Iodine
★★★★★
Multiple Remedies
★☆☆☆☆
ACV did not work. He was on it for five days.
Sea salt did not work. He was on it for four days. Excessive drinking and peeing were the only result.
He has pure cranberry powder mixed into his food. Not helping.
He has yogurt every night (and has for years). The acidophilus has not prevented or help the current problem.
Going to try Vitamin C and then iodine (per suggestions read) before I take him in for his umpteenth vi$it to the vet for this problem. Any other suggestions??
FYI - he is 14.5 yrs old and I express his urine three times a day. He also suffers from alopecia. (he's a 'blue' dachshund. Lots of thyroid problems. Hmmm, maybe the iodine is the route to try first?)
(Mpls., Mn)
12/18/2014
Hey Noelle!
I suggest you take your boy in again and spend the money at the vet. Find out why he is having chronic UTI's; are there stones or crystals present? Do a full blood panel; are the levels normal, or is there something deeper going on that is stressing the immune system? You might also check into thyroid medication rather than the hit/miss approach with iodine; out of the many expensive meds out there, the thyroid is a cheapie and it gets results.
I advise this only because, as you know, you have a senior blue boy with IVD - a genetic train wreck and I am sure who is a total sweetheart. A correct diagnosis as to why the chronic UTI is needed when so many helpful remedies have failed will help prevent unnecessary suffering.
Overall, since you are dealing with a jacked immune system and jacked nerve communication to the bladder, expressing his urine 6 times or more per day may help reduce the episodes. Consider alkalizing his water with baking soda - 1/2 to 1/4 in 1 liter of water and this as the only drinking water - the dosage is a maintenance dose, but for a crisis you could bump it up to 1 teaspoon per liter for 7 days.
You do not say what diet you are feeding; if not on RAW check the bag of kibble to ensure you are not feeding a grain based diet and that it is free of sugars and food dyes as these ingredients are directly linked to UTI's in dogs. Consider supplementing with vitamin C - 500 to 1000 mg am and pm.
Lastly, you might consider a doggie chiro or doggie acupuncturist. Yes, it is spending yet more money. My feeling is your boy is older, is immune compromised, and these techniques may help improve quality of life and extend his life.
Good luck and please report back!
(Australia)
07/15/2017
Hello,
I have a paralysed Skye Terrier who is 15 years old and I have read the above with interest. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with their dog. Nowelle's problem is now 2 years old and was wondering if she found anything else to help out.
The Vet has told me there is no further antibiotics to help her.
I have tried pro-biotic yoghurt, Canberry powder (I stopped this because my husband thought her pink urine might be the result of the canberry colour), apple cider vinegar. Nothing seems to be working quickly.
I know she is old but is still active and gets around on her doggie wheels. I just wish I could stop the infections.
Multiple Remedies
★★★★★
Echinacea, goldenseal and propolis are immune enhancers and natural antibiotics. ACV helps the ph of the urine I think and yogurt promotes good bacteria in the gut. Cranberry helps the bacteria not stick to the walls of the bladder and also helps the ph be inhospitable to bacteria. Also, my dog wouldn't drink at all and drinking is important to flush out the bacteria so I gave her water and chicken broth mixed together and that worked. I also gave her a little orange juice which I read would help, but didn't want to give too much because of the sugar content. Good luck! Abriete
Sea Salt
I have a 5 year old female yorkie who weighs 11 pounds, she had a UTI back in March (7 months ago) after tests and X-rays and a really expensive vet bill, she has been fine. Yesterday I noticed she seemed to be asking to go outside way too often. Today I noticed she peed in the bathroom on the bath mat, same things she did in March.
If I try the ACV, how much would I give her?
What about the sea salt? I have Himalayan pink sea salt, would that work?
thank you in advance.
(Hope, Bc Canada)
10/09/2014
You could give her a half tsp. of the salt which works instantly on people as per Ted's advice and my own experience.
You could at other times add ACV to the food. About a scant tsp.
Namaste, Om
(Mo)
08/17/2016
★★★★★
How long can I keep my 12 lb Schnauzer on 1/2 tsp of ACV on her food once a day for UTI? This has worked unbelievably for us.
(Sydney, Australia)
08/18/2016
You can always keep her on it.
Sea Salt
(Mpls., Mn)
03/11/2014
Hey Linda!
I *hear* you on the high price for the fancy diet. I know some who do feed it and others who have chosen to research the ingredients and then select another more affordable diet based on their research. I cannot recommend a specific diet for you, but I do encourage you to research diets or consider home made; dogfoodadvisor and dogfoodanalysis are both good sites to start your research.
You might consider Ted's sea salt remedy for a UTI:
Use a quality sea salt - the aquarium stores tend to sell the best.
A crisis dose is 1 teaspoon of sea salt into a liter of pure, non-chlorinated water, for 1-2 days [play it by ear; you *should* see a rather immediate resolution to the symptoms in that time frame, but if not go for 3 days and consider adding cranberry juice to the water.
A maintenance dose after the crisis resolves is 1/4 teaspoon sea salt into 1 liter of water.
If your dog won't drink the water with 1 teaspoon of sea salt added to it, consider dosing 1/2 teaspoon sea salt into canned food and hiding it that way so your dog takes it. Give 1/2 teaspoon am and pm for up to 2 days.
Ted also adds: "As to the apple cider vinegar for UTI, I do not think it to be as effective as a sea salt remedy. However if ACV is used then it is likely to be mixed with a pinch of baking soda."
Some folks report good results with powdered cranberry. As for the powdered cranberry dosage, some contributors have used 2 capsules [Cranactin brand] diluted in 1 oz water for a cat, while others have used 1 capsule for a 65 pound dog. This is something you will have to compare brands and potencies and work out for your dog, but it makes sense to me to start out with 1 capsules with food am and pm during a crisis and then scale back to 1/2 capsule am and pm for maintenance.
Many mix yogurt and ACV together and feed with the am and pm meals. 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of raw, unpasteurized, unfiltered, "with the mother" ACV into wet food or yogurt. Yogurt provides probiotics; it may be easier to simply buy the probiotics in powder form and add to the diet, as some dogs don't do well with dairy.
The ACV can be used as a maintenance dose with the food; if you dose a probiotic as well its a good idea to switch brands every couple of weeks to rotate the species of probiotic for proper balance in the gut.
If the UTI comes back after using home remedies you really should make another appointment with the vet to rule out/rule in urinary crystals or bladder stones.
(Idaho)
11/11/2015
★★★★★
I absolutely love this simple and cheap home remedy for a UTI. I gave my dog 1/2 teaspoon sea salt at 8 last night and by 12 this afternoon her symptoms have completely susided. She's not peeing and dribbling, she's holding down food, and she's much much more comfortable. Thank you so much for the advice....it worked like a charm!!!!!!
(Michigan)
09/05/2016
What do you put the sea salt in or on and how often and how much? I have a 11 yr.old pomeranian that weighs 30 pounds.
(Jacksonville Fl)
03/08/2017
★★★★★
Thank you for these recipes, I have tried the Sea Salt with a bit of Apple Cider Vinegar in my dog's water and after 24 hrs, I AM SEEING GOOD RESULTS, thank you!!!
Sea Salt
As to the apple cider vinegar for UTI, I do not think it to be as effective as a sea salt remedy. However if ACV is used then it is likely to be mixed with a pinch of baking soda.
(Salisbury, Usa)
06/21/2011
★★★★★
I have tried either or apple cider vinegar for certain infections, with my cat I gave her Apple Cider Vinegar in her food, she did great but because of her on going upper respiratory infection is seems like it will be an on going thing. Then my older dog was acting very strange, she likes the kitten but just out of the blue she attacked the kitten & was really tearing into the poor kitty, what I had figured was that the dog may have had an infection as well as my kitten so I put a little bit of sea salt in the dogs dish of water and the same day she seemed a little better an the same water with sea salt was finished the next day, whatever it was she seems to be better, thank god and thanks to this website & Ted for making it possible.
Sea Salt, D Mannose
★★★★★
I then tried 1/4 tsp of sea salt twice a day for 2 days, that went well--blood gone, stream good.
I have d-mannose in the house so we are into the second day of 1/2 tsp three times a day. Stream still good, no blood, urine still very cloudy. I am checking her urine PH each morning and it is 7.5-8.0. I am very happy she is urinating easily, blood gone, etc., but concerned about how alkaline her urine still is.
My question is -- how long does it take for the infection to dissipate completely using these methods, and for her PH to return to the acid level. Thanks for any input and for this fantastic thread!!
Solutions for Blood in Urine
Test for Bladder Stones
★★★★★
my dog has had UTI's before, so I just assumed he had one again. After trying d-mannose, cranberry, ACV, kefir and increased water on my pooch to no avail I took him to the vet. THANK GOD I DID! His X-rays revealed 8 bladder stones one of which was lodged in his penis and he had to be operated on immediately to avoid going into Kidney failure.
I'm so grateful I didn't chance it, and wait any longer. Apparently certain breeds are quite prone to stones, so taking them to the vet is definitely worth it. Yes it was expensive. X-rays and bloodwork $650, surgery etc $2000, but I still have my Chewie! <3 As vet owners we can do all the reading we want, but there really is no replacement for things like blood tests and X-rays. So remember to keep that in mind if after a few days your dogs symptoms don't stop. Or maybe try one of those home uti tests to see if he or she has one, and if not get her to the vet ASAP.
Test for Diabetes
Be safe--always check for diabetes!!!
Test for Diabetes
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
My dog had previous problems with getting bladder infections. I left my dog with the sitter for a trip to Texas. When we got back the sitter said, think you have an infection starting again...so I thought I would try using the vinegar and yogurt diet listed on your website for canines instead of wasting a lot of money taking her to a vet, because I thought I would outsmart the vet and save money. My dog didn't get better within the week. I ended up taking her to the VET anyhow. As it turns out, MY DOG WAS NOT SUFFERING FROM A BLADDER INFECTION, BUT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES. Her blood sugar was through the roof ((normal is around 130 to 140 and my dogs was 480!!!)) Diabetes, if left untreated is fatal and it presents itself as a bladder infection because the dog's system is virtually being flooded with sugar (and this is a blood disease just like in humans, so no amount of fed sugars would cause this)!!! If you think your Dog has a problem at all...take them to a Vet...it's safer. Don't self medicate to save money, leave your dogs treatment to a professional....Please learn from my stupid mistake and don't take chances with your beloved pets life like I did! I am completely ashamed of myself for trying to cut corners ~ Better safe than sorry!!! ~ The yogurt and vinegar wasn't bad for my dog and didn't harm her, but it definantly delayed my finding out the underlying problem for an extra week...diabetes is nothing to play around with!
Vitamin C
Due to the holiday seasons her vet was not operating. I could not wait until the next day seeing her suffered. What I did was, I gave her 125mg of Vitamin C( Calcium Ascorbate) in the everning(mixing the poweder to her kibbles). The next morning she seem ok, no more urinary track infection... I guess. However, I continue to treat her with 125mg of Vit C for 2 days with Sodium Ascorbate and ascorbic Acid instead of Calcium Ascorbate as I have ran out of Calcium Ascorbate.
To my suprise she is back to normal after the 2nd day.
