistent UTI.
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Be Observant And Proactive To Help Recognize Early Signs Of A Uti In Dogs
As an example of the importance of the part you can play as your dogs biggest advocate, lets meet Bailey. This sweet senior dog had both predisposing factors AND was taking medications that increased the likelihood of a UTI. Her story paints a clear picture of the importance of observation and how subtle a UTI can be.
