Urine infection and Trimacare

[ladylola]

Hello, haven’t been here for a while.
But wanted to ask if any of you have used Trimacare for urine infection in your dog.
One of mine has had 3 weeks of synolux to treat urine infection, then she had a water sample taken through the bladder wall. This has been cultured and shows she has E. coli
My vet has now prescribed Trimacare to be taken for the next 3 weeks and then wants another sample taken through the bladder wall.
I was wondering what side effects this medication may have. As I have read some horror stories. Anybody have any experience using Trimacare.

[phoenix]

No experience of this in dogs
I had persistent UTI infection last year.  The third attempt of drugs by the GP, which worked, was  the human version of  Trimacare. A three day course did the trick. Normal captured wee samples were acceptable, and showed e. Coli. The GP played safe and referred me to Urology for ultrasound and scan to check bladder and kidneys and anything else in reach.
Why is the vets course of treatment three week? Also, why  is it necessary to take a through the bladder wall water  sample?. Does this mean an anaesthetic and its price tag?
Trimethoprim had no side effects on me.  It was the choice for e.coli,  which is why the other attempts failed.

[ladylola]

Yes it means another GA, she had this done after the first 3 weeks on synolux as the bleeding and squatting to pee every second restarted. He scanned her Bladder urinary tract and kidneys and found nothing untoward, no tumours or anything, £390.  sent the sample off he had taken and came back with E.coli. So has given me the primacare to take for the next 3 weeks then he wants to do another through the bladder wall sample. He said the sample taken usual way can get contaminated. i.e pee in a bottle, from their skin cells or poo not seen by the human eye ☹️ She stopped showing any symptoms before she had the scan and bladder sample and is not showing any now, yet e.coli has showed up. I thought 3 weeks seems a long time but that is what he said to do. I have read Trimacare can cause dry eye and poly arthritis so was just wanting to know if anybody else had used it and of any side effects. She has had her first half tablet this morning and has another half tonight, so will be watching her closely. She is 12 years old. Bill so far is £815.50 which includes a trip to emergency vets at 2am when it first started and we are not finished yet 😳

[Patp]

My girl tested positive for e.coli when she was having anal gland infections and had a human course of penicillin which did the trick (although she had her glands out later anyway).  I have since found out that it is common for dogs to have this bacteria present in the lower intestine (especially raw fed which Jinley is) and it rarely gets beyond a few days of sickness / diarrhea or

If she were mine at 12 years old, I certainly wouldnt put her through a general anesthetic but thats my personal opinion.  I would be asking what it is they are trying to establish doing the test through the bladder wall, what would the treatment be depending on what they found?  It seems very intrusive just to find out what bacteria is present.  Also antibiotics can actually cause cystitis which will add to the problem.

I give my girl a Urinary Paste from Pets @ home which contains cranberry and taurine alongside an occasional Hydrangea Root tablet as she is a crystal former and I put water on her food (she is raw fed) to increase urination.  Please also think about giving milk thistle in her food twice a day to support her liver whilst she is on medication.

I found this quite informative  https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/sites/default/files/sites/cliniciansbrief.com/files/ManagingEcoliUTI.pdf

Sending hugs to both of you. xx

[phoenix]

Interesting comments Patp.
The vet seems pretty obsessive compared to my GPs.  I had to demand the wee sample bottle from the receptionist before my appointment because I knew the GP would waste time organising things after the appointment.  So a couple of minutes with the doc each time and different antibiotics.  Only my persistence resulted in the scan,which was fine.      So I too question the idea that catching a bitches urine in a sterilised Tupperware box is worse than a GA  and possible internal damage and infection!
Are they trying to milk the insurance company, or your wallet.   
Obviously the health of your pooch is paramount. But I wouldn't want anaesthetics on a 12 yr old, even if otherwise healthy .  Another thought is that with an anaesthetic, couldn't they just draw some wee out with a catheter?
You can probably read on the methodology/protocol by googling the Merck veterinary manual, or  one by the Edinburgh Vet School. I'm not medically qualified in any way,  so I am just making the same layman's observations as you,  all of us being experienced dog owners!
I hope the conditions clear up. I know it can cause feverish conditions. My ancient fatherIn law  gets it all the time, and gets very poorly, picks up again,  over and over. It's got to be properly cleared up.

[ladylola]

Thank you both for your input, greatly appreciated.
Have had a good read of your links. It does appear that taking the sample through Cystocentesis is the best way to avoid cross contamination. She is on day 2 of the Trimacare and seems OK up to now.
Although she is 12 she is still quite healthy, basic blood work was ok and he found no abnormalities when he scanned her bladder and kidneys. She did cope ok with the sedation and procedure. I will be keeping a Close eye on her for any side effects.

[hblower]

We have this with orin as he is diabetic. Yes you can get contamination from bugs etc on their coat or off grass so what I do as I didn't want ha and taken from bladder is as not a water as you dare, strong hibiscrub and wash all their undercarriage where wee might go hold them on lead then immediately ensuring you have sterile container walk then
On lawn short grass and collect sample. This works for us and we get samples which have e colinif he has infection and clear ones if he is clear