My German Shepherd puppy smells bad, is it a UTI or worse problem?

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!

These signs are very likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection. Genital tract infection needs to be considered though and possible uterine infection (even if unlikely) would ideally need to be ruled out. Stress related (idiopathic type of inflammation) infection and presence of crystals are the most common causes of it but urinary stones could be present as well. I would recommend to discuss with your veterinarian the possibility to perform an abdominal ultrasound to rule out presence of urinary stones and genital tract infection.

Those spots on Dakota could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Dakota wear an elizabethan collar at all times.The bad odor also likely indicates either a bacterial infection or fungal infection. She will need treatment for this as well. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like he might have an infection. Your vet can examine him and prescribe an antibiotic, if needed. If you see any discharge then you could clean it with a DOUXO® Chlorhexidine Pads and see if that helps. Otherwise, see if your vet can see him before Wednesday so treatment can be started.

This presentation could be due to a localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria) or a more extended urinary tract infection. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Horrible odors are usually caused by bacterial infections. So when Macie licks her vulva, she is massaging secretions out which should be odorless. It appears she has a bacterial infection since there is a smell. She could be suffering from a vaginal infection or a UTI, Peeing in the house and straining are cardinal signs of a UTI.I suggest you take her to your vet for an exam. Bring fresh urine (you can catch it with a kitchen ladle) or do not take her out to pee before you go to the vet, as the vet will need urine to examine. Macie will need antibiotics for at least 10 days, sometimes longer,

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!