I have a Shitzu who doesn’t seem to be urinating properly. She urinates small amounts frequently. Sometimes it has been slight brownish-pink in color, which could be blood, and I’m worried. She is fine otherwise. Any help you can offer would be appreciated.

These signs are typical of a bladder infection in dogs. Usually a simple bacterial infection is the culprit, although in rare instances, bladder stones and even bladder cancer can cause similar signs. I would recommend your veterinarian examine her and run a urinalysis. If an infection is suspected, a urine culture can tell which bacterium is responsible and what would be the best antibiotic to use.

If the problem becomes chronic, further tests (radiographs, ultrasound) are necessary to look for stones or a tumor.

I prefer natural remedies (herbs, homeopathics, cranberry extract, etc.) for treating and preventing chronic problems. Diet can be helpful as well, but changing diet is not needed for one incident of infection. I often get asked about changing diet for pets with struvite crystals in the urine, but this is not really needed unless the pet has chronic clinical signs. I prefer to treat the pet rather than treat a laboratory finding.

I’ve been supplementing my dog’s diet with Pet Tab vitamins. Is this OK? Does he need anything else?

I’m not a big fan of using chemicals in pets if more natural alternatives exist. Most vitamin products, including Pet Tabs, are nothing more than chemical fractions of vitamin complexes. As such, they are not as helpful for maintaining health as are natural whole food vitamin complexes.

For example, let’s say that you wanted to supplement your dog’s diet with some extra vitamin E. The most common supplement is an alpha tocopherol capsule. Keep in mind that alpha tocopherol is not the same as the vitamin E complex, which contains many tocopherols and other constituents (that are actually more powerful antioxidants than alpha tocopherol).

Supplementing with wheat germ oil, which is high in natural vitamin E complex, would be a better solution than simply using an alpha tocopherol supplement made in a lab.

The vitamin fractions in Pet Tabs and similar products are made in a lab and don’t come close to resembling the true vitamin and mineral complexes found in nature. I would prefer you use a good whole-food complex recommended by your veterinarian.