Vaginitis question..

[chipnjo]

I have done a lot of reading about vaginitis since my doctor informed me about it. I am trying to watch closely because it is getting a little worse as of late, but am still convinced there is nothing to worry about since my puppy (14 weeks) is unaffected by it except....

She pees in small amounts and seemingly more frequently.

The one thing I didn't see mentioned in all the vaginitis/UTI discussions was the increased frequency of urination. Is that possible with vaginitis? I hear everyone saying there was no change in the dog's behavior, irritation, etc, but no one mentioned frequency increase in urination.

The reason for concern is that it may be getting in the way of housebreaking. If she can't tell when she needs to go and/or can't control anything, I need to seriously drop my expectations over how quickly we can depend on her being housebroken.....and stop stressing over it.

Any opinions/experiences on the affects on housebreaking? Thanks.

 

[Cami]

I don't recall Cami's puppy vaginitis causing a frequency in urination however a UTI could surely cause them to have the sensation that they NEED to go (however small amounts they may or may not produce).
Has your puppy been diagnosed with a UTI in addition to the vaginitis? If not then perhaps you may consider taking in a sample for testing as the bacteria may have spread to her urinary tract. Not out of the realm of possibility. Just a thought.
On a side note.....even a healthy 14 week old pup is no where near being potty trained. Think many more months of potty training but I certainly see where an infection could slow the process.

 

[chipnjo]

Boy, I keep hearing the "many months" when it comes to housebreaking. Is this a boxer thing? I have never had things go more than a few weeks before I could just tell when the others needed to go....or they would tell me.

This little boxer is funny. She gives me very subtle signals every once in awhile....just a glance at the door, or a wimper w/o looking at the door at all. It's difficult to pick up on when other things with small children and things are going on.

So, I've gone back to tethering her after 30 minutes. I can rely on her for 30 minutes 99% of the time, so we let her run free in the two rooms we are always in. When the timer goes off, it's tether time.

I think the biggest issue has been the unaccounted for accidents. We have had more with her than any other dog, too. So, I am keeping her very close so I can catch her in the act and start associating the "no" with the "who's the smartest dog in the whole world?" talk. If she is not tethered, even right there at your feet, she can really slip on in there w/o being noticed.....takes all of 10 seconds.

I will check the UTI thing out...just to rule it out. But, it isn't something I am overly concerned about. She has no irritation, swelling, foul smells, etc. It's just a mucusy discharge that comes and goes a little. I was more worried about her frequency of urinations. But, that could also still be a 14 week thing, and/or the fact she knows she goes out every hour on the hour, too.....another big reason for the tethering. I want to see if SHE will start to tell me when to go outside so we can start to stretch these times out a little.

I think I need the "no" vs "yes" thing to drive this message home, and tethering is the fastest way to accomplish it, imo, other than just putting her back in her kennel (which I am not fond of since she is out with us quite often). She will definitely pick up on "on leash" vs "off leash after potty" very quickly. They are such smart dogs it's ridiculous.

Thanks for all the help.