Dog urinary tract infections are common among nearly 15 per cent of the dog population worldwide. The main culprits behind dog urinary problems are often various bacteria that can infiltrate your dog’s body. Bacteria enter your dog’s internal system through the food s/he eats and the water s/he drinks everyday. In some instances, bacteria gain access to your dog’s urinary system through his/her external urinary openings. This is most common in female dogs because they have shorter urethra than their male counterparts, making it easier for bacteria to penetrate.
Dog urinary tract infections occur in the bladder and urinary tract where urine forms and is excreted out of the body. A mild case of infection is not easy to detect. That is why in most cases, dogs are treated only when the infection is already on its advanced stages.
There are two classifications of urinary tract infections in dogs. One is upper urinary tract infection and the other is lower urinary tract infection. These two kinds of dog urinary problems produce different signs and symptoms. Upper urinary tract infection is usually associated with weight loss, anorexia, and vomiting. On the other hand, lower urinary tract infection is associated mostly with abnormalities and incontinence or a change in the dog’s urinating pattern.
The most effective way to tell if your dog is suffering from a urinary tract infection is to observe your dog’s urinating habits. Check if your dog has enough urine every time he urinates. If you notice that your dog has to make several attempts before he can excrete urine from his body, the chances are your dog is suffering from urinary problems. A worst scenario is your dog not being able to urinate at all. In this instance, you have to take your dog to the veterinarian immediately as he may already be suffering from a serious case of bladder problem.
Another way to tell if your dog is showing signs of dog urinary problems in their early stages is to observe your dog while taking him out for a walk. Any sign of irregularity, such as cringing in pain, may be a sign that your dog has urinary problems. Foul-smelling urine, blood in the urine, tender bladder, and a reduction of the amount of the dog’s urine are signs that you should bring your dog to the veterinarian immediately. If left untreated, your dog could suffer from a more severe case of infection and eventually die.
Although dogs are bound to suffer from urinary problems in any given time of their life, it is still important that owners know how to at least minimize the possibilities of their dog contracting such a disease. Some of the ways to prevent this from happening are the following: giving your dog plenty of clean water to drink everyday, giving your dog a regular bath and shampoo, giving your dog proper nutrition and diet, bringing your dog to the vet regularly for check-ups, and giving your dog citrus juices and other sources of vitamin C.
Clean water is essential as it helps flush out unwanted organisms and bacteria from the dog’s body. Proper nutrition and diet also helps to keep your dog healthy. Bringing your dog to the vet for regular check-ups helps to determine early signs of dog urinary problems and thus minimize the chances for bacteria to cause greater harm to your dog’s internal system. Citrus juices lessen the presence of bacteria by making your dog’s urine acidic. Vitamin C helps to keep your dog in top shape by strengthening his immune system.
Dog urinary tract infections are life threatening for dogs. However, they are highly curable. The most important thing is that as a dog owner, you are able to suppress the growth of the infection by knowing its different signs and symptoms.
This can be achieved with a natural dog UTI remedy. These natural remedies can do wonders for canine UTIs.
Click here for more information.
I have a 5year old speyed lab. She sleeps inside everynight. In the last 3 weeks she has just started wetting through the night. She normally makes a noise so l know to let her out if she needs to go to the toilet. She has vomited a couple of times through the night also. I feed her mornings which doesn’t make sense why she would bring her food up through the night. She only eats eukanuba and science diet cans. She keeps the science diet down but seems to bring up the eukanuba. Don’t know whether this is something to worry about. Can you help.