I have a 5 week old female with an innie vulva. I try to clean it a couple times a day. Should I be concerned at such a young age?

The pup will need to go through her 1st heat before you spay her(if you are spaying). Then it should be ok.

I had a pup with one once, and it stayed pretty clean on it's own and never became a problem. Her case wasn't very severe. However, I have also known other breeders who have had pups with them that ended up needing sergery to correct it due to cronic bladder infections. Each case is different. Depending on the severity and how easy it is to really keep clean, you may or may not have a problem. If you are selling this pup, which I personaly would, I would definately let the buyer's know about the situation and if it does require sergery, I would offer to pay for it.

That's just my personal opinion.

Having purchased a pup with this and severe UTI problems because breeder ignored the situation, I now have a regime I use for pups with RV. I started 2 pups on this at 8 weeks of age.

Give one 2100mg. cranberry capsule on a plate with yogart on top and pup should wolf it down or just put directly in food bowl if feeding pups individually.

This should be done every day until this pup has her first heat cycle in the hopes the vulva will correct.

I also buy PH strips and check the urine PH weekly. If it is elevated (normal is 5.5 - 7) than double up on the crancaps (a.m. and p.m. meal) and re-check PH after a week or 2. When PH is normal go back to 1 crancap daily. You can also give probiotics to help ward off UTIs.

I send pups to their new homes with a bottle of crancaps and give instructions on where to buy them and the PH strips. PH strips can be purchased at McAllister Bicknell 800-468-6226 ColorPHast strips PH 5-10, cat. # 1.09588 (100 strips last a long time)

Neither of these 2 pups in my last litter ever had a UTI due to this course of action and both corrected on first heat.

Its all about preventing UTIs as pups with RVs are prone to them and be sure and put in your contract on this particular pup that pup will not be spayed till after first heat.

I also wrote a letter to buyers vet (that they take with them on initial health check) informing them of the RV and the contract so a vet without knowledge of RVs would not spay too early. If spayed prior to first heat the pup could be subjected to a life time of UTIs.

Sorry, meant to say I started pups at 6 weeks.

This should help you.



http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ins-outs.html

I had a girl with an innie. She had her first heat at almost 2 years of age. She looks absolutely no different after the season than she did before it. It doesn't ALWAYS correct them, but it's certainly worth a shot!

She does get 1 cranberry pill daily (I use ones I get from Costco -- their liquid gel types). Never had a problem.

I have had several and never a problem. Thank goodness. If they went to pet homes I always advise waiting to spay after the first heat. I have kept several. Just worked out that way. Have a pup right now. The first 12 weeks thought I might have a little problem with a few pimples around the area. But really hot, so might have just been a heat type rash. Now at 5 months she is completely like she should be. Never had one get that much better so fast. Think it might have been so puppy fat also.