UT infection in dogs

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hhpminis

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Otis Orchards, Washington (just east of Spokane)
First off, I will call the vet this morning.

I have a 7 month old Schnauzer. I suspect she has a UTI, she has been licking herself a lot lately and this morning I saw a spot of blood where she had been sitting. Other than this she seems fine, playful, eating well, happy, etc.

I know the vet will most likely put her on antibiotics, and I am not arguing the fact that she most likely needs them. I have had several Schnauzers and this can be a chronic problem with them, especially young ones or older ones. Also stones, which I will have them ultrasound to make sure she does not have one.

Anyone have suggestions of at home remedies that I could give to help her? Or maybe a daily regimen to keep her UT healthy? I have heard that Apple Cider Vinegar is good and also sea salt but have no idea on how much.
 
A 7 month old female...? Is she spayed? It sounds like she could be cycling. Be sure to keep her close to avoid an accidental breeding, just in case. Symptoms for UTI infections in dogs can include:

Frequent urination

Straining, pain or difficulty urinating

Blood in the urine

Foul smelling urine

Urination in inappropriate places

Tender lower abdomen (in the area of the bladder)

Fever

Lethargy

I give our dogs Apple Cider Vinegar in their water most days. The best kind has the "mother" left in it. It's very potent stuff, so just a half a teaspoon or so will do in a smaller dish. When I started this I would taste the water to be sure it was not too strong. (If you can stand it, this stuff is good for you, too! I also give it to our birds and small animals and horses can have it, too.) It's important to monitor her intake as some critters are turned off by the mixture at first, so you may have to start with just a dash and increase over time. Natural Non-Fat Plain Yogurt, Cottage Cheese and canned Pumpkin also make excellent healthful snacks.
 
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She could still be cycling if she started last month. When did you first notice she was swelling, or bleeding? Is she swollen now?
 
Lets see, she was born in May and I got her in October and we got home from Worlds and delivered horses to Portland soon after. So she began what I thought was her cycle then. It was a little shorter than a normal cycle which I attributed to her being young, about a week in, a few days of clear discharge and then out for a few days, Total about 2 weeks instead of 3. So that was actually 2 months ago.

I plan on having her nuetered soon as I dont want to breed. I wonder if her hormones are a bit messed up and she is having another little cycle. She is not acting sick at all. Loves her tummy rubbed and scratched and has no tenderness anywhere. No accidents, no leaking of urine. Hmmm.

Actually just checked her and I'll be darned if she is not a little swollen. Anyone have a young dog with messed up cycles?
 
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I've had more than one dog with messed up cycles. Sounds to me like she had a false heat, or is experiencing irregular cycles likely due to her age, and now she is truly "on." A vet check would still be a good idea, as there could definitely be other things going on in there.
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Well, I guess that is better than a UTI. I still will take her in and have her checked.

I was quite shocked when she came into heat so early as all of my female dogs have not come in until the second season when they were almost a year old.

She also has very odd tits. They are irregularly placed and back by her flank they are doubled up. Poor little oddball girl. Never intended to breed her, just wanted a nice littel lap dog to travel with.

Some vets like them to cycle once before spaying so I guess this will just let me do it sooner.

Thank you Nikki for your input, I was hoping you would respond.

One more thought.

We dog sat last weekend for a friend. A young, about a year and a half old weiner dog, he is male. Although they were never left unsupervised and I did not see any behavior to lead me to believe she was nearing a cycle, could he have gotten her hormones going and induced this?
 
You're welcome.
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Stress can actually cause a "false" or "split" heat, so that may be what happened after Worlds. I've had little pups cycle for the first time as early as 6 months, though 7-8 months is actually normal for many, then every 6 months or so. Larger breeds tend to first cycle closer to one year and farther apart. I wouldn't worry about her little teats. lol

As far as spaying goes, I've spayed pups as early as 8 weeks on up. Humane societies frequently spay young ones so they can be adopted out ASAP. The AVMA and most vets agree with this practice, especially considering the faster recovery time and eliminating the risk of accidental breeding. No matter, I'm sure your girl will be fine.

Have you got any pictures of her? Schnauzers are awesome.

About that weiner dog... I believe he could be a factor. Bitches in estrus housed with other bitches can stimulate the others into estrus, so my thinking is why wouldn't the presense of a dog have an effect? Interesting.
 
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That would make sense as the poor little thing thought home was a truck, horse trailer and a tack stall for the first month I had her. LOL I am sure that was stressful on her.

Also, we have mostly had large dogs so yes the year old before a heat would be more normal for me.

I will call my vet and discuss this with her and see if she wants to see her. She will probably laugh at me. I feel a little silly that I did not think of this.

My other female schnauzer had bladder crystals when she was young and chronic UTI until she was about 2 yrs old. I guess I just figured I was in for the same thing with Boo.

I wish you lived closer, I need to find a groomer for her. I am doing it myself but I need someone every few times to clean it up good for me and reinforce the lines. I also am not good at scissoring. I can clip but leave the furnishings alone and let a groomer clean them up every 3 or 4 months. I also hate to clip toenails.
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Aw, well, I'll be at some of the shows... ;) I love doing Schnauzer clips. I'm sure you could figure it all out if I showed you because the clip is pretty simple when based on points. For example, to get her eyebrows straight, put the tips of your shear near the outside corner of one eye and angle the shear to the opposite outside corner of her nose. When making your cut, don't just snip away, know where you are going with it and be confident about it. Blending shears will help with any mistakes. They are like a groomer's eraser.
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If you'd like I could run off the Schnauzer pages from my Notes from the Grooming Table book and send them to you for now...

re: Toenails: You might try a grinder. After some getting used to some dogs prefer them over nail clippers and they almost eliminate the possibility of quicking.
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My Shepherd had a UTI a few months ago. She was in so much pain when she peed. She also licked the underside of the base of her tail raw. Once the vet determined what she had we got her on a 10 day course of very powerful antibiotics (within one day she felt MUCH better). I do think natural remedys are great and valid but mainly like them for prevention or to go along with conventional medications. Don't mess with UTI's in dogs; they're very serious. Good luck!
 

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