My dog's UTI isn't improving. Is it a virus or his current diet?

It may be that Goofy has a bladder stone or has a tumor in his bladder that is an underlying issue. If a bacterial culture hasn't yet been done, that should be considered as well to determine definitively whether or not there is an active infection. Talk to your vet about an X-ray or an abdominal ultrasound to further investigate. While the ALT and globulin are slightly high, they aren't terribly high out of the normal range. Its reasonable to repeat these blood tests in 1-2 weeks and see if the values have normalized. Neither of those bloodwork findings are terribly alarming to me, especially if Goofy isn't showing any symptoms. Follow up with your vet in a week or so to recheck bloodwork and discuss doing X-rays or an ultrasound (sonogram). Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Many times there is an underlying cause of recurrent UTI-like symptoms. Daisy likely needs additional diagnostics, like: Urine sediment exam: to look for crystals in the urine Abdominal x-rays: to look for bladder stones that cause inflammation and can create an environment for UTI Abdominal ultrasound: to look for possible tumors Urine culture: to look for resistant bacteria, this will also help your vet determine the best antibiotic to use. Other medications to consider are anti-inflammatories, prescription urinary diets, and bladder support supplements; you can discuss this with your veterinarian.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concerns! My next concern is are we dealing with some predisposing factor leading to these UTIs or is there a resistant bacteria in the urine that is not responding to the current rounds of medications? I would recommend ultrasounding the bladder and obtaining a sterile urine sample for culture and go from there. Have the crystals resolved yet? If there are still crystals in the urine, then these need to be resolved as the presence of crystals will lead to recurrent UTIs and symptoms. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I agree that he requires a further work up. It is not common for male dogs to develop urinary tract infections given their anatomy. I would recommend that he has bloodwork and x-rays of his abdomen. You need to rule out any metabolic disorder and uroliths (bladder stones or kidney stones). Then I would proceed with the abdominal ultrasound. Occasionally prostate disease can cause recurrent urinary signs. This is uncommon in such a young dog though. It may be easiest to pursue a consult with an internal medicine specialist. I hope you are able to get an answer and his problems resolved. Good luck!

Make sure your vet does a culture on the urine to be sure your pup is on the right antibiotic. Then, make sure to recheck the urine at the end of the antibiotics to make sure the infection is resolved. If you haven't yet, get an xray to make sure there are no bladder stones present. Make sure your dog doesn't have a recessed vulva or a vaginal stricture that traps the urine and leads to infection. If these things don't work, there are also supplements like probiotics, herbal products, and even foods that can help. A good holistic vet could help with this.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Antibiotics will not make the vaccine not effective. The reason to not vaccinate when they are sick is that the immune system is already ramped up when you are sick, so as to not make it worse. This is more of a concern when there is systemic inflammation (whole body response) to the infection vs. an isolated infection in the bladder. A thickened wall of the bladder could very well be from chronic urinary tract infections, however the question would be WHY is she having chronic urinary tract infections. Also, before switching antibiotics (which is OK to try) it is a good idea to get a culture done of the urine to determine which antibiotic is best to use. If this course of antibiotics doesn't work, or if Gracie gets another urinary tract infection within the next year or so, then I would suggest making sure you get a culture of the urine before starting antibiotics (ideal but often not done due to cost of this test), and also I would be looking at her vulva area to determine if there is a physical cause to her getting chronic urinary tract infections. This can happen when animals are obese, or if there is a lot of extra skin or flaps around the vulva and infection is present around the vulvar skin. Sometimes doing surgery of the skin around the vulva can help prevent more urinary tract infections. Best of luck with Gracie!

Normal urinary incontinence is not associated with parvo disease unless they are to weak to get up and move to go to the bathroom. This may be sign of secondary bladder infection since the immune system is already fighting another virus such as parvo. I would have your vet check a urine sample to see if an infection is the cause as this will require antibiotics. If you notice any vomiting and diarrhea then he should also be checked for parvo as this may be the start. You are doing well as hydration is the key, so keep getting them to drink as often as they can without making them sick