Key takeaway A kidney infection is a kind of urinary tract infection (UTI) that can be painful for dogs. Various dog kidney infection symptoms include excessive drinking, increased urination, and painful urination. Understanding the signs of a kidney infection in dogs will allow you to get the therapy and treatment your pet needs. Learn more about how to tell if your dog has a kidney infection, along with causes and treatments.
Dogs can be affected by multiple urinary tract problems, like infections or diseases of the urethra, bladder, and prostate. Urinary tract infection symptoms can also indicate other issues, such as bladder stones or cancer. Urinary tract infections may make your dog unable to keep its urine in or make it visibly low on energy. You will find your dog trembling or whimpering when trying to pass urine. To determine whether your dog has a kidney infection, keep reading below. In this post, we’ll cover what kidney infections are, dog kidney infection symptoms, and more.
Kidney infections, or pyelonephritis, mainly occur due to bacteria, but hematogenous spread is also a possible cause1. The causes and organisms of pyelonephritis are similar to that of bacterial cystitis (bladder inflammation). Ureteroliths (stones in the ureters) and renoliths (kidney stones) hinder the normal flow of urine out of the dog’s renal pelvis.
Animals prone to pyelonephritis are the young, the old, the immunocompromised, and those with weak urine-concentrating ability.
In pyelonephritis2, bacteria cause inflammation in the urinary tract that ascends upwards into the bladder and then persists into the kidneys. The risks of pyelonephritis and bacterial cystitis are fairly similar. Anything that hinders the regular flow of urine through the urinary system, such as stones in the ureters or kidneys, can increase the risk for pyelonephritis.
What are the signs of pyelonephritis?
Many dogs have no clinical signs when they have pyelonephritis, although they may have signs of lower urinary tract disease. The signs of lower urinary tract infection include:
Additional signs of upper urinary tract infection include fever and pain when the kidneys are palpated (examined by touch) during the physical examination. Also, one or both kidneys may be abnormal in size.
Pyelonephritis is usually caused by a bacterial infection that moves up the urinary tract from the bladder to the kidneys. The bacteria most commonly implicated are Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus. Other bacteria that may be found include Proteus, Streptococcus, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Pseudomonas, which frequently infect the lower urinary tract and may move up into the upper urinary tract. Less commonly, bacteria that can live and grow in a low/no oxygen environment, as well as fungal organisms may cause pyelonephritis.
What Causes Kidney Infections In Dogs?
Pyelonephritis is a kidney bacterial infection that can develop because of infections from bacteria that extend from the lower urinary tract to the upper urinary tract. Other causes include kidney stones, a weak immune system, dehydration, kidney dysfunction, or just age.
Infections like leptospirosis, which penetrates the body via contaminated wounds or water, can cause kidney inflammation. Your dog might also be infected by kidney worms obtained by eating infected earthworms or infected fish. Dioctophyma renale and Capillaria plica are two kinds of kidney worms that affect dogs.
There are numerous causes of urinary tract infections, like:
UTIs are more common in old or senior female dogs and dogs with diabetes. Dogs with stones in the bladder are more inclined to get frequent urinary tract infections. UTIs and lower urinary tract disease are common in dogs above seven years of age, regardless of breed and gender.
What Is The Treatment For Dogs With Kidney Disease?
Our Winston-Salem vets often see dogs suffering from urinary tract infections (UTI). In fact, its estimated that up to 27% of dogs will develop a UTI at some point in their life. Below, we share some of the most common symptoms of this condition in dogs, and what you can give your dog if they have a UTI.