Urinary Tract Infections or UTIs are common among animals, especially dogs.
Recent studies show that about 27% of dogs will develop a UTI at some point in their lives.
These infections can turn out to be dangerous for your dog if correct measures are not taken.
In this article, we’ll look through some of the most common Urinary Tract Infections and their best possible cures.
But before we get into them, let’s first understand what Urinary Tract Infections are.
What Are Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)?
The Urinary Tract Infection in dogs refers to an infection in any part of the urinary system.
This includes the kidneys, prostate, urethra, and bladder.
A dog suffering from a UTI might start urinating more frequently.
You might also see blood in their urine, though that depends upon the type of infection.
The bottom line is that Urinary Tract Infections can be extremely painful and if left untreated can lead to some fatal diseases.
How/When do they occur?
A Urinary Tract Infection in dogs can occur due to the passing of bacteria into their bladder.
After entering the bladder, these bacteria can grow and reproduce, ultimately causing a UTI.
After which, your dog may suffer from dangerous diseases bladder stones, or even cancer.
UTI Symptoms In Dogs
Here are some common Urinary Tract Infection symptoms to keep an eye on:
- Presence Of Blood In Urine
- Increased Frequency Of Urination
- Occasional Vomiting
- Sitting Ideal For Too Long
- Weight Loss
- Licking The Part Around Anus
- Wanting To Go Outside More often
If your dog is showing more than one of the above-mentioned symptoms, then there’s a big chance that it’s suffering from a UTI.
Possible UTI Diseases & Their Cures
As it has been said before, these UTIs, if not treated can lead to some terrible consequences.
Therefore, these UTIs can be a sign of something much worse than an infection (cue: dangerous diseases).
Read on to find about such diseases and their cures.
Difficulties In Urinating
Inability to urinate is just as bad of a disease as it sounds. Even worse actually.
Since your dog won’t be able to urinate properly, bladder inflammation might be a possibility.
This, if left untreated, can turn out to be lethal for your dog’s health.
Difficulty urinating can also lead to symptoms of dribbling and weakening of the urine stream.
Causes of Difficulty Urinating
- Urinary Tract Inflammations And/Or Infections
- Nervous System Infections
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Poisoning
- Shy Bladder Syndrome
- Trauma
But, now the question is how to treat this disease the right way.
Cures
- Antibiotics – Antibiotics are often used for curing Urinary Tract Infections. In this case, the first thing you must do is to give your dog an antibiotic medicine, whether mixed in food or water. If there are any noticeable improvements, then consider repeating this procedure 2-3 times more and your dog would be great. But, if your dog is still having difficulties urinating, then consider consulting a doctor.
- Dandelion – Dandelion is used for curing urinary tract-related diseases due to its anti-inflammatory properties. For dogs, the best way to consume dandelions is via water. This herb is easily available through grocery stores so you won’t have much problem finding it either. This method should definitely make a change in your dog’s health for good. But if it doesn’t, then it’s advised to reach out to a doctor.
Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is the worst possible disease your dog can suffer due to a UTI.
The most common type of bladder cancer is called Transitional Cell Carcinoma (TCC).
Studies show that more than 20% of dogs suffering from TCC bladder cancer have metastasis at the time of diagnosis.
Bladder cancer can also cause blood in the urine. All of this combined will make diagnosing a dog with bladder cancer quite difficult.
However, it all can be prevented by taking the right measures at the right time. So, here are the best cures for bladder cancer in dogs.
Cures
- Tumor Removal – Tumor removal is considered to be the best course of treatment for bladder cancer. We’re talking about the surgical method of tumor removal here. In this method, the dog’s veterinarian will make an extensive slit and remove the affected mass. After which, things will start to get better with your dog.
- Radiation Therapy – Radiation therapy is quite an effective way of treating cancers. In this method, high doses of radiation will terminate cancer cells present in your dog’s bladder. If things went right, then radiation therapy can quickly treat your dog to its former state.
Bladder Stones
Bladder stones can be utterly painful. Though that pain depends upon the size of the stone.
The size of these stones can range from sand-like grains to pebbles.
These stones can cause blocking of the flow of urine and irritation to the bladder wall.
Here’s the list of symptoms and causes for bladder stones:
Symptoms
- Painful Urination
- Interrupted Urine Flow
- Frequent Urination
- Bloody Urine
- Problem In Making Subtle Movements (especially running)
Causes
- Dirty food intake
- Bladder Inflammation
- Damaged nerves
Now, let’s finally take a look at the treatment courses for this disease.
Cures
- Dietary Dissolution – Dietary Dissolution is considered the best non-surgical method for curing bladder stones in dogs. By feeding your dog with specialized diets, bladder stones can be dissolved easily. You would however need professional help for setting up such formulated diets. After everything is set up, you just need to feed your dog with that diet in a timely manner. Doing this will result in the dissolution of the stone and your dog would be great again.
- Surgical Method – The surgical method is the quickest way of treating bladder stones in dogs. In a surgical procedure, the veterinarian will open the bladder so that the stones can be removed. Then after a few days of rest, your dog will be fine. It can however get more expensive in comparison to the Dietary Dissolution method.
Take Action As Your Dog’s UTI Symptoms Appear
Urinary Tract Infections can turn out to be a terrible experience for dogs.
You would need to take the right steps at the right time in order to prevent any damages to your dog’s health.
The key thing to remember is that the faster and sooner you will react, the better it would be.
So, just after you notice any UTI symptoms in your dog, make sure to call your veterinarian so that corrective measures can be taken.