CYSTITIS (BLADDER INFECTION)
We recommend a procedure called cystocentesis where urine is drawn or aspirated sterilely from the bladder which sometimes requires sedation or anesthesia. The urine sample is submitted to the laboratory for pathologists to perform culture and sensitivity (growing the bacteria and determining what antibiotics are most effective against the microbes.)
Antibiotics should be given for 3 full weeks (21 days) in every case of bladder infection due to the bladder mucosal ruggae (many folds where the bacteria can hide). The antibiotics should be given 2 X daily for the full 3 weeks to be sure the bacteria are completely eliminated, not just diminished in number, even after all clinical symptoms have disappeared. Pets with recurrent bladder infections should be radiographed (x-rayed) for the possibility of bladder stones (uroliths) which harbor bacteria in the stone and cause the infection to come back over and over. Special diets are manufactured and formulated for chronic cystitis cases. Science Diet C/D is one excellent diet for bladder infections.