[NellosDad]

DT community, I'm a long time DT lurker, I've spent hours upon hours researching and reading on this site for a plethora of first time Doberman owner questions. More than once I've thought of posting a question or concern, but I've always been able to find enough in old posts to get me going in the right direction. Very helpful, and grateful. So, in my first ever internet post of any kind, I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience?

My 8 month old intact male dobie has had some sort of infection somewhere in the urinary system for a couple months now.
Originally he tested positive for a UTI, took some antibiotics, things seemed to get better, then it seemed to come back again. Third trip to the vet showed negative for the UTI, they went in and took a sterile sample which was negative, did some blood work, ph values were on target. They suspected that the infection might be further up in a place harder to diagnose. So they prescribed an antibiotic that would be more targeted around the area of the prostate gland. This was the 3rd antibiotic(cefpodoxime proxetil), before that 2 weeks each(but separately) of Clindamycin & Amoxicillin. I was hopeful this time, he seemed to be doing better. No accidents in the house or training facility, very little to no pee blotches on his day bed, and no blood in the urine for 2 weeks. Until yesterday, day 14 after starting the antibiotic, which was also the last dosage, he was still on the antibiotic. We had a nose work class in the morning, went great he wasn't distracted, no accidents. Then we got home, he now seemed to be getting a little whiny in the afternoon(more than usual that is), took him outside and lo and behold he's got some blood in his urine again. Just before bed, took him out one last time, still blood in the urine. Around 5am this morning I woke up due to hearing him move around in his crate more than normal, he's usually a pretty sound sleeper overnight. Got up to check on him and the poor depressed looking little guy had wedged himself into the corner because he either pee'd himself while sleeping or had to go so bad so quickly that he didn't even bother to wake me. From 9 weeks old to 8 months old Nello has never went to the bathroom in the crate. Even if he's been sick he has always alerted me that I need to wake up and take him out NOW, but this time nothing. Symptoms are mainly extra whining, leaking and accidents at home or training facility though the accidents are only a few over the last two months, and of course the blood in the urine. Energy levels seem somewhat normal, maybe just a tad low, and his appetite is good. doesn't drink much water, but that is normal for him.

Our vet has a great reputation and we've had really good experiences w/ her, I think she's been more than thorough. In addition to all the urinalysis/cultures, they've done x-rays and ultrasounds, they've had him hang out at the vets to observe his behavior/issue first hand, she's consulted with other vets and specialists.

We're continuing to investigate, doc will probably put him on a stronger antibiotic & for longer than two weeks this time, she was a little hesitant because apparently some of the stronger antibiotics can affect growth, but she's thinking it probably won't matter much since it will only be for 2-3 weeks.

I'm sure where he is so young that its not something serious, but man is it stressful to see him struggle with this for so long.
As a first time Doberman owner I was not fully prepared for how strongly a bond can be created between dober child and dober dad, & the worry that comes with it when he's not well.

So DT, anyone had a similar experience? If so, what did it end up being? what worked to clear it up?
Are male dobes any more susceptible to these things than other breeds, any other dobe specific things we might have missed or should try? How abnormal is it for this to be dragging on this long?
Thanks, and sorry if this was a lot to read through. Appreciate any input, advice or similar experiences.

Thanks again,
Jeff

 

[NellosDad]

Thanks everyone for the input. The vet prescribed a stronger antibiotic, don’t have the name handy, and increased the duration to 4 weeks. She also gave me a bottle of a cranberry supplement used for such things. So, hopefully the stronger and longer meds will be enough to get rid of whatever is so persistently sticking around. I didn’t see any blood in his urine today, seems to go as quickly as it comes. I’m sure the single dose of antibiotics had nothing to do with it going away.
I’ve also discussed the neutering with both the vet and our trainer. Going to continue to think about it and see how this course of antibiotics goes before making a decision. I’ve always planned to have him neutered, but I was really hoping to wait till around the 18 month mark. 8 months is earlier than I’d prefer, if we were closer to a year I’d probably just do it. But something about doing it so early with only a hope that it will fix whatever is going on.... well I’m having a little trouble with that. Off topic, but Nello does have some reactivity issues w/ other dogs when on leash that we’ve been working through, maybe it’d help with that a little.

To answer some of your questions...
Diet change, no changes at all. No new treats, and he eats a raw diet. Raw food comes from TopQualityDogFood.
Specialist, the vet has been in contact with a specialist. Though they have not seen Nello. If this round of antibiotics doesn’t do it I’ll probably seek one out myself.
I haven’t reached out to the breeder yet, but I’ll probably give her a call this week to see if she’s had any similar issues or other ideas.

Something that surely isn’t a cause, but might be contributing is how little water he drinks. He’s always been a light drinker. It’s not uncommon for him to go all the way to noon before actually drinking any water. His raw food has a good amount of water weight to it, and I use ice cubes as treats to sneak in some extra water throughout the day. But I was wondering if anyone knew of any other tricks to get a dog to drink more water on there own?

Thanks
Jeff