Lacey update on undiagnosed UTI02202011 with ACV Day2

Lacey is continuing to recover from her undiagnosed UTI with ACV.There’s probably about a day left of ACV to give her then she should be good to go again!She’s starting to accept other food(Acana Wild Prairie she ate about a 1/4cup which is good) and actually had a piece of Halo in the dining area she went over to it sniffed it,picked it up,gave maybe a half lick,took it in her mouth and spit it out!Guess she must not be used to it anymore.We’ll keep it as a backup though.Could be she started refusing Acana because it is not mixed with can food…
Edit:On the third day,Feburary 23 2011,Lacey was given 1/2 tsp of ACV which she regurgitated and we’re thinking that happened since she didn’t have any people food in her tummy like the other days.Her vulva is in the clear so we’re good there.No need for the vet.Again,she’s refusing to eat what we prepare so we’ll just battle it against her.You eat what we make or you don’t eat.Sooner or later she’ll get it.Once she gets on a more predictable feeding schedule again we can give her people food in the day but not til she gets her body back on track..

So..Lacey gives us a difficult time with Acana dry food

so….out of desperation & a result of eating Earthborn Holistic Adult Vantage(which is for Brownie but she wants what Brownie gets but if I had known ahead of time she wanted the same we’d have gotten something a little “safer”for Lacey’s health) for even a couple days apparently has given our girl a UTI..a mild one…as we caught right on “cue”..We’ve not taken her to the vet but we do know what to look for(refusing to eat dry/can/people food,straining to urinate,odor in urine..)and she’s had some of those..refusing to eat dry food(Acana in particular not sure if she’s only liking a certain protein though she seems to be hinting for lamb–Acana Grasslands..but she wouldn’t touch any of the Acana Wild Prairie or Acana Pacifica..She’s been refusing almost every food we have of previous trial foods & dry food we currently have in the house)..Yea,she’s had an odor in her urine on the 20th and the 21st there was no odor to the urine..We caught the UTI(mild) when I was observing her and saw her lick the side of her skin towards the back right back end leg then I saw her focus on the vulva which is when I decided to see what’s going on with her..Sure enough..less than 72 hours later there was a slightly red vulva not swollen about 3pm(HST)by 6pm(HST)it was gone so it comes & goes..We’ve since took up the Earthborn Adult Vantage(4 grains as Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit) & have been giving her ACV 1/2 tsp once a day with water via syringe..We considered Doxcycycline which my brother had but didn’t want to do antibiotics because she’d probably get another yeast infection so we’d be spending at least $200 on meds/vet visits & rechecks.We gave her some ACV which she really didn’t like but who can blame her..It’s a very YUCKY TASTE!It gives her a froggy like bark when she barks..Kind of like a croaking frog..
Among all that with refusing her food(see above) & dealing with a mild UTI(see above about ACV) we,out of desperation basically,stopped by Whole Foods & picked up a bag of Halo’s..The first night ( February 20th)she ate one piece..The smell was a little different from what I remember but according to the ingredients it’s the same as back in 2009 so I am not sure why PetCo’s site has it different..Anyways,back to the 21st..when she was feeling better after the ACV she started pawing for people food & accepting people food a lot more..Prior to that she would refuse even her favorite meats..chicken,turkey… & started accepting Halo’s…so I guess we’ll keep with Halo’s for a while til something else comes up like she refuses(if that ever happens…)eating Halo’s dog food we’ll look into others..& prior to that wanted to play.I imagine once she’s about 7-9 I probably want to switch her to Nature’s Variety Dry/Can/Raw just for the sake of her health as she gets older.Between birth-7 years old I let it go a little more but in the senior years I get a little more strict even on high quality food. But yea she’s feeling better and we’re thankful for that!

04012010:Suspician of UTI

This morning when my mom was taking her meds in the morning Lacey went over to my mom to paw at her while she was taking her medicine.To me,it was signaling to us that she was trying to tell us that “I need meds.Where is my medicine?”was the impression that I got.Still when we checked her vulva this morning it was clear and not red at all.We still called and made a appt.At 11am we went to see Dr Lee Loy because Dr Kaya had the day off & Dr Shoji was in surgery.Along with going to see Dr Lee Loy I typed up her health history from last November-March 30 2010 on dry food & symtpoms.I let them keep the copy since I always write that type of things down.Weight was good.7.10 from 7.11 in March.
Dr Lee Loy said a lot of the symptoms are linking towards a UTI but because Lace did not have anough urine she could not take a sample.Lace was prescribed Clavamox.I did give her some treats earlier this morning & she did have can food for breakfast so I didn’t expect her to eat much for dinner.

She stayed very still for Dr Lee Loy while she did the usual checkings.
This morning she didn’t have a lot of energy & was laying around a lot more.staying on my dad’s lap longer…
When it was dinner time I gave her dry food since Clavamox could cause soft bowels I didn’t want to give her can food.I gave her 1/4 cup of TOTW Bison Formula,Halo’s & Earthborn.She ate about an 1/8 cup after we chopped up some chicken into her dry food.When we showed her the bottle she gave a little wag & accepted the Clavamox(powder form)with very little struggle.Minutes later her energy level is up.Wants to play.Doesn’t lay down as much.Lapping up water,smiling more…

Primal is now out….

If you look further back in our posts for December you will find that Lacey had a UTI & one of the home remedies I tried was giving her Apple Cider Vinegar in her water.Back then she wouldn’t take it.Today my dad & I were talking about it and he mentioned it could be something in it that she does not like so I checked out the ingredients and right in front of my eyes I saw the “culprit” Apple Cider Vinegar!And now it is clear why she is refusing Primal.She was happy to receive her Halo’s today and she does accept the dehydrated raw that is inside her Halo’s. So,we are giving the rest of the Primal to our neighbor’s dog who will happily gulp up any type of raw food in front of him or her.Now,we are trying dehydrated raw food from the honest kitchen.We tried it on their website to get samples costing about $1 each(Verve,Force & Preference) to see how Lacey will do.I was thinking if she does well on it we could supplement it in w/her dry food(Halo’s,Solid Gold & Earthborn).While many say to rehydrate it Lacey does well without any rehydration.Many say don’t feed raw with kibble but Lacey shows no signs of difficulty with her bowels on it mixed together.So,it’s either she’ll accept it or will be on dry food/can food for life with supplemental vitamins in her senior years under Dr Kaya’s guidance & possibly switching brands of dry food(not Halo’s though.Halo’s is a keeper for the life of Lacey & any future dogs I may own considering I am looking at future toy poodles)However,in the future of owning toy poodles,I plan on introducing the dogs to Halo’s Spot’s Stew & also various forms of raw(frozen,freeze dried,dehydrated)at a very young age.Pretty much as soon as I get the dog which will be many many far years from now

Some UTI Information I learned

Here are a few great articles to read on UTI.

http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/urinary-tract-infection.aspx

http://www.uti-in-dogs.com/prevent-uti-in-dogs.php

Lacey UTI update

The good news is that 99% of Lacey’s UTI is gone!There is only maybe 1% less to treat.We don’t have to finish up her medicine for the UTI but Dr Kaya says it’ll be good to finish it up.Yup,just as I thought giving her canned food for the majority of the UTI till I noticed she wasn’t in pain I continued giving her mostly canned food which is when I suspected at least 95% of the UTI was done.Took her in today and Dr Kaya swabbed her vulva,looked under the microscope and announced most of it was gone!I think if i continue canned food for the most part the rest of the UTI should be done by the time we see him next month.Other good news is that Lacey’s heart murmur grade 2 is still good and we don’t have to see a specialist unless over the years it gets worse then we’ll have to consult a specialist.The bad news is Lacey had to get a Bordatella shot through her nose but sadly she vomited twice afterwards.Actually that was one of my fears for her.One thing I told my parents try not to vaccinate her a whole lot as small dogs can only handle so much.The other bad news is that Lacey now has ANOTHER yeast infection in her vulva(her second in less than a year)due to the medication she was given for her UTI.So she’s on another medicine called Ketoconazole 200mg 1/8t once a day for the next month.After that we’ll look into getting her spayed.
The last thing is VCA University Hospital does have boarding and the reason that’s a good thing for us is well we know the doctors/nurses/staff.We’ve built a trust with them to care for Lacey and in case there’s any emergencies the staff will call up the vet right away plus they have her records of her health right there.

Decisions on Lacey’s dog food

We have an appt with Dr kaya to follow up her UTI.Originally when she had her UTI I gave her wet food(tilll she was full) even though this did not come from the vet but through my own research and conversing with other dog owners.When I was sure that her pain and UTI was 95% gone I gave her mostly dry food(Halo’s Spot’s Stew).After I made the appt to see Dr Kaya I am giving her mostly canned food once again just as a quick prevention although her dry food Halo’s(2?pieces) mixed with Earthborn Grain Free(23 pieces) & Bits of Solid Gold(17 pieces) until we can find another dog food.I am thinking of trying her on the Wellness Super5Mix again to see if her tummy can handle it.Like with IAMS when we first brought her home she couldn’t handle it but after a few months she was able to eat it with no problems.Likewise,with Wellness about a month and a half ago was the same thing:Soft bowels.Now,I am wondering if she’ll do better.If she can do better it would be great to have Wellness in our rotation as well.Also probably looking for a grain free dry food too.Already decided long before hand to stick with Halo’s.Now we need another good brand,a grain free and still looking into raw brands as well.Of course,we have canned too.

Lacey’s UTI Follow up with Dr Kaya

Today(Wednesday)I called VCA to schedule a follow up for Lacey regarding her UTI.Her appointment is set for January 28 at 930am(HST).We also plan to get her Distemper & Bordatella.Will be watching for reactions/side effects but hopefully she won’t have any to these immunizations…

Lacey’s update on taking Berry Balance

As many know when we first started Lacey on Berry Balance she was on Solid Gold Just a Wee Bit,which may have played a factor in her UTI along with being part toy poodle..She also took 1/8 t with every meal using canned food but her bowels were still very soft..I emailed another pup’s owner who dealt with UTI with their dog who suggested I keep Lacey on Berry Balance for another week and could be adjusting to it.Otherwise to discontinue using it..Along with that,I’ve been watching her bowels very closely by noticing when she goes to make her poop and look at the texture,size,color,softness then I give her some Wagging’ Train treats(it’s very easy to break apart)in small portions after she makes her poop.Then I give her some food with Berry Balance.Along with that I also give her another piece of waggin’ train with her meal.It seems to be helping because I’ve been doing it this way for the past day to day and a half and her bowels are getting better.I don’t have a set schedule as for the time she gets Berry Balance but typically after she goes and does her bowels I give her a Waggin’ Train followed by food with Berry Balance and another slice of Waggin’ Train wit her meal.I tried to give it to her with dry food but she won’t touch it.
A interesting thought about Lacey:She’ll take water from a doggie bowl but when you put her food in a bowl she won’t touch it.She’ll only take it on a plate.even fish,she won’t eat it in her dry or canned food if it’s listed first but if there’s fish listed further along ie salmon,whitefish,salmon oil etc(not exactly in that order but if some type of fish is listed after something like Beef Tripe,Beef Broth,Turkey,Salmon,Salmon oil…is ok)she’ll eat it.BUT she will eat cooked Salmon,Ahi(especially Ahi we found to be her favorite over Salmon).

Lacey takes Berry Balance with Merricks but takes out Nutro Natural Choice Dessert Carrot Cake

I could not believe my eyes!When Lacey was taking her SG Berry Balance that I mixed in with her 1/8 c of Merricks + Nutro Natural Choice Dessert Carrot Cake for the first time Lacey actually went around the Nutro Carrot Cake by taking it off the plate and onto the carpet.Then,she’ll eat the Merricks that had her Berry Balance.As she went around her plate she took off the rest of the Carrot Cake and took a few bites and left the rest..Well,last time we’ll buy Nutro Natural Choice or anything from Nutro.She’s certainly spoiled with the higher end manufactures.She seems to love those best!

Update on Lacey and her Berry Balance:She’s doing good with taking it..That’s not a problem.In fact,she’ll just eat her food like it’s not even there but…yesterday when I took her out for a walk I noticed that her poop was much softer than I expected.When I cleaned it up it was so soft I could very easily slip into a paper towel.It was formed but slimy looking..I asked on Dogster for some answers but no one seems to respond.Anyways,I am going to try give it to her once today and see if maybe 1/4 t was too much for her.I am going to skip the second dosage unless I get a response on Dogster from other dog owners who dealt with UTI.If I don’t and her bowels are better with only 1/8 t and not 2 1/8 t=1/4 t I will stick to only 1/8 t once a day for a month then 1/8 t every other day once(M,W,F).