My dog had a UTI. Is a second urine culture or microscope test needed?

Yes, urinary infections can be difficult to clear up so to make sure the infection is gone they will do the culture. It's best to do this as you don't want Koda to get UTIs frequently. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help answer your veterinary questions.

Cultures are best run on urine samples collected directly from the bladder via a cystocentesis. This way you avoid any environmental contamination and know if there is a true infection. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

A urine culture every few months is a good way to monitor and ensure that she doesn't have a "hidden infection," and the trouble is that with many infections, the pH of the urine will increase which increases the liklihood of struvite formation. I know that cystocentesis sounds scary, but actually most dogs tolerate it very well, and most vets and vet techs are extremely competent with this technique. Repeat urine cultures are great. If you aren't comfortable with that, though, talk to your vet. A simple UA could be done to watch for building crystal numbers, (however, any UA is best obtained via cystocentesis to minimize contamination). Feed soft or canned food or add some water to dry food to increase her moisture intake; the more dilute her urine is the less likely that stones will form. I am sorry that we weren't able to get to your question sooner. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, and good luck with Maggie!

It would be a good idea to do another urinalysis to verify that the treatment worked and there are no more bacteria present in the urine. So I would highly recommend another urinatlysis in order to make sure Maya does not need more antibiotics to entirely eliminate the infection.

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!

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.