My puppy's urine culture shows WBCs, but no bacteria. What's wrong?

If you are not seeing symptoms of frequent urination or straining to urinate, then you could always culture the urine to see if there is actually a urinary tract infection before you start antibiotics. You might also discuss a cranberry supplement with your veterinarian to help improve urinary tract health, however with very sensitive dogs, anything has the potential to throw off the balance in the GI tract. https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21560

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Whether or not I would be worried would depend on how the urine sample was collected. Did the vet use a needle and go directly into the bladder to get the sample (cystocentesis) or was it done as a "free catch" sample where you or a member of the vet team walked Kiwi and caught the urine in a container. If you are unsure of how the sample was obtained then you should call your vet to ask. It really does not sound to me like anything to be concerned about at this time but I do not have access to all her records and I have not examined her myself so I cannot really say for sure. If you can get more information as to how the sample was collected you are welcome to post again or ask for a private consultation with me or one of the other veterinarians. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Based on the report you provided it looks as if this is a normal population of bacteria that lives in the skin. However, if there are signs of infection, like inflammation and purulent exudate, then you may want to consider treating with an appropriate antibiotic. If this is the first time an infection has been present your vet will likely recommend an empirical treatment with antibiotics. However, you could also culture the exidate to determine what organism specifically are growing and what antibiotic they are susceptible to. This would be the most definitive way to treat the infection. I hope this helps. If you have any further questions please let us know! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That is an interesting picture. Is it possible that there was something on the sidewalk prior to her urinating? Was this a one time occurrence? I would recommend taking her into a veterinarian. They may want to collect a sample to see if it is still present. They may also want to collect a sterile sample of urine by doing a cystocentesis ( using a syringe and needle ). They will want to rule out an infection and crystals. They can form a treatment plan to treat her. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! What you are seeing is likely mucous. It could be a urinary tract infection of puppy vaginitis. They tend to grow out of puppy vaginitis. Sometimes they need antibiotics if they are urinating small amounts frequently. I would set up an appointment with your Vet for an exam. I would try to collect a urine sample for the appointment. First wipe the vulva with a baby wipe or a slightly soapy towel (rinse) before collecting. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It becomes concerning when an older dog develops blood urine that is non-responsive to antibiotics. Having blood in the urine with out bacteria can mean a bladder stone or a bladder tumor. Tests I would consider next would be a urine culture, one belly X-ray to look for a bladder stone and full blood work. If the culture is negative and the X-ray doesn't show a stone then I would worry about a bladder tumor. An ultrasound of her bladder would help diagnose if she has a bladder tumor. Another option before doing more testing is to try a more powerful antibiotic for 3 weeks. But if the blood is still present with out the presence of bacteria then I would go forward. I hope this helps!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. 2 urinary tract infections in 1 month is not normal. I recommend having Bella's urine checked by a pathologist to see if there is actually a UTI present, or if it is just cystitis. Also, puppies can get 'puppy vaginitis' that shows as a white discharge from the vulva, but doesn't respond to antibiotics and doesn't require antibiotics. This often looks like a UTI (licking at vulva, frequent urination), but isn't. Treatment for this is to have her spayed at 6 months of age. I would talk to your vet about getting a cystocentesis sample and sending it way for a culture and sensitivity and a urinalysis at the lab, before more antibiotics. Best of luck with Bella!