Re-evaluate Your Dog’s Diet
Feed your dog natural, high-quality pet food, free of by-products and fillers which is appropriate to their nutritional requirements. We feed a moist pet food (Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health) and ensure our dog drinks an adequate amount of water daily.
Dog food can actually cause kidney stones, which is why keeping an eye on the pH level of your dog’s urine is so important.
What to expect during the veterinary exam
The diagnosis for a urinary tract infection begins with a physical examination and a urinalysis to test for the specific type of bacteria present in your dog’s bladder. A urine sample will most likely be collected during the exam or your vet might ask you to bring one from home. If that’s the case, instructions should be given about the best way to collect the sample and keep it sterile.
Bloodwork might also be included in the initial work up.
If a UTI is confirmed, antibiotics will be prescribed to kill the bad bacteria. It’s important that your dog finish the medication so the infection doesn’t travel to vital organs like the heart or kidneys.
Most urinary tract infections clear up with one or two rounds of antibiotics, but for some dogs who are prone to the problem, the treatment time can last much longer.
Sophie’s experience with a urinary tract infection
My dog Sophie had excessive bladder tone. Our vet told me when her bladder became too full it would eventually spill over, but that never happened in 5 years. Instead her lower belly would get more and more distended and the muscles in the area became rock hard. We solved the problem, for the most part, by manually expressing her 3-4 times a day.
Sophie’s bladder tone caused her to have a terrible UTI early in her disease. It happened because I left a small amount of urine behind each time she was expressed.
Unfortunately, I missed the signs that an infection was brewing. My only clue was that it became extremely hard to express her. It was as if her body was fighting me. Then one day, a mixture of blood and urine came pouring out and I knew we were in trouble.
Several strong antibiotics were prescribed and a month later Sophie was feeling like herself again. The experienced taught me to pay attention to the amount of urine she released and we never had another problem.
Home Treatment for Dogs With a Urinary Infection
Dog urinary tract infections are a common problem that makes life miserable. When bacteria enter the bladder, it causes a host of symptoms that range from pain and pressure to fever and bloody urine. Healthy, able-bodied dogs might experience a handful of UTIs during their life, but for paralyzed dogs and those with chronic health problems, the discomfort can be ongoing and even life-threatening.
As their guardian, it’s hard to watch your paraplegic dog strain to “go” because of a UTI. But the spine problem that keeps a pup from walking also prevents the bladder from working like it should. The result is incontinence. It leaves some dogs without any bladder control and others with problems of leaking and dribbling.
The good news is there are three key elements to stop dog urinary tract infections from recurring. I’m not talking about a new product or a gimmick. These are three steps we can do as our dog’s caretaker to keep UTIs at bay.
The urinary tract is made of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and the urethra. The kidneys constantly produce urine which is moved into the bladder by the ureters. As urine reaches the bladder, it expands until it’s full and is emptied by the body.
A healthy bladder is sterile and free of bacteria. It maintains that health with a neutral pH level. That means a chemical in the bladder called hydrogen doesn’t contain too much or too little acid.
Healthy dogs have no trouble maintaining the right pH level. Incontinent dogs run into trouble. It happens because some or all of their urine remains in the bladder after they pee, causing the pH level to change.
