Your dog can tell you some simple things simply by wagging its tail or its other body language. However, your dog cannot tell you when it is sick.
But there are signs that your dog might have an illness, such as a urinary tract infection (UTI).
signs Of Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs
-when your dog tries to urinate, does it whine, whimper or make repeated attempts to urinate but with no luck. Then your dog probably has a dog urinary tract infection (UTI).
-There are other signs that your dog might have Urinary Tract Infections. For example, you might see blood in its urine or its urine may smell very foul.
-Another symptom of a Urinary Tract Infections in Dog is straining to urinate but has no luck or if it struggles to urinate but passes very little urine. The dog might also show an inability to hold its urine and end up peeing in inappropriate places such as on the carpet in your home.
Cause Of Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs
- The cause of dog urinary tract infections is bad bacteria.
- It begins when your dog ingests the bacteria by eating unclean food or drinking dirty water.
- The bacteria in the food or water eventually end up in the dog’s urinary system where they take hold and multiply.
- When they multiply to the point where they overcome your dog’s immune system, the dog will develop a urinary tract infection.
Diagnosing Urinary Infections In Dogs
If you believe your dog has developed a urinary tract infection (UTI), it’s important that you get it to your vet as soon as possible.
Your vet will take a sample of your dog’s urine. This is most often done by inserting a needle through the dog’s body wall into its bladder and then removing a sample of the urine with a syringe.
Your vet will examine the sample under a microscope and analyze it. If he or she finds white blood cells or bacteria in the sample, the next step will be to culture the urine.
It normally takes about one day to do the culture and then another one or two days for your vet to analyze it.
Treating Urinary Tract Infections in Dog
While urinary tract infections in dogs are rarely life-threatening, they can become more serious if left untreated.
If your vet does determine that your dog has a UTI, he or she will prescribe anti-bacterial medicine.
You will need to give your dog this medicine each day for probably 8-10 days.
You must be sure to follow your vet’s instructions to the letter because if you skip one or two treatments or do not complete the treatment, your dog can suffer a relapse and develop yet another urinary tract infection.
Home Remedies For Urinary Tract Infections In Dogs
If you catch the UTI early on, there are some home remedies for a dog urinary tract infection you might try. Here are a few:
citrus juices
Give your dog citrus juices. This can be orange juice, cranberry juice or lime juice. Many people believe these juices help your dog by boosting the acidity of its urine. The theory is that when the urine becomes more acidic, it is harder for the bacteria to attach themselves to the wall of the dog’s bladder and began multiplying.
Apple cider vinegar.
This home remedy seems to work equally well with dogs and humans. All you need to do is add 1/2 teaspoon of the apple cider vinegar to your dog’s food once a day.
fresh water
Give your dog plenty of fresh water. It’s always a good idea to make sure that your dog has a lot of clean water — especially during hot days — but it’s even more important if you think it has a UTI. The water helps flush out the invading bacteria and speeds up the process of eliminating it from your dog.
Why It’s Important To Treat A Urinary Tract Infection
It is important to treat a urinary tract infection because if you don’t, complications can ensue. These can be as serious as renal failure, kidney or bladder stones, or a weakened immune system.
The good news is that if you get on the urinary tract infection early and have it treated, your dog will soon be back to its old self – and you won’t have to worry that it might develop life-threatening complications