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Old September 21st, 2009, 05:52 PM
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jasp615 jasp615 is offline
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I'm about to sit down and cry. I'm at my wits end

I have a fur baby named Versace. He is a Shih Tzu age 11 months. Since the end of July we have been battling a UTI. The only symptoms was him licking himself after peeing. I took him to the Vet and he was put on antibiotics for 14 days.

On day 9 I took a sample of his urine in to be tested and it showed no change so the Vet switched to a stronger antibiotic which was a mixture of 2. He was to be on this for 14 days. On day 12 I took a urine sample in again and once again it showed only minor changes. At this time they wanted to do an xray, ultra sound and a urine culture. I suggested that we do a urine culture and take it from there. I finished the antibiotic waited 4 days then took in a clean catch urine sample. They sent it out and I got the results about 10 days later. No growth 24 or 48 hours. OK so he doesn't have a UTI so the meds must of worked.

On Friday I noticed that he had what looked like a drop of puss on the end of his penis. I called the Vet and brought him in to be checked along with a urine sample. Here what I saw was normal but the urine showed no blood but some white blood cells and his PH was way up around 10. The Vet gave me a 14 day supply of pills to bring down his PH and said that he didn't believe it was stones but just a very stubborn infection. On Sat the other vet called and said he had another UTI infection and he wanted to try along with the PH lowering pills another try with the strong antibiotic this time for 30 days and a different antibiotic for 15 days to be taken all together.

Here is my take. My puppy won't drink. Nothing I try is working. I bought a Aquababies water bottle and thought this would be good and had this since he was brought home at 16 weeks. I got rid of that and bought stainless steel bowls to put water in (no deep but shallow bowls) he only gets spring water never tap. I have put milk, cranberry juice, bullion, Organic Chicken broth, Ice cubes, orange juice, a splash of lemon juice. Nothing is working. The water is both cold and changed often. I tried putting a treat in the bowl so that he would be encouraged to drink. Hell I even got down and pretended to drink from the bowl but nothing is working. I'm told if he doesn't drink it won't flush the bacteria out of his system. He has never peed in the house since he had this. I'm told that is how many know that their dogs have a UTI but he has never done it. He rings the bell to go out and I take him out. I don't believe it's a blockage because if he does drink he pees a steady strong stream.

I will cook him ground turkey or beef and mix it in with his food ( Dick Van Patten's Natural balance) Treats are fresh carrots or treats that don't have soy, wheat, BHA, corn, red #40,. The food is dry kibbles because he won't eat the can. I have soaked the kibbles with boiled water until they soak up the water then mix in the turkey or beef.

I'm crazy about my baby. He is our first dog in 25 yrs. (we would not have a dog until we had time to devote to him) and now I don't know what else to do.

Please help.
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Old September 21st, 2009, 06:00 PM
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Macomom Macomom is offline
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Just a thought, as wacky as it maybe...
My bulldog drinks from a water bottle that I hold. I get a lot of water on the floor, but this is his preference.
Will he drink from a mug or a glass?
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Old September 21st, 2009, 06:10 PM
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Have you tried warming the water? Obviously if he isn't drinking this is extremley serious and the vet should put him on fluids.
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Old September 21st, 2009, 06:17 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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I was thinking the same thing, bailey. Sub q's twice a day to flush out the pup's kidneys and bladder.

Try your pup on a raw diet, there is much more fluid in that than cooked meat. I am not too familiar with feeding a dog raw, but there are a few members that do. Bendyfoot is one and Merlin's Hope is the other. It is close to their natural diet and may bring the ph down to the proper level.

Also, I know with cats, a ph level below or above norm can cause stones. Perhaps getting an ultrasound or xray may be a good idea, just incase they end up passing and others then form and get stuck for a while.
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Old September 21st, 2009, 06:55 PM
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Marcha Marcha is offline
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Why is your pup getting spring water instead of tap water?
Could you catch rain water and see if he'll drink that?
Does your pup drink from puddles, lakes, etc?

Our dog will also lick water off my legs after I've showered, or lick water off the deck after I've hosed it down. Are there ways other than a bowl or bottle that your pup is interested in?

What happens if you add a tiny bit of sea salt, epsom (magnesium salt) or baking soda to the pup's water? Does pup drink the water then?

I also agree with what the previous posters suggested regarding getting water out of raw food. Our pup is on a raw diet and has decreased her water intake with the increase of water in the raw meat.

Have you tried soaking the pup's food in water before mixing it with the other stuff?
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Old September 21st, 2009, 07:10 PM
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jasp615 jasp615 is offline
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Hi and thank you all,

I do soak his dry food in either chicken broth or water prior to mixing in the other food. He has never been a big eater or drinker since the time we brought him. Some days I have to put his dry kibbles in a toy in order for him to eat.

I don't give him tap water because we have a high floride in our water and we ourselves don't drink it.

Yes he will drink water outside if he finds it sometimes but I'm pretty careful to make sure there is nothing laying around so he doesn't get sick from drinking it.

I won't say he isn't drinking anything it's just he's not drinking enough. Nothing stays the same day to day. If one day he eats everything the next he eats very little.

He is 11 months old yesterday. He weighs 13 lbs. He is playful, not lethartic. He has about 3 bowel moments a day. He pees about 4-5x's a day. Why won't he drink more?
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Old September 21st, 2009, 07:26 PM
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So sorry to hear your pup is ailing. I just had my dog on antibiotics and I learned here on pets.ca that if you give probiotics with their meal it will help the tummy trouble. Also maybe try some pumkin in his kibbles. This is the pure pumkin puree not the one with spices for pies, it has a lot of moisture in it so maybe would help. Hope if gets better soon.
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Old September 21st, 2009, 09:14 PM
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Gail P Gail P is offline
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If you're already cooking him ground turkey or beef, how about switching to roasted turkey, chicken or beef and making gravy to go with it? Chances are he'll love the gravy and at each meal you could water down the gravy a little bit more. If the change is gradual he should get used to the consistency becoming more watery but it will still have that yummy gravy flavour. Another thought, rather than soaking his food in the chicken broth as you mentioned, what about just adding the broth and feeding right away. He may not like the consistency of the food if it's been soaked too long and becomes mushy.
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