Dogs Blue - Working cart dog - UTI

[stacy brown (blues mom)]

My name is stacy and I have a paralyzed dog named "blue".

He is a 65lb. Catahoula leapard dog that is 5 years old and has been paralyzed since he was 5 weeks old. He has a wheel chair and has an actual "job" that he does 7 days a week 2 to 4 hours a day.

I have a herd of 35 miniature horses that Blue keeps in check for me. He herds them, moves them, seperates them, guards them, watches them and even helps me load them in the trailer if need be.

I couldn't do it without my little buddy -- I wouldnt want too.

Blue also goes to work with me 4 days a week to our pet shop. Because he is in the public eye at the farm and the pet shop, you can imagine the questions and comments I get daily.

I am looking for a group of people to discuss things with and this looks like just the place.

Recently, I have been having some health problems with Blue regarding recuring urinary tract infections. I have been seeing a specialist but obviously they dont see too many paralyzed dogs and he is basically being their guinea pig with antibiotics. I need to talk to a group of people that could offer suggestions about urinary tract infections. surely I am not the only paralyzed dog with that problem.

I would very much like to swap advice with anyone in the same boat as me. In five years, I've never found anyone in my area who has a dog in a wheel chair. and in five years, I've never talked to anyone in the same situation. I have had had to figure all this out myself.

I may even have some advice for someone else who needs it!

Can someone help?

Thanks,

Stacy Brown

petshop@hemc.net

please email me ! thanks. p.s. if you would like to see the famous Blue, go to my web site at myhorses.us. I would love to hear anyone's comments.

If you email me please put "blue " as the subject as I screen emails for viruses and don't open them unless I am sure of there orgin. thanks, stacy brown

[CarolC]

Hi Stacy and Blue,

Yes, you have come to the right place and I hope you will stay around. What an inspiration to have a cart dog be a working dog! There is also a support group for people with cart dogs you might be interested in. I will put the link at the end of this message.


CLICK HERE for cart dog support group

[CarolC]

There is someone on this message board named Anita who is an expert on UTI's. Here is a link to her dog's Story of the Month on DodgersList. It has some info on how she controls UTI's. I will email her to let her know you are here. Please continue to check back for several days, if you don't mind.


CLICK HERE for UTI info

[Anita]

Carol is right, sometimes I can't on for DAYS but I am here for you. I can understand your frustrations with the UTI's. They are not fun at all. The most important thing is to get the urine cultured and find out which anti-biotic will work for the type of bacteria that is there. Once that is done, then you should be on your way to recovery, at least with that UTI. There is alot to learn regarding UTI's and I am still learning too. Cranberry supplements are good too. I will email you later and we can discuss it.

[Linda]

Hi Stacy- I read your message and I'm not exactly in your situation but I do have a little Jack Russell - Tigger - who was born with no elbows in his front legs. You are right there is really no one out there that understands. I do get comments about why I would take care of a poor little thing so disabled. That he should have been put to sleep. Tig is 5 now - we got him when he was probably about 9 weeks old. He gets around very well - a little slower as he gets older and we may have to get a cart in a couple years. He still can jump on the sofa and chairs. He doesn't like to jump off anymore but he is our pride and joy. It so nice to read of your success with your dog. He sounds very smart and very happy. Tigger is our watch dog. We also have 2 schipperkes - Shadow and Suzie. Suzie took right over being little tiggers "mom". Shadow is 10 and has siezures and Suzie is 8 and is allergic to almost everything. They are a handful but we love them like our children.

[critters]

Sometimes UTIs just happen, even without disabilities, but I was wondering if he might have urine pooling, which would contribute? Have you, or a vet, ever tried expressing him after he's peed on his own, to make sure he's empty? Anita's suggestion to get a culture and sensitivity is also an excellent one.

[Pavla]

Hi Stacy,
I really admire your dog for his job. Me, my husband and out two dogs live in a big city so that my dogs are quite jobùess. Sara, a GR lady, had a spinal stroke about 1,5 year ago, and is since than walking and running around in a cart from Doggon. Last September we had also problems with a reoccuring bladder infection. Accept for the antibiotics she received, we gave her a special urological diet. She had sand in her bladder which could have turned into stones after a while. This urological diet made Sara drink more and dissolved the sand and made it leave the body with the urine. We have been giving it to her for 6 months. Now she is back on her normal food but we do express her bladder twice a day after she urinated herself because we found out that she is not able to empty her bladder completely. And the rest of urine she had had in the bladder was the pool for the development of sand and microbes. So I recommend to go to an ultrasound inspection of the bladder and then find out whether the bladder is completely OK otherwise the vet will probably also give you a special urological diet.
Many greetings and good luck.
Pavla and Sara

[stacy brown (blues mom)]

thank you carol c and of course anita for the onfo. sydneys story is close to home in my heart. what is solid golds berry balance? i happen to own a pet shop and could probably order it from a distributer. we dont carry solid gold but i could get access to it. where do YOU get berry balance? thanks stacy brown. petshop@hemc.net

[stacy brown (blues mom)]

thank you carol c and of course anita for the onfo. sydneys story is close to home in my heart. what is solid golds berry balance? i happen to own a pet shop and could probably order it from a distributer. we dont carry solid gold but i could get access to it. where do YOU get berry balance? thanks, stacy brown. petshop@hemc.net

[stacy brown (blues mom)]

thanks for all the help for BLUES cronic utis. i have done it all to try and stop the infections. i have done the xrays ,ultrasounds and i do a cysto(clean catch) every month for a culture grow at the local university. i am seeing five vets and a specialist to try and combat this. i also have BLUE on all the supplements and vitamines . i recently started two new drugs for bladder tone and strengthening and they have been working wonderfully. no more "pooling". the drugs are called phenoxybenzamine and bethanechol. costs me about 60 dollars a month. i wonder how many people have their dogs on antibiotics for life. what is the life expectancy of a dog on antibiotics forever. im sure its a lot longer that a dog with cronic untreated utis. who has the dog who has been on antibiotics for the longest? i was just wondering how long this can last. hopefully forever as i would not want to be with out my BLUE.

[critters]

Hmm. I don't know. For humans with bladder problems there are LOTS of different drugs out there besides antibiotics; I didn't Google the names you listed (I don't recognize the generic names), but I'm betting that's what they're trying. There is a class called "antiseptics," for example. I'd think they'd try to get away from antibiotics eventually because of the problem of resistance, but that's just a guess.