Loading ...Are you dog facing Urinary tract infection? If yes then post is for you. In this article, we have explained the common causes, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary tract infections in dogs using antibiotics. Read to ensure your dog stays safe.
What is Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs?
A urinary tract infection is an infection that is caused by parasites, fungi, and bacteria in the urinary tract which includes bladder, urethra, uterus, and kidney. The infection is mostly caused by a bacterium that enters the urethra in the urinary bladder. Some symptoms include the feeling of the need to urinate more frequently even though no or little urine is released.
What are the Causes of Urinary Tract Infection in Dogs?
The most commonly known cause of canine urinary tract infection is bacterial infection. It occurs when a bacteria enters through a dog’s urethra and moves upward into its urinary tract.
Female dogs are more prone to infections because their urethra opening is close to their anus. On the other hand, male dogs have long urethras, which means that a bacteria has to travel for a long distance to cause infection.
But whether female or male, dogs with a weak immune system either from poor nutrition or immune disease are more prone to urinary tract infection. Others, but less common causes of urinary tract infection, include bladder inflammation, diabetes, prostate disease, kidney stones, spinal cord abnormality, or cancer.
Urinary tract infection isn’t contagious through contact between dogs. Therefore you don’t have to separate one of your dogs from others in the name of sparing them from infection. However, you should keep their environment clean by disposing of their faeces quickly. In doing that, you will be reducing other health risks that may affect your dogs.
What are common Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection in dogs?
Sometimes you may or may not see the symptoms. But generally, symptoms are dependent on the infected part of the urinary tract system. You will observe signs of frequent urination, blood in the urine, foul-smelling urine, straining to urinate, inability to hold urine, urinating small volumes, and urinating in inappropriate places. These symptoms are common, especially when the urinary bladder is infected.
In less common situations, bacterial urinary tract infection may infect the kidneys. In such a scenario, some apparent symptoms may not be observed. But you may see symptoms like abdominal pain, lethargy, fever, blood in urine, inappetence, and vomiting. In mature dogs, the infection may affect parts of the genital system, such as the prostate in males and uterus in females.
These symptoms don’t always imply that a bacterial urinary tract infection is present. There are other diseases other than urinary tract infections that may cause similar symptoms. For instance, young dogs may not have tract infections, but they may suffer from urinary stones or sterile cystitis. But they will show similar symptoms to those of urinary tract infection.
How to do Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection in dogs?
A professional veterinary should come and collect a sterile urine sample from your dog. The veterinary can use a modern technique like cystocentesis to collect a urine sample. In this technique, a needle is inserted through the bladder, and the urine is sucked using a syringe. It is a safe and painless technique for your dog. Free catch urine is not suitable for examination as it might be contaminated.
Your veterinary officer will examine the urine to determine whether bacteria are there or not. If the bacteria are present, he may recommend performing a urine culture. A dog whose urine is highly diluted may be an indication that a bacterial urinary tract infection is present. A urine culture is one of the best methods to confirm the presence of a urinary tract infection.
A urine culture involves taking a sample of the urine to the laboratory, where a technician will try to grow the bacteria. Urinary tract infection is unlikely to be present without the growth of harmful bacteria. If bacterial growth is detected, then a urinary tract infection is present, and it should be treated.
What is Treatment methods for Urinary Tract Infection in dogs?
Antibiotics are suitable for treating bacterial urinary tract infection. For instance, treating the canine urinary infection with Clavamox and other high-quality antibiotics have been proven to produce consistently good results. A proper dosage must be administered to your dog.
The duration of treatment depends on several factors. Some of these factors include the age of your dog, type of breed, the bacterial organism, and the dog’s urinary tract infection history. However, you should treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections between the period of between seven to fourteen days.
