non antibiotic options for a UTI?

The only two vets anywhere near me are both outrageously expensive (its like $100 to walk in the door), and right now with rent coming up I just cant swing quite that much, especially for something so simple and basic. i could TELL them over the phone its a freaking uti. what are some non-vet things i can do for an elderly dog with a UTI?

If you know it's a UTI I would be careful to not treat it with antibiotics right away. The infection can travel up the ureters and cause much worse complications.

The only thing that MIGHT help is making the urine more acidic... But honestly if I were in your position I would pull out my CC and just get the antibiotics. You can download the Walmart generic list to bring with you and see if they will write you a script for one of the meds on there. That might save you some expense.

the antibiotics arent the problem, im sure those wouldnt be terribly expensive at all. its the office visit + filing fee for new clients is like $140, and for a $10 bottle of antibiotics? thats not somethign i can do right now

I agree if its a full blown uti antibiotics are important.

THat being said, D-Mannose has really helped when Ivy is first flirting with one. She has only had one full blown uti that we treated with antibiotics. Since then if she starts seeming at all like anything is off I give her d-mannose and she has not gotten one since. She has an inverted vulva so is definitely prone to them.

D-mannose is the component in cranberry that makes cranberry a supplement for urinary tract issues....just singled out makes it stronger. I acutally have D-mannose with cranberry extract.

Is there any other vet you could find that's not so expensive? How about calling a local shelter and asking them for an idea? If it's a UTI and it's not stopped quickly, it can certainly move in a heartbeat to the kidneys and then you have a serious problem that can become life threatening if not treated. Antibiotics are the only thing to really cure this quickly. Some other things like cranberry are great preventatives but as far as knocking out a full blown bacterial infection, I wouldn't mess around no matter what. Is there anyone in your family who could loan you some money? I wish you well and hope your dog gets over this.

Whether you go to the vet or not, I would be pushing fluids like crazy. That's what I've been doing with my chihuahua (unsuccessfully) and has also helped a lot with my cats.

The problem with a UTI is that once you have one it's not really just going to go away. Using extracts to create more acidic urine and hydrating will help alleviate some of the discomfort but chances of that ending a UTI are very slim. They're get as maintanence measures but not to actually get rid of one, especially if the dog is elderly as they prob have a decreased immune system to begin with.

I would really caution away from home treatment. If you call the vet an explain what's going on and that you can't afford an exam they may be willing to work with you or point you in the right direction for someone who can. It's at least worth a phone call or two.

Seconding D-mannose until you can get her in to a vet, which SHOULD happen ASAP. I've seen D-mannose actually cure UTIs in people (confirmed with urine cultures, it was recommended by a urologist for a client who had an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria) but make sure she gets in to a vet to be sure.

D-mannose does not work by making the urine more acidic. It is a sugar that cannot be absorbed by human cells (or dog apparently). It was originally concentrated for the use of diabetics so they could get the benefits of cranberry too.

You ingest it. It's absorbed into the bloodstream though the upper part of the digestive tract. There it circulates through your blood, not being used by your cells, until it ends up in your kidneys.

Once it hits your kidneys the D-mannose sugar molecules bind to individual bacteria and virus pathogens and carries them out of the body when you urinate.

So it does take a full on regimen of taking it a couple of times daily for a week or two at least to clean out a UTI using the stuff. It's good because the bacteria or whatever doesn't build up a resistance to it, and it doesn't disrupt your gut flora.

It's more expensive than antibiotics though. One bottle of loose powder is around $45. It takes 3 bottles to treat an adult human for one month.

You might also call the shelter or local rescues to see if they know of any low income clinics or low income days where your dog could be seen. A vet could lose their license by dispensing prescription medication without actually seeing their patient, but if you are able to get her in for something like a $45 office visit the meds would probably be $6 from a Walmart pharmacy, and overall a lot cheaper than going with D-mannose anyway.

Well, Antibiotics are the main form of therapy for pets with urinary tract infections. The course of therapy for pets with first time infections is typically 10-14 days. In pets with recurrent or prolonged urinary tract infections, therapy with antibiotics may last for three to four weeks or even longer. In these cases it is especially important to identify the specific bacteria causing the infection, as well as which antibiotics will kill the bacteria. This is critical in helping veterinarians determine the appropriate therapy. Other adjunctive therapies, including the use of cranberry supplements, such as Cranberry Relief, and herbal extracts may be helpful in alleviating symptoms, however these therapies do not replace appropriate courses of antibiotics.

So I was always under the impression one of the main benefits of cranberry was to make the urine more acidic to hopefully make it a less inhabitable environment for bacteria. But, last night I spent some time and read some case studies on D-Mannose. It appears to only really work with E-Coli as it mimics what the E-Coli anchors to in the body.

There has been one study showing it's effectiveness as a preventative (which makes sense as most people who add cranberry juice to their diet do so as a preventative). I haven't found any studies going any further than that yet (although I have found several warnings against it). If there is a study on treating UTIs it would prob have to do with the effectiveness in animals as I don't think they'd really want the liability of risking complications in humans. I will keep looking.

I give my girls a cranberry tablet every day to keep uti's under control.

Cranberry helps keep the mucus membrane healthy and very smooth inside the bladder. When it's not healthy and smooth/slick, bacteria can get a grip on it. When it's slick and smooth, bacteria have a hard time sticking and pass right through. They need to be able to stick to colonize and multiply.

It won't likely cure an infection once it's there. It's something that works over time to create that unwelcoming environment for bacteria.

can you collect a urine sample yourself and have a test run on it? I don't know if that would be any cheaper for you, but when I called my vet and wanted a fecal done once he was willing to just let me come in with a sample and pay for the test without having an office visit. It was still $29, but that's better than the office visit + the test.

Urinary infections in your canine; Alternative methods

Natural options for urinary infections in Canines; If your pet has a strong odor please try to increase their water intake if possible. Also, an great supplement to give your pet is Cranberry Concentrate pills; There are many companies that make a powder or pill form a cranberry. We buy ours from the GNC Nutrition stores in 500 mg dosages. This is made for humans but pet can take it too. Another thing we give is the NuVet Plus Wafer Supplement daily - it's a liver flavor all natural supplement made in the USA. HOPE this helps... We have had great luck using the Cranberry and also the NuVet Plus Supplements . NuVet is not sold in stores ; SEE here http://www.nuvet.com/81098

Has anyone tried Crananidin? I recently ordered some for Angel who has had some issues with UTI's in the past as a preventative. It is made by the same maker of her dasuquin supplement.

I am also planning on adding canned/wet dog food to their meals for increased water intake.

Oof! Yeah UTIs are never fun. I usually just give my dog antibiotics. I know they're usually pretty expensive but I've managed to get really good prices on mine at www.petplus.com