This Food Item Could Be Causing Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in Your Dog

We have a wonderful ten-pound miniature poodle named Coco. She has always been full of energy but in recent years had been getting more and more frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs).

It got to the point where every few months she’d start straining, then often would have blood visible in her urine. To make matters worse, it was sometimes difficult to get an appointment to see a vet since the clinics were overwhelmed after so many people got pets during COVID. It was getting to be a big worry for us.

How It Started

When we first got Coco, she didn’t have any UTIs for the first couple of years. Then, my Mom started watching Coco over the weekends while we went out and did other stuff. My Mom loved to give Coco human food, but we made sure she never gave any human food that was known to be harmful to dogs, like grapes. She would give rice, eggs, and often fruit and vegetables like blueberries, apples, and cooked carrots.

Then Coco started getting a few UTIs, but not very often.

Oblivious to the cause, we started joining in the fun of feeding Coco fruit after dinner, since she seemed to love it.

Then the UTIs got more frequent.

We tried all of the standard preventative measures: cranberry pills, providing plenty of water, exercising her more so she would drink more, and adding an extra walk in the middle of the day so she could pee more. Nothing helped!

The Culprit: Fruit!

We were getting desperate when my wife had the idea of not feeding fruit anymore. Coco always loved to get a slice of fruit after her meals.

We removed all fruit and vegetables from Coco’s diet and THAT DID IT!!

It’s been six months since Coco’s last UTI! Previously she’d been getting a UTI about every two months.

We solved it!!!! We were and still are so grateful!!

Why It Works

We can’t say for sure why fruit seemed to cause the UTIs but we consulted with a veterinarian who said that fruits can alter the pH of a dog’s urine, possibly making it more hospitable to bacteria.

My wife used to say that Coco’s pee had a foul smell. That smell disappeared after we stopped feeding her fruit.

Conclusion

Whatever the reason, we’re just glad it worked. Now, a bigger dog can probably handle eating some fruit, but apparently, it was too much for our small dog.

Is your small dog prone to UTIs? Try removing fruit and vegetables from its diet. Let me know about your results in the comments! – Brian