Cranberry Juice

[Bella's Mom]

Someone said to give Cooper cranberry juice in case he does have a UTI (while we wait for our vet appt). I have never heard of such a thing for dogs. Is cranberry juice even safe for dogs?

[Red Haired Girl]

They put cranberries in dog food. I don't know that you will get him to drink it, though. They do have cranberry tablets in the vitamin section at the pharmacy. You could try those......

[lotsadox]

My dogs love cranraspberry juice. I've always been leary of letting them drink too much though. I don't know if it's good for them. :dunno:

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Cranberry is great for them.I get the jell type at Walmart and squeeze it on one of Petunia's fav foods when i give it to her. She has never had a UTI but I'm trying to get her used to the taste in case she ever has one.

[oceangirls]

or anything :) but shouldn't hurt him... cranberry can sometimes help lessen the discomfort of a UTI and may help prevent infections in people or animals who get them chronically - but just having him drink the juice while you wait for an appointment probably won't do much.

The Ocean Spray cocktails are full of sugar, so if you really wanted the medicinal benefit, I would use the concentrated supplement pills... or you can also buy pure cranberry juice concentrate (health food/whole food stores have it) - I used it when I had one earlier this year (I am not sure it helped because I started antibiotics at the same time) - it has NO sugar, so I doubt a dog would like it.

Cranberry in large quantities can increase bleeding, but I doubt that would be a risk for your little guy. Sending rayz :rayz::rayz::rayz::hearts: :bigrayz:

[Patt]

Sending :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: to Cooper. If you think his urinating is getting worse I would call the vet to get an appointment sooner. Or bring in the sample I suggested. UTI's will not get better on their own. I doubt cranberry juice will help. :scratch: JMHO

[alfina]

Ditto making appointment sooner. When dogs have UTI, urine PH changes. The new PH predisposes to bladder stone formation. That's why it is important to treat UTI fast. Aside from your own sanity.

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Cranberry juice definately helps--i occasionaly get a slight case when I'm on my feet a lot and don't get any breaks to drink something and I will grab just anything with cranberries and it has helped me. i have jell caps that i use here at the house.

[Tex]

I don't have any great advice.....I've heard cranberry juice can help prevent re-occuring UTIs in people......just want to send some anti-peeing :bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: for Cooper!

[Fluffy]

This is what my Mom (the RN) told me about cranberry...the juice flushes out your kidneys, which helps flush out the infection. She said that the pills and such might help but that most times the infection starts in the kidneys and it needs some help in being flushed out. There is something in the juice that miraculously helps to do so. I do agree though, that he should be taken in sooner. UTI's are painful and if left untreated can lead to kidney stones and a whole slew of other problems!! :rayz: to Cooper!!

[Bella's Mom]

Cooper seems just fine but his frequent urination has caused me to become a little alarmed. I can't get into the vet in the evening and I can't take off of work right now so I'm at a loss as to what to do. The vet still thinks it's his age but will test for a UTI if that's what I want. :confused:

[lizzieb38]

Poor lil Cooper! Think the jellied cranberries would be easier for him. Hope it helps him.:bigrayz: :bigrayz: :bigrayz: that he is okay.

[Patt]

The vet still thinks it's his age but will test for a UTI if that's what I want. :confused: I'm sure that's probably the problem, he just hasn't learned to control it yet. Always better to be safe than sorry though. When does he do it? Is he playing and just decides to urinate, does he go right after he's gone outside? How about writing the times down and what's going on at the time, possibly that would help decide if it's a puppy thing.

[oceangirls]

When the girls were little puppies, Angel would piddle all over the place, then turn around and do it again (Cassie never did that). I figured she either had a UTI or was diabetic... but she wasn't - just a puppy thing.

Here's some facts (from the pharmacist):
A lot of infections - urinary and otherwise - including bacterial - will resolve on their own without antibiotics.
Urinary tract infections can be painful.
They can spread to other parts of the urinary tract, to the kidneys, and even into the bloodstream, but that's pretty rare from a simple bladder infection in a healthy animal.
Of course there is higher risk for the elderly, the very young, and anyone with a weaker immune system.
Drinking any liquid (okay maybe not whiskey :D ) is helpful for infections because it keeps the animal hydrated and the organs functioning so the immune system can work optimally.
Cranberry in particular may help decrease bacteria in the urinary tract and prevent chronic infections in those prone to them. Study results are mixed, but a few double-blind placebo-controlled trials showed some benefit.

With a young puppy, it could just be bladder control (assuming you don't see any blood, licking his private areas, signs of pain, etc.)... BUT if it does not start to improve soon, I'd have the vet test for UTI. If money is not a concern and it would make you more comfortable, then by all means have him checked sooner. :)

:twocents:

[Bella's Mom]

I'm sure that's probably the problem, he just hasn't learned to control it yet. Always better to be safe than sorry though. When does he do it? Is he playing and just decides to urinate, does he go right after he's gone outside? How about writing the times down and what's going on at the time, possibly that would help decide if it's a puppy thing.
He goes all the time. We take him out after he's played cause that's usually a trigger, when he wakes up, after he eats and every hour between those times. I can take him outside. He'll tinkle and by the time we walk to the end of the yard he's tinkled 2 or 3 more times. I just praise him when he's outside and tinkles so he can start to relate outside tinkle gets him lots of extra attention.