The traditional treatment route for a UTI is to give your dog a round of antibiotics.
What you might not realize is that the effects of a round of antibiotics are incredibly far-reaching.
An antibiotic is designed to kill off bacteria. It cannot tell the difference between the good bacteria and the bad, which means it kills them all. It’s true for humans, and for dogs, too.
How the Cycle Continues
When you take an antibiotic and kill off the bad bacteria, it gives the bad bacteria a chance to overgrow. That means you can end up with another UTI right away, or side effects such as gut issues or more. The UTI will just continue on and on, unchecked even though you’ve followed your vet’s instructions.
In our practice, Nikki sees people who have been on antibiotics their entire life. They can’t figure out why this keeps happening to them. The cyclical nature of taking antibiotics, wiping out the good bacteria, and allowing the bad to proliferate may be a huge piece of that puzzle.
Antibiotics have their place. But in the case of most UTIs, they may not necessary. Your gut is where your immune system resides, and you don’t want to strip it of its natural defenses.
When it comes to your dog’s gut health, the best thing you can do is to practice raw feeding. Raw feeding will keep your dog in balance with what they truly need!