Urinary Tract Infection and Crystals
 

My little 6 yr. old male Yorkie has been diagnosed with a secondary urinary tract infection and crystals were also found in his urine. My vet recommended an antibotic and a change of diet. I am currently feeding him Wellness for Seniors. I would really appreciate suggestions and opinions because I am really worried.

jad

It's important to know what kind of crystals the vet found in your dog's urine. This will determine the proper protocol. What kind of crystals did they find? Do you know your dog's urine pH? What food did the vet suggest?

Thanks so much for your reply. I will find out tomorrow the answers to your questions and let you know.
Jad

Okay great! Let me know...

UTI/crystals
 

I really do appreciate your help. I have been reading extensively on the Internet about UTI and at this point I am tired and confused.
I checked with the vet and Seeme has struvite crystals. He prescribed Baytril (22.7 mg) one half tablet once a day. He also told me to feed him Royal Canin veterinary diet Urinary SO (dry kibbles). It is at this point that I start having questions about both diet and PX.

I have been feeding Wellness for Seniors for about the last three or four months. There were several articles on the Internet that say feeding grain based products could contribute to the formation of these crystals. At this point should I be feeding a food with a low protein level and low carbs? Or should I feed soft diet until this is cleared up? I'm totally confused and need your advise badly.

I have two male Yorkies only three months diffenence in age and my other Yorkie threw up all the Royal Canin food last night.

I am vey tempted to cook a chicken breast, chop it up, add some broth and maybe carrots or raw broccoli and feed that to both boys. Is that a bad idea? Also wonder about apples (chopped), cottage cheese, and plain yogart.

P.S. I don't know whether Wellness is a grain based product or not.
jad

Hi, Welcome to YT.

For now i'd give him all the antibiotics to help clear up the UTI. They will help. Also for now i'd give him the SO. i like the royal canin better then Hills so i'd stick with it for a few weeks/months to get things under control. Then i'd look into other diets to help prevent stones/crystals. I believe other people here have had these problems with their yorkies and have found other diets that work which are higher in quality.

Also i wouldn't feed the SO to your other yorkie. Keep the other one on the same food he's been eating.

oh and as far as home cooking or raw feeding i found this suggestion:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Dog-Food-...ne-surgery.htm

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but if you feed kibble for stones (even a special diet), aren't you supposed to put equal parts water in it so they are forced to drinK?

Yes Crystal, you are completely correct...If you feed the RC SO, I would definitely add equal parts water to the food. So, if you feed 1/4 cup at each feeding, make sure you add 1/4 cup of water to it. They absolutely need the moisture. Homecooking has completely gotten rid of my yorkies stones thanks to the moisture and the "type" of food that he's getting. Apples are great for moisture. Also, watermelon would be a good to get some moisture in him. Does your yorkie have any other health issues that you know of? The Baytril is important to get rid of the infection, but you need to dilute the urine so that there's no chance to form stones.

Homecooking for UTI
 

I was so delighted to see your post about UTI and struviate crystals. You stated in your post that homecooking had completely solved this problem, so I am very curious as to your homecooking diet.

I have two male Yorkies, age 6, and I am now feeding them both Hill's Urinary SO until this problem is solved. I am a little worried about feeding my well one SO, but vet said it would be OK.

I have been told that when this problem is solved I should feed a no-grain product such as EVO. Would love your comment.

jad