Another Uti Question Not Food Related

[Feisty49]

Annie has a UTI. The first one she's had in the 4 years I've had her. It was discovered when a first-morning urine specimen was brought to the vet to check for its specific gravity (regarding another potential problem which turned out to be nothing).

 

I was surprised. She had/has shown no symptoms. She was peeing her normal amounts. She was drinking her normal amounts. She wasn't licking her genitalia area any more than the usual quick clean-up she gives a couple of times a day. She showed no pain or reluctance to squat and pee. In other words, she was herself. Actually, with the cooler weather she's been frisky and better than she is when it's hot and humid.

 

My question: Is there something else I might have noticed? I feel terrible. Because of no symptoms, I have no idea how long she's had it. It could be 2 weeks or 2 months or longer. When I told the vet tech that there were no symptoms, she said Annie is a very stoic dog.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Feisty49

[KF_in_Georgia]

Going out to pee the normal number of trips doesn't mean her output was up to normal levels. And since girls squat, it's hard to see just how much output you're getting. (It helps when girls pee on dirt rather than grass, so you can see what you're getting, but you can't always dictate that.)

 

(My boy with the UTI wanted out. He peed a normal amount. But the give-away from him was that he kept trying to squeeze out a bit more and a bit more.)

 

Since she's hiding symptoms, maybe try to measure how much she's drinking every day so you have a way to watch for subtle changes.

[JJNg]

What were the changes on the urinalysis that your vet used to diagnose the UTI? Since it was a free catch sample, inflammatory changes can come from the skin and vulva and may not necessarily indicate a UTI. You'd need a urinalysis on a sterile sample obtained via cystocentesis and/or a urine culture to confirm an infection. That said, it doesn't hurt to do a course of antibiotics, but I wouldn't be too worried about it.

[Feisty49]

What were the changes on the urinalysis that your vet used to diagnose the UTI? Since it was a free catch sample, inflammatory changes can come from the skin and vulva and may not necessarily indicate a UTI. You'd need a urinalysis on a sterile sample obtained via cystocentesis and/or a urine culture to confirm an infection. That said, it doesn't hurt to do a course of antibiotics, but I wouldn't be too worried about it.

 

The test did find bacteria, which we know can be caused by the non-sterile catch, but Annie's white blood cell count was high. I didn't get the number. My vet is greyhound savvy (has Greyhounds herself) so I trust her. I agree about the antibiotic not being a problem. It's a big, horse-like pill, beef flavored, so Annie eats it like a treat. I just feel bad thinking she was feeling yucky and I had no idea.

 

That's the "problem" with Greys who are totally retired. Annie doesn't run in the fenced yard. She doesn't do zoomies. She doesn't like to play with other Greyhounds. Once a day, just before our morning walk, she'll spend 30 seconds playing with a stuffy. Her greatest joy is going for walks and meeting other people. She assumes, rightly so, that every human she sees was made for her. Her appetite didn't change. Her water consumption didn't change. Her output appeared to be the same (and I actually watch her when she's in the backyard because I .. well.. I love to watch her!). She continued to love all the attention I gave her. In essence, she was Annie.

 

I take another sample 3 days after she finishes the antibiotic.