Antibiotic Use = Uti/yeast?

[Guest Alysmom]

Hi Again --

 

Yet another question from me.... Winnie finished up her antibiotics today. It sure looks to me like she might have a UTI. She squats forever and seems to think she is still going.... I am just wondering if she could have gotten it from the antibiotics for the past week.

 

I am going to pick up some yogurt tomorrow with active cultures. Should I get a urine sample to the vet, or am I just over-hyper, protective?????

 

Thanks!

Julie

[greymomnc]

The late Miss Magic was on a heavy course of antibiotics when she had kidney disease. She developed a raging UTI. She kept wanting to go outside because she thought she had to go. Nothing was there. She did that all night long one night---about every 20 minutes. I think yogurt is best used when starting the antibiotic. I don't know how much benefit would be had by starting after symptoms develop. I would get a sample to the vet, however, they may want to get a clean sample by going into the bladder---I forget the name of the procedure. Sure sounds like she might have a UTI. Good luck and keep us posted.

[KF_in_Georgia]

A UTI is unlikely since antibiotics clear up infections rather than causing them. (But see my last note below.)

 

Make sure Winnie's getting enough to drink. If the extended peeing continues, talk to your vet. It's possible there could be crystals in the urine or some similar problem. But there's no point in trying to culture bacteria from the urine sample since the antibiotics she took should have cleared up any bacteria.

 

The yogurt will be helpful for restoring good intestinal bacteria. But normal yogurt isn't as helpful as probiotics; it's my understanding that there just isn't enough of the good bacteria in yogurt.

 

Some girls have peeing issues. The antibiotic should have eliminated any UTI-type causes of trouble, but there are others.

 

A couple of notes: Check with your vet about giving yogurt when you're also giving antibiotics: dairy products can interfere with the effectiveness of an antibiotic, and consumption of the two usually needs to be separated by several hours.

 

 

ETA: I've been researching online. Antibiotics can cause a yeast infection by destroying the good bacteria as well as the bad. But whether that has happened is determined by several conditions--including which antibiotic and how long it was being taken. Give your girl access to plenty of water. Give probiotics to restore the good bacteria. And see the vet if the problem continues.

Edited October 15, 2012 by KF_in_Georgia

[Feisty49]

Antibiotics can cause UTIs in people because they don't discriminate which bacteria they kill. Human bodies have good and bad germs. Kill off the good ones and sometimes problems arise. Dogs do too. Makes sense her issue is caused by the antibiotics.

[Batmom]

Antibiotics can't cause a UTI. The bladder shouldn't have any bacteria in it -- there are no good bacteria in that context.

 

Yogurt won't do anything for a UTI. Again, no bacteria belong in the bladder.

 

She could have a vaginal yeast infection, or she could have a UTI that wasn't sensitive to the antibiotic she was on. I'd get a urine sample to the vet, or take her in and get a sterile draw and culture of the urine.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Batmom

[OwnedBySummer]

Summer was squatting and squatting, too. And an excessive number of times. I fed her a teaspoon of colloidal silver every hour for a day and it's gone.

[Guest Rissy3403]

UTIs are caused by bacteria getting into and creating an infection in the urinary tract. It is treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics shouldn't cause a UTI.

 

Antibiotics can, however, cause a yeast infection because the good bacteria is what keeps the naturally occurring yeast at normal levels. When the antibiotics kill the bad and good bacteria, sometimes it leads to an overgrowth of yeast. Probiotics, or yogurt with active cultures are recommended for yeast infections (or when taking antibiotics) because it helps replace the good bacteria. Probiotics alone won't have too much of an effect on clearing up a UTI.

 

Couldn't hurt to check with your vet, though, right?

[JJNg]

Antibiotics can't cause a UTI. The bladder shouldn't have any bacteria in it -- there are no good bacteria in that context.

 

Yogurt won't do anything for a UTI. Again, no bacteria belong in the bladder.

 

She could have a vaginal yeast infection, or she could have a UTI that wasn't sensitive to the antibiotic she was on. I'd get a urine sample to the vet, or take her in and get a sterile draw and culture of the urine.

 

Ditto. The healthy bladder is a sterile environment - no yeast or bacteria. The bladder is not like the GI tract or skin where there is a balance of good and bad bacteria which can be affected by antibiotics. And in the case of vaginal yeast infections or yeast ear infections in dogs, antibiotics cause the naturally occurring yeast to overgrow. No naturally occurring yeast in the bladder. Yeast bladder infections are extremely rare in dogs and cats - the only one I've ever seen was in a cat with chronically unregulated diabetes.