Urinary: UTI's, meds, ph, etc

[Anita]

These subjects seem to always be coming up and there really isn't one answer for everybody.

I have been this route and have learned quite a bit through my experience. Here are some pointers and things to conside when dealing with uti's. Remember that I am not a doctor but a mom of a wonderful critter that has been through it all.

1. Not all UTI's are the same. Each time that one is suspected a culture should be done to see what medicine will work. They all don't work for all infections. Sometimes you have to FORCE your vet to do a culture but it has to be done. Ask for a copy to keep in your files at home so that you can look at it later if need be.

2. Make sure that you understand how to express correctly and completely. Pooling urine is what causes some UTI's. If you are not sure, make an appointment with the vet, express them while you are there, then have the vet see if you got it all. It takes me less than 1 minute to express Sydney. Sometimes I can't get it all the first time but I let her rest for awhile, them try it again. I don't give up until I get what I beleive is all of it.

3. Keep the bottom areas as clean as possible. Roll them on their backs daily and clean it with a baby wipe, females especially. You will be amazed at all the yucky stuff that can build up. Just think of the bottom of your shoes!! Get into all the folds and crevices.

4. After you express them, especially females, make sure that you wipe them to dry them off. A wet bottom loves bacteria.

5. Try not to let them lick themselves down there (yeah right). That brings in bacteria too.

6. Cranberry tablets are good at preventing UTI's. You need a good one, like from a health food store or on line. Cranactin is a very good one. Use one capsule per 20 pounds of the regular Cranactin per day, not the super one. The ones you buy at Walmart or places like that aren't really strong enough. Solid Golds Berry Balance is good to, but it is in powder form and I found it hard to give. Remember too much cranberry can cause stones so you have to be careful.

7. You can check their ph balance and that will give you an idea what is going on in there. A good ph balance is 6.5-7.0. Bacteria will grow in the higher numbers. You can purchase strips on line. Check the ph early in the morning before breakfast. Certain types of foods cause higher ph balances. You can call the dog food company and ask them what ph their food causes. They know.

8. Remember that water is very important to flush out the urinary tract and the bladder. One good way to give water is to boil a whole chicken in plain water (no salt). Eat the chicken yourself but save the water. Freeze them in ice cube trays and when you feel that your baby needs more water or just isn't drinking enough, put one in a bowl and add some more water, put it in the micro for a few second and they will think that they are getting a wonderful treat. If they like ice cubes, just give them the cube. Make sure that you express them about 3-4 hours aferwards. When I have been gone a little to long and I know that Sydney has had a lot of urine in her bladder I give her chicken water to flush out her bladder.

9. Anti-biotics remove the bad bacteria and the good bacteria in the urinary tract so a good thing to give is a pro-biotic, like acidophilis (sp). Ask at your local health food store. Yogurt is good but sometimes not concentrated enough. Some believe that dogs should be on it all the time.

10. Remember that UTI's are just part of not having bladder control. They just happen sometimes no matter how hard we try to prevent them. If chronic UTI's are your problem ask your vet about "pulse therapy" which is giving the meds full strength for a certain amount of days during the week, then a few days off. I think it is 4 days on and 3 days off. Another thing that works is a daily dose of the meds for a long period of time. I know that sounds harsh but if it keeps the infections away it is worth it. Some people say that they will build up a resistant to the medicine. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If they do, then there are a lot of different medicines out there that will work. That is why a culture is very important.

11. Once you have the infections under control, do a culture occasionally to make sure that it is working and to give you peace of mind.

WHEW!! That was a lot on info. I hope you all don't mind.

Let me tell you what happened to Sydney and her UTI's. She has been paralyzed since Sept of 2003. She went into surgery with a UTI and had one constantly for the next year and a half. I had did it all, Cranactin, Berry Balance,ph, cleaning, smelling, praying, etc to no avail. Then one day I thought that maybe it was ME that was causing the infections because I wasn't expressing her the right way. I was here on this board and others,telling people how to express their babies and I wasn't even doing it the right way with Sydney myself. I wasn't practicing what I was preaching!! I was telling the correct way but wasn't doing it. Well, once I realized that I wasn't doing it right I really concentrated on doing it the right way. Boy was I surpised at how much more urine was in there. To make a long story short, Sydney is no longer on ANY medication and doing just fine. She is due for another culture soon to make sure that nothing is growing.

I have learned alot through all of this and hopefully what I have learned will help you out. Email me privately of you have any questions.

Anita and one UTI free Sydney

NOTE: Cranactin chewables (not capsules) contain xylitol which isn't safe for pets, check the label.

[Jean]

Dear Anita, Thank you for all the information.I appreciate you taking the time to summarize the essentially factors for caring for a pet with paralysis. I have always expressed Jaime while she is lying on her side. When she is upright she is very active and difficult for me to manage. I have small hands so it is almost impossible to support her and express her at the same time. My vet has even begun to express her in this position as this is the only position in which she will relax.I reread the suggestions of other members and probably need to have her alittle more upright and pull down as I am squeezing her bladder. In the past, I used to culture more but with the culture always coming back as E-coli we always just put her on Zeniquin which is about the only antibiotic she can tolerate. When she has an infection she always has 4 symptoms- urine that smells like rotten eggs, severe spasms when I attempt to express her, leaking of urine and a thickened bladder wall. In the future, I need to culture her and make sure that the infection has subsided. Jaime does not drink alot even on dry food and she refuses to eat canned cat food or anything else (eg. chicken. chicken broth, baby food, etc.) As a result, to keep her urine delute and to manage her struvite problem I give her 70cc of Lactated Ringers 2 times a day by SubQ injection. I went through 3 veterinarians before I finally found one who had any interest or knowledge in pets with paralysis. He has never treated a cat with paralysis but has treated many dogs. A supportive vet can make such a difference!!!!!!! THANKS!!!!!!!
PS: Do you ever make house calls?

[critters]

" I have small hands so it is almost impossible to support her and express her at the same time." Somebody around here, CarolC will probably remember who so you can look up the original posts, had a big pupper to express and who couldn't do both, either. She rigged up a pulley system to take care of the support so all she had to do was express. Hehe--The trick might be getting a kitty to cooperate with such a thing!

[CarolC]

Hi Jean,

That is cool about the Ringer's but odd that she holds still for that but not expressing. Glad it works. Do not be afraid to dig up inside the abdomen to fish down the bladder. You don't have to express it in the location you find it in if it is riding high or hidden up near the tail. You can move it down an inch or so in the direction of her underbelly. You can move it down to where you can grasp it, just be sure to bring it down evenly. I keep thinking it would be possible to tilt or rotate the bladder if you fished it down aggressively while not bringing it down evenly on both sides.

[CarolC]

You better believe this one's gonna be a bookmark! It's going to help a lot of people.

[critters]

I'm guessing he might put it on the expressing page.

[Jean]

I give the fluids below the point of paralysis so she does not appear to feel it. If I go too high she tries to bite me.

[Anita]

Thanks Carol. I do hope that it helps. I didn't realize that it was going to get that long!!! I am sure I forgot something but if I did I will I post it.
Anita

[RC]

Anita, thank you so much for your time with this valuable information. Molly wears pampers. When she's changed, it is usually wet and we express her each time also. When I notice that she's not drinking enough, I'll give her some pedialite (sp?) which helps. I was asuming once she stopped, her bladder was empty. I'm not sure I can tell if her bladder is empty or not. How do you know?
Thanks again!!
RC

[markcrobinson]

I've added this to the page on Expressing.
Thanks so much -- a great resource.



Expressing Page

[critters]

[Anita]

RC,
The best way to see if the bladder is empty, which is VERY important I might add, is to reach up there and feel. You might feel what her bladder feels like when it is full first then after she empties it feel again. Sometimes you have to search around to find it. It likes to hide!!!
Anita