# Chronic UTI's with Struvites



## Rufflife1220 (Jun 20, 2015)

Hello all,
I'm feeling a little desperate now because I know my bff is always uncomfortable! Bella, my 2.5 year old rescued Aussie/border collie mix, is my bff...she's is having chronic UTI's with struvites and we're on our fourth round of antibiotics and uroeze. I have given her nothing but Hill's Science Diet c/d for quite some time now, at the vet's recommendation, and it just isn't keeping infections at bay. She ate only the s/d for about 8 weeks and that cleared her up, but the s/d is not recommended for long term feeding. 
Can anyone recommend a better food for urinary care? I'm even open to good raw diet recipes that cater to good urinary health.
Thanks for your time, in advance!


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I had a dog with struvites a few years back; I refused my vets talk of script food. I fed kibble with canned & warm water added to it. Now, I'd skip the kibble and use canned, raw or dehydrated. My vet told me to give Vitamin C but don't do that unless your vet says ok. It is very important that your dog get plenty of liquids and ample opportunity to urinate. If you're gone to work all day, find someone to let the dog out while you're gone.

Are you giving any cranberry?


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

The SD has a lot of added salt. To make the pet thirsty, so they drink more. Which is hard on their kidneys. So the bottom line is that you need the dog to drink as much as possible. I'd not feed kibble, but canned or cooked, dehydrated (and as Inked Marie said above) and encourage her to drink as much as possible. Add unsalted broth, meat blood to her water, or anything else you can think of just to get more moisture into her.


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## Rufflife1220 (Jun 20, 2015)

Thank you, Marie!
Yes, I have been giving her cranberry twice/day and she is now taking Uroeze to reduce the PH in her urine. I'm also waiting for her antibiotics to arrive...again. 
I'll check with the vet about the vitamin C and I'm going to take your advice on the canned food. I just need to determine which one is best for her issues. 
I do not work so I am home with her most of the time and if I do go anywhere, she usually goes with.  I am in and out of the house a lot and she follows me every time so she gets plenty of opportunities to pee, but I can tell she is having discomfort so she only goes when she REALLY has to. I will work on pounding the fluids though.







Thanks again!


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## Rufflife1220 (Jun 20, 2015)

Hi! Thanks for your feedback!
That's another great idea...to add unsalted broth to her water, which I'm sure will encourage her to drink more. She really doesn't seem to drink much as it is now.







Bella bear


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Have you given much thought to a raw diet? Raw meat has a lot of natural moisture which is what you are seeking for a dog or cat with bladder crystals.


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

Rufflife1220 said:


> Hello all,
> I'm feeling a little desperate now because I know my bff is always uncomfortable! Bella, my 2.5 year old rescued Aussie/border collie mix, is my bff...she's is having chronic UTI's with struvites and we're on our fourth round of antibiotics and uroeze. I have given her nothing but Hill's Science Diet c/d for quite some time now, at the vet's recommendation, and it just isn't keeping infections at bay. She ate only the s/d for about 8 weeks and that cleared her up, but the s/d is not recommended for long term feeding.
> Can anyone recommend a better food for urinary care? I'm even open to good raw diet recipes that cater to good urinary health.
> Thanks for your time, in advance!


Sorry to hear about your Bella. I have a beloved Bella too! Just a few points. It is going to be difficult to find a food that is going to give you what the vet diets do. Someone mentioned the high sodium in Hills cd. That is actually true with the Royal Canin SO diet. it is extremely high in sodium to get your dog to drink and pee more, to hopefully flush out the crystals. Though there is eveidence that can be harmful for cats there is no study on dogs but still, any extreme excess should be considered carefully. You mentioned you have been on the Hills cd for awhile. Hills just reformulated Canine c/d! It has all the newset research in it. It dissolves struvite (new) and manages struvites but now has added glucosamine and chondroitin to help restore the lining of the bladder due to the UTIs and stones. And unlike s/d, it is totally safe for long term. As others said, the canned would produce a lot more urine output as well. As the crystals dissolve that produses the UTIs so you need to really be faithful with the antibiotics. I would add the Purina Fortiflora, a great probiotic to help the good bacteria in Bella's gut being destryed by the drugs. You already know the urine pH is important. Most OTC foods won't even know the pH. The minerals that make up those crystals need to be resricted obviously so simply feeding raw or grain free or any other particular feature really isn't addressing the issue. So if the sd worked than the new cd should. Good luck and God Bless Bella!


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Do you add water to her kibble? I add water to all my dogs' kibble - enough to almost make it float, as a matter of course. I find that they don't need to drink as much water as when I used to feed it dry. Since your dog has problems, you may want to let it soak in for several minutes before feeding, so it's more the texture of canned.


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## Rufflife1220 (Jun 20, 2015)

That's a great idea, Georgiapeach! I added water this morning and let it sit for a bit before I gave it to her and she seemed to love it like that. 
Thanks for the tip!!


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