Preventing Dog Urinary Tract Infections

Dog Diseases

Isn’t it great that your dog always greet you with excitement when you open the door — even if you’ve only been gone for a minute? For most of us, dogs are not just pets, they are our friends. In fact, some people feel that dogs should be treated as slightly retarded children. You may not agree with this, but you probably care for your dog almost as much as any other family member.

Preventing Dog Urinary Tract Infections

Just as there are things you can do to prevent your child from coming down with a case of measles or scarlet fever, there are things you can do to prevent a dog urinary tract infection (UTI).

For one thing, make sure your dog gets plenty of fresh, clean water. When your dog consumes water, it not only replenishes its bodily fluids, this can actually wash away bacteria. So, step one is to give your dog enough water during the day and evening to encourage a sufficient amount of urination. This is because when your dog urinates, it’s nature’s way of clearing away bad microorganisms. Make it easy for your dog to get to its water and replace it at least once per day.

Frequent Potty Breaks Help Prevent Dog UTIs

Whenever your dog show signs of needing to go to the bathroom, get it outside immediately. The dog’s urine contains bacteria and its bladder holds the urine until the dog goes potty. If the urine stays in the dog’s bladder too long, the bacteria may grow and eventually find its way to other organs. This means you should not make your dog wait too long to go to the bathroom. If it spends most of its time indoors, be sure to get it outside every few hours if possible.

Preventing Dog Urinary Tract Infections With Citrus Juices

Orange juice, lime juice, cranberry juice and other citrus juices are good for your dog even though on the face of it might not make sense. This is because when your dog drinks citrus juices, its urine becomes more acidic. As it becomes higher in acidity, the amount of bacteria present in the urine will decrease. Also, there is a theory that as your dog’s urine becomes more acidic; it is more difficult for bacteria to fasten to the wall of its bladder, which reduces the bacteria’s ability to multiply.

Preventing Dog Urinary Tract Infections With Proper Nutrition

In addition to making sure that your dog gets plenty of water throughout the day, it is important that it gets proper food and nutrition. When you feed your dog, be sure to feed only the amount recommended on the dog food’s packaging. If your dog does not finish his meal, take away the uneaten part of it immediately so that bacteria cannot get into it. You should dispose of any excess food and be sure to keep the area around your dog’s bowl sanitary.

Home Remedies For Dog UTIs

Has your dog shown signs of a dog urinary tract infection? For example, does it seem to be straining to urinate without much success? Another symptom of a dog urinary tract infection is if you find blood in his urine or if it pees in inappropriate places such as inside your house.

The first time you spot any of these symptoms, you may be able to cure the urinary tract infection using a home remedy.

For example there is an herbal tincture called Goldenrod Horsetail Compound that can help soothe and support your dog’s irritated urinary system. If your dog weighs 15 pounds or less, you can just give him a dropper full of this tincture twice a day until the dog is feeling better. If you have a larger dog, give it between one and two droppers full a day. The easiest way to administer the tincture is to mix it with your dog’s food. If you cannot find the Goldenrod Horsetail Compound, there is an alternative called Homeopathic Antibiotic Treatment.

If your dog seems to be suffering from pain as a result of the infection, you may be able to relieve it with a product called Cantharis. It comes in pellet form and is said to quickly ease your dog’s pain when it is straining to urinate.

You might also switch to a chemical-free food. The preservatives, additives and artificial colors you find in many of today’s commercial pet foods could weaken your dog’s immunity system and make it more susceptible to infections. If you can, give the dog either homemade dog food or high-quality, all-natural dog food.

Believe it or not, there is a home remedy that seems to work equally well for dogs and us humans. It is apple cider vinegar. All you need to do is add 1/2 teaspoon of it to your dog’s food once per day. You can also add it to your dog’s water for three straight days. It has the same affect as the citrus juices — helps neutralize bacteria in the urine and reduce your dog’s discomfort.

If you are not aware of this, one in 14 dogs either has a dog UTI or will develop one sometime within its lifetime. This means the odds of it happening to your dog are not high. However, you can reduce the odds even more by doing these simple things for preventing dog urinary infection.