UTI Kibble

    • Gold Top Dog

    UTI Kibble

    Layla has another UTI and the Dr and others have recommended KD for her. The problem is, it's not grain free and both my dogs have itchy skin issues. Can anyone recommend a grain free kibble that would also help with the UTI's?? Any diet suggestions regarding preventing UTI's would be appreciated. Thanx!
    • Gold Top Dog

    ARe there crystals?  Is the urine too high ph?  What causes the UTIs? 

    I think you've tried cranberry pills right?  Dr. D has me fiddling with food to adjust for UTIs -- they can be seasonal with my bunch ... and Billy **always** has to alkaline ph ... so I'm always adjusting for that.

    • Gold Top Dog

     Personally, I've chosen the nutritionist route.


    I'm wondering why he suggested K/D. Is she having kidney issues? Has she had a culture and sensitivity done?

    • Gold Top Dog
    She hasn't had the culture & sensitivity done for financial reasons. I was able to get meds to treat her this time, but he didn't test her urine. She had crystals last time. I can't get the testing until I'm back to work, so for now it's a matter of getting rid of the UTI and keeping her comfortable. I do give her cranberry every morning and she was doing great for a while, urinating a LOT and then all of a sudden, more blood.
    • Gold Top Dog

    KD is a terrible food!  Look at the ingredients: there's hardly ANY meat in there.  Blech!

    KD was recommended to me when my Rottweiler was having liver/kidney issues (vet said "his liver is failing" and gave me KD).  I never opened the bag, but continued to feed his raw diet.  The values improved without the KD and I returned the bag.

    What are you currently feeding?

    • Gold Top Dog

    When I moved to FL - one of my cats almost died. She went into kidney failure. So at the advice of my vet, we switched her to KD, and now 8 years later (at 15) she's still with us. We did not feed it to her long term, but it DID work for her, and I have that food to thank for her life. I would use it to get her healthy and on the right track - then look at different nutritional consults when finances allow.

    The rx diets are good for what they do. You can try all the different high quality foods you want - but when it comes down to your pets comfort, sometimes you have to go that route. I'm glad raw worked for your dog - but it does not for all, and is not feasible for all to do.

    • Gold Top Dog

     I agree. If I was in a pinch, and couldn't do a consult right away, I'd feed the RX kibble. In face, when Jewel was diagnosed with crystals, she ate canned C/D for two weeks til Sabine could get to us.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I, too, am curious as to why they suggested KD...I'd think CD/UD/SO...would be a more likely suggestion, depending on what sort of urinary issue it was

    • Gold Top Dog
    Rott-n-GSDs
    What are you currently feeding?

    Acana Praire Harvest..... until Saturday. I went to the holistic store to pick up more kibble and was looking at alternate options. I explained Layla's health concerns to the girl who always helps me and she recommended removing kibble from their diet completely, even though I soak and float it giving Layla most of the "gravy." (Abbie drinks a lot, so it's not an issue.) She suggested giving them canned in coordination with the home cooking I do. On her recommendation I purchased a couple of cans of Mulligans Stew, which is supposed to be a food that helps to "clean up their systems." I also got a couple of cans of Evo. I also got some powder probiotics to help re-introduce good bacteria into Layla's system due to the anti biotics. I've always given plain, fat free yogurt and she said I could still give it. She also gave me several frozen raw "patties" to give with the home cooking.

    I'm just wondering if eliminating the dry from their diet is a good idea?? I feel like I feed them well, but I worry about their diet being balanced. For example, I made crock pot chicken over the weekend, like I've been doing in conjunction w/the kibble. I used bone in chicken thighs w/legs attached, bone in, half a bag of frozen mixed veggies and brown rice, cooking til the bones were soft. Sometimes I'll do chicken livers in olive oil on the stove top and add a little rice, it's their favorite and they always get veggies.... sweet potato (instead of rice), broccoli, green beans, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, etc. Whatever is on sale at the time.

    I guess it seems weird not to be giving them kibble.... any thoughts????

    • Gold Top Dog

    Willow very, very rarely gets kibble.  Is there a canned version of the dry you are giving? 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I vote for canned also.

    The only dry kibble I had luck with irt uti's was PetGuard Lifespan. It does have rice and oatmeal in it, but my overly sensitive bichons had no problems with it.

    Canned sounds like a good idea to me. 

    • Gold Top Dog
    willowchow
    Is there a canned version of the dry you are giving?

    Not that I'm aware of......

    One thing I have to say is that I'm not thrilled with the color of the dark meat canned food (buffalo, venison, beef).... it stains their faces so bad and stinks terribly...... I have to wash their faces twice each after they eat and still can't get the color or smell completely off.... sheesh.....

    • Gold Top Dog

    I know this is going to sound weird but do they eat out of a bowl or a flatter dish like a plate?  Willow makes SUCH a mess when she eats from a bowl.  I don't know it's all over her face and in her mane sometimes.  It's much better, not perfect with a plate.  Maybe it would work for your girls?

    • Gold Top Dog
    They eat out of bowls and Layla swirls her head around in the bowl to get every last morsel...... she's the one that gets really messy! She's such a little piggy!! I give her most of the liquid with her food since I'm trying to increase her fluids so if I switch to a plate it would have to have some sort of lip on it to keep the liquid in so it goes in her tummy rather than on the floor :)
    • Gold Top Dog
    Try an oval cat bowl. They have them at Ross or TJ Maxx for two or three dollars. That is ALL Pirate would eat out of, until I smashed two in a row and made him switch to something unbreakable.

    Like this: http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/new-whisker-city-meow-ceramic-oval-paw-print-cat-dish