Urinary System Infections In Dogs
Urinary system bacterial infections or UTIs are an extremely common condition in dogs. It is diagnosied more frequently in females, but can be discovered in dogs of any age or sex. Canine urinary tract infections can trigger discomfort and pain, and in rare cases bring about complications in the kidneys. In most cases a urinary tract or bladder infection develops when harmful bacteria from the exterior of the body moves up within the urinary track via the urethra, the tube that transports urine out of the body into the bladder. The bacteria then colonizes in the bladder to a level that causes problems.
The reason behind greater caution with females is the shorter length of the urethra and the larger opening for carrying urine out of the body. The male penis has a smaller diameter than the female opening and provides a larger distance to travel. Seniors are at greater risk because of the potential of a depressed immune mechanism, which will allow the bacteria to multiply and take advantage of the bodys incapacity to defend against the bacteria. Certain ailments can also hep to promote the formation of UTIs such as diabetes mellitus. In this situation sugar is dumped into the urine, leading to an ideal condition for bacterial formation. Overweight cats are also susceptible. Moisture buildup in these folds enables bacterial to colonize, especially when the folds are round the urethra opening.
There are several signs that can indicate that a UTI is taking hold. The first visible symptom is some kind of change in normal urinary behavior, for example having accdients in the house. This is inot due to a behavior problem, but as a result of the urinary distress felt by the dog. To attain relief, the dog tries to urinate frequently, regardless of teh location. Since the dog urinates more frequently, she or he will also urinate in smaller amounts. A dog may even seem to be urinating or straining to pee with no actual urine being expelled from the body. Other symptoms may include dog blood in the pee or a pungent urine smell.
In the event that you observe a dog pushing or straining to piss, or a rise in frequency, its critical that you visit the vet as quickly as possible. The vet will likely suggest a urinalysis, which checks the quantity of crystals in the urine, white blood cells and red blood cells. A urine sample also will be placed into a special container to determine if bacteria begins to grow. Depending on these test results a Veterinarian will know which of the many antibiotics should be prescribed. Once a dog is placed on antibiotics, improvement should occur in about 2 days.
Once treatment concludes, testing will be repeated to make certain that the condition has been cured. If a dog fthe treatment didn’t work, or if frequent infections remain an issue, the veterinarian will do further testing for issues like diabetes mellitus or an infection that has moved into the kidneys via the ureters.
Cathy Doggins is the author of many articles on dog health. In addition to writing on dog health, Cathy edits the well known guide to dog conditions and diseases as well as many other sties. When not writing or speaking about dogs and wellbeing, Cathy can be found working at her local canine shelter.
