Urinary Tract Infection in Dogs
What is a urinary tract infection in dogs?
Urine infections in dogs, also known as UTIs, can be quite common. If a dog urinates frequently, shows signs of straining or cries or whines while urinating, they’re likely to have a UTI or bladder infection.
What causes bladder infections in dogs?
A canine urinary infection occurs when bacteria travels up the urethra (the tube urine exits the body) and into the bladder. Urine in the bladder is usually sterile however, once bacteria enters, it multiplies and grows causing a UTI.
Urinary infections can also lead to bladder stones and other health conditions.
Canine urinary tract infection symptoms
Symptoms of a bladder infection in a dog may include:
- Urinating frequently.
- Straining while urinating.
- Crying or whining during urination.
- Dripping urine.
- Frequently licking at their genitals.
- Not acting upon house training.
Treatment for dogs with urinary tract infection
Canine UTI treatment by vets may include:
- Prescribing anti-inflammatory medication to help dogs deal with the pain.
- Prescribing painkillers and dog urinary tract infection antibiotics. This can improve a dog's condition within a couple of days. It’s important to note that antibiotics should be taken until their course ends even if you see improvement, unless your vet says otherwise.
- Treating underlying conditions that can cause recurrent urinary tract infections.
- Changing a dog's diet to alter urine acidity can help to prevent stone formation, reducing inflammation and UTI’s occurring.
- Surgery to remove large urinary stones.
- Prescribing urethral sphincter medication to tighten the dog's urethra to help control the release of urine.
- Prescribing support medications and supplements. Ongoing treatment of antioxidants, prebiotics and probiotics can help improve a dog's good gut bacteria and the overall lining of the gut.
How to treat a dog urinary tract infection at home
100% cranberry juice is believed to prevent harmful bacteria adhering to the wall of a dog's bladder. However, you should always consult your vet before giving it to your dog.
You can also:
- Increase your dog's water intake to help flush out the bacteria.
- Add cranberries or apple cider vinegar to their food or water to prevent the bacteria sticking to the bladder wall.
- Add flat leaf parsley to food as it has antiseptic properties believed to help dogs urinate more.
- Ensure your dog has a healthy diet high in moisture to help clean out the dog's urinary tract.
- Keep your dog well-rested and avoid stressful situations.
As always when thinking about undertaking home remedies you should contact your vet for further advice and information.
What does a urinalysis test for in dogs?
Vets will perform urinalysis if a dog is showing signs of a urinary infection. There are a number of urinary tract disorders that can mimic signs of a UTI in dogs, making urinalysis important to distinguish the UTI disorder.
During the urinalysis a vet will look at:
- Urine-specific gravity - This is how well the dog is concentrating their urine.
- pH - Specific pH levels can indicate an infection or other problems.
- Ketones - These can sometimes be seen in cases of diabetes or body-wasting.
- Glucose - When sugar is found in urine it’s usually a sign of diabetes.
- Bilirubin - This is a breakdown product of blood.
Once the above is measured, it is ‘spun down’ in a machine called a centrifuge. This allows cells and debris to accumulate in the bottom of the sample tube so that the debris can be evaluated under a microscope. The presence of red and white blood cells can be detected as well as bacteria and crystals. This can help vets make the right treatment recommendations. For example, if crystals are detected X-rays or an ultrasound may be recommended to look for bladder stones.
How to prevent urinary tract infections in dogs?
A canine bladder infection and UTI can be prevented by:
- Providing fresh, clean water daily to help flush out any bacteria in the urinary tract.
- Regularly bathing and grooming around the urinary opening to prevent bacteria entering.
- Ensuring your dog has plenty of opportunities to do its business.
- Feeding your dog a well-balanced diet.
- Giving your dog probiotic supplements to improve their gut.
- Ensuring they get Vitamin C to help strengthen their immune system. You should consult your vet before doing this as large amounts of Vitamin C can cause bladder stones.
- Attend regular vet checkups.
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