High Urinary Ph--Any Tips?

[Guest abbysmom]

My Emmy had a UTI and struvite crystals with a high urinary ph. After two rounds of different antibiotics her UTI seems to be cleared up, but her pd went even higher. My vet said it was "sky high." (If my memory served me correctly, it went from 7 to 8.). My vet (who is a friend) put her on Hills CD, and we will recheck urine in a month. Does anyone else have experience with these issues? My other girl is doing fine on our regular kibble (Canidae ALS). I'm not thrilled with the RX diet, but she at least appears to like it. (The vet has one of her dogs on it, so she clearly believes in its efficacy.). She said cranberry isn't effective in dogs. Is that so? Any other tips or advice? (Emmy seems non-symptomatic since the first round of --apparently ineffective--antibiotics). (Antibiotics were TMS followed by Simplicef.). Thank you in advance for any wisdom you can share.

[MaryJane]

As to the cranberry not being effective in dogs - supposedly, only helps against E.coli. Lucy has been on supplements on and off for about 3 years now and it seems whenever I take her off, she gets an infection.... I'm currently using a cranberry supplement formulated specifically for dogs. Before I was using one for people. Note, the cranberry supplement for dogs is pricy - runs 50+ a month (Crananidin Pet Supplement)

 

 

Did you get a culture and sensitivity on the bacteria? Sometimes the antibiotic used is not the best for that bacteria and the culture and sensitivity can help determine what antibiotic is best to use.

 

Did the urine PH get tested right away? I vaguely remember that crystals and PH can be affected by refrigerator storage but, I can't say with much accuracy - hopefully someone else can answer this.

[Guest abbysmom]

Forgot to add: we did a "short panel" of blood work to check kidney function. Blood work was normal.

[sobesmom]

I actually just posted the same topic in OT for my friend's basset. I did a little googling, and the recommendations I've seen so far: increase water intake - add water to food or feed moist food. Decrease magnesium in food. Feed low carb, grain-free, potato free. Increase exercise. Reduce stress. Herbal supplements with Uva Ursi. Probiotics, Vitamin C.

 

I have NO idea if any of these are proven, it's just what I've read so far. My friend's basset's pH was 14. I'm going to suggest that my friend at least switch to a grain-free decent food. I think they're using some low-grade stuff now.

[Guest abbysmom]

Thanks MaryJane and Sobesmom. I remember reading about the low carb food and the vitamin C. I've also put a bowl of water upstairs in the bathroom (other bowls are downstairs). Emmy loves drinking out of that bowl! I'll look into the vitamin C as well. My vet did say that the lower carb diet could be helpful, so maybe the grain-free will help your Bassett friend. 14--holy cow!

[JJNg]

UTIs can sometimes cause a high pH, but in the absence of a UTI, a high urine pH itself isn't necessarily a problem that needs to be treated. If her signs have cleared up, and especially if you do a culture and confirm there is no infection, I wouldn't worry about pH. Lower protein diets can cause a higher pH. Urine pH also tends to run higher in the period after a dog has eaten. If she's asymptomatic, it may not be a problem.

 

Also remember that grain-free, and even potato-free, dog foods aren't always low carb. Grain-free kibble still requires carbs for processing; they just use different sources (such as peas, lentils, tapioca, sweet potato, etc) and may be even higher in carbs than standard dog foods.

[Guest abbysmom]

Thank you, JJNg!