A dog that is experiencing a urinary tract infection will be experiencing pain – UTI’s can also be life threatening.

Sometimes your house-trained dog will urinate inappropriately in the house. Before assuming that the dog is just being bad or cannot hold their urine, it’s important to recognize the problem and to treat your dog for the infection as infections will affect your pet’s health if left untreated.

What can Cause a UTI?

• Most UTI’s happen when bacteria enter your dog’s genitalia and then move into the urinary bladder.
• Rarely, a virus or fungi can cause a UTI.
• Even more rarely, the infection may enter the blood stream through your dog’s kidneys.
• Often, UTI’s occur in older female dogs but male dogs can also get a UTI.
• Longer haired breeds of dogs tend to be more susceptible to UTI’s.
• Dogs diagnosed with diabetes or kidney disease have a higher risk of developing UTI’s.

Signs of a Urinary Tract Infection

• Blood in the urine.
• Cloudy urine.
• Straining to urinate.
• Crying when urinating.
• Frequent accidents in the house.
• Wants you to let them outside to go to the bathroom more than usual.
• Dribbling urine in the house or on bedding.
• Licking genitalia more than usual.
• More tired than usual.
• Cannot get comfortable.
• Is running a fever.

How to Know for Sure if Your Dog Has a UTI?

• Schedule a visit with your veterinarian.
• Your veterinarian will identify the possible organism that is causing your dog’s UTI and then they will prescribe antibiotics to improve your dog’s health.
• A urine sample may be sent away by your veterinarian to be cultured by a third-party lab to ensure that the correct antibiotic has been prescribed.
• Your veterinarian may order an x-ray to check for urinary stones.
• Your dog’s urine should be rechecked by your veterinarian after about 7 days after finishing the antibiotics to ensure that the UTI has cleared up.

Treatment and Onward

• Support your dog’s health by adding moisture to the diet daily to keep urine moving through the body so that bacteria cannot adhere to the wall of the bladder. Adding things like bone broth, wet foods, and so on go a long way in supporting your dog’s health to avoid a UTI.
• Be sure that your dog has lots of potty breaks daily so that urine does not stay in the bladder for too long.
• If your dog has longer hair, then trim around the genitalia to avoid bacteria travelling toward and working its way up into the urinary tract.
• Pet nutrition is important. Feeding your dog an named animal protein based, and low carbohydrate food will encourage acid urine. Bacteria have a tough time living in acid urine.
• Support your dog’s urinary health by adding urinary support supplements long term that include ingredients like D-Mannose, Glucosamine, cranberries, and herbs such as marshmallow root, dandelion leaf, juniper berries, and more.

Prevention Tips

• Encourage your dog’s water consumption by placing water dishes in a few places around the house and outside.
• If your dog eats kibble, try adding moisture to meals by way of bone broth, wet food, rehydrated dehydrated or rehydrated freeze-dried food, etc.
• If your dog must hold their urine for too long, then this may cause a UTI. Making sure that your dog has frequent potty breaks available will help avoid UTI reoccurrence.
• Pet nutrition is important. You can support your dog’s urinary health by feeding healthy food like a high animal protein and low carbohydrate diet to naturally encourage urine acidity. This will discourage another infection.

Visit your local Pet Planet your pet’s Natural Grocer to learn more about appropriate diet and supplement options to support urinary health for your dog.