Does anyone know about UTIs, crystals and diet?

Brie presented with an UTI Sunday night. Her urinalysis showed a definate infection and a FEW calcium oxalate crystals. (That's not abnormal in humans, but apparently IS in dogs.?) So she got amoxitabs and also c/d food for the crystals. But now I'm reading that the c/d is for another type of crystals... which we didn't see. Does anyone know if there is a diet connection? Like should she really be on that food?? I'll recheck her urine after the antibiotics, so I guess we'll see if she still has the crystals then.

 

there is a food connection, but I dont know about the one.

here is their web site that might be able to help

http://www.hillspet.com/zSkin_2/product ... cale=en_GB

 

*waving hand in the air madly*...I do I do

My nearly 11 yr. old GSD had chronic UTIs from about the age of 2 onward. 2 years ago the stones finally set in (5 pencil-eraser ones lodged in her urethea, up to 30 in her bladder).

Anyway...hers might have been genetic or possibly food related. Since the surgery she has eaten Hills CD Prescription diet which I mix with dry Chicken Soup for senior dogs. She has had only one recurrence with UTI and no stones since.

I would strongly suggest the prescription diet. I know people don't like Hills foods but when it's prescription foods geared toward a specific health problem that is what is important - if it works.

I also mix cooked boneless/skinless chicken breast in with her evening meal as that food contains very little meat.

Another thing a holistic vet used to suggest to me was to give her cooked chicken or turkey and mix it with kale as a snack. The kale helps to keep the urine ph level healthy. But you'd still have to have ocassional urine checks done as too much can make the urine too acidic (this is how Sadie got her one recurring UTI since the surgery and diet change). I can't give her the kale now.

I would highly recommend switching to HIlls if your dog becomes chronic. If not chronic check out what vegetables will work when added to the diet to help keep the urine at a level ph value.

 

oh and I would wait and have the urine rechecked about a week or 2 after her antiobiotics end...give the antibiotics a chance to get out of her system first. As long as they are still working you wouldn't see any real change.

 

Thanks for the info Mary! She actually likes the Hill's c/d food--which is great because she's a picky eater. I would just like to have her on a senior food with glucosamine and chondroitin (sp?) for her neck and back problems and didn't see any reason to have her on the food if it wasn't needed. I guess I could mix it.[/u]

 

hi Coopersmom,
the only thing I know about calcium oxalate crystals is the food my vet uses on my diabetic cat for them is Urinary S/O Royal Canin it is proven to dissolve crystals, they used this on my diabetic cat when he had kidney stones. and the stones disappeared. I am sure they must have something like this for dogs as well, would have to ask your vet

Laurie Poey's mom

 

I have a cat who was prone to crystals as well and he eats Purina CNM UR Formula, which is a prescription diet similar to Hill's. But I really wish I had know then what I know now! A raw diet would have prevented the crystals and also been MUCH better for his health. Vets like to prescribe the special diets and it did indeed stop the infections in my cat. But everything I have read recently says those diets are meant to be short-term solutions.

Another person who used to post here had a LOT of trouble with a poodle with crystals. Nothing worked until she tried Nature's Variety raw food. While that is a pre-packaged raw food and therefore not as good as REAL raw food, it is better than any kind of kibble. I wish I could switch my cat to raw, but he is 14 years old and will not touch ANY other kind of food besides his prescription diet. I can't even get him to eat a better kibble, let alone raw food. But dogs are usually easier to switch.

If you want info about how to do a raw diet, please let me know or search this forum for my posts on how to feed raw.

 

I mix Sadie's evening meal of CD canned food with Chicken Soup for Senior dogs dry food. She hasn't had a reoccurance of UTI or stones in nearly 2 years so it's being okay with her. The senior food has stuff for those aging bodies