Uti??

[OliveOyl]

Good morning! I noticed yesterday that Olive (3 months) was having more accidents than usual...and then this morning she was taking about five steps and trying to urinate, five steps, urinate...but nothing would come out except a few small pink-ish drops. I took her to the vet immediately and he took a urine sample and said she has a UTI. He gave her some antibiotics and said they would take a few days to kick in. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to help her feel better? Is cranberry juice ok to give to dogs (not cocktail, but concentrate)? I've kind of given up on house training until she gets better and am letting her go wherever she wants in my bathroom (is this just awful??).

Also, is this something that is normal, or should I be concerned that this will be a recurring health issue. I should probably say that Olive had diarrhea last week due to food switching and the internet said that bacteria from that can get into her vulva and cause a UTI. Has anyone else had this happen?

[OliveOyl]

I should also mention that she has not pooped this morning. Should this be a cause of concern??

[OliveOyl]

I'd really appreciate some input- I'm a nervous wreck! :( Olive is now taking probiotics because the clavamox was giving her diarrhea. She has taken four doses of the clavamox but is still trying to urinate often and only producing tiny amounts. Not only that, but she has now lost her appetite. I was reading online that sometimes this could be a sign of kidney stones? I just want to make sure my baby's health isn't in jeopardy. Thank you in advance for any input.

[gmacleod]

It would be surprising (though not impossible) for her to have kidney stones at such a young age. Very much worth being aware that problems such as recurrent UTIs can lead to those more serious problems though, and avoiding the sort of lifestyle that encourages infections.

Not that it helps for the immediate term - but for general reference: most French bulldogs cannot reach their rear ends to clean. So you may wish to adopt a general habit of using a baby wipe to help her out after urinating. More importantly though (and if any of these things applies in your case), lifestyle factors such as being fed a dehydrated (kibble) diet and having to go long periods without urinating - allowing urine and bacteria to concentrate - are factors that encourage both the development of UTIs and urine crystals, the latter of which can lead to stones. If your pup is already getting UTIs at 3 months, it would be sensible to avoid those sorts of things - don't crate her for long periods without potty stops, and ensure that her diet is not solely consisting of dry food.

In the short term though, if there is no obvious improvement within a few days of starting the medication, then I'd suggest returning to your vet for another look. Not every antibiotic works on every bacteria, so it may be that an alternative needs to be tried.