Your beloved dog can’t speak to you about her/his troubles and therefore you have to keep a keen eye on her/his activities to check if s/he is in a top health condition. You may find certain symptoms in your dog which indicate that s/he is not alright. Urinary tract problems are quite common in dogs and cats. You have to observe your dog very carefully to understand them. Here are some common urinary health problems in dogs.
UTIs are very common in female dogs but they can be seen in any dog. Bladder infections are comparatively common, but when it comes to kidneys, the situation becomes more serious. A UTI can be diagnosed by your vet with the symptoms and a simple urinalysis; however, in more complicated cases, a urine culture, blood work or other diagnostic tests may be required. A correct antibiotic can treat a bladder infection well, but kidney infections make it often necessary to hospitalize the patient for antibiotics and IV fluid therapy. If urinary tract infections occur commonly, there may be a different underlying cause, which your vet will need to find and treat.
Stones can develop anywhere in the urinary tract of a dog but are commonest in bladder and kidneys. X-ray can find out bigger stones, but to find smaller ones, an abdominal ultrasound may be required.
Stones are made of various minerals, like calcium urate and oxalate, or struvite, and the treatment will depend on which type of stone is diagnosed. E.g. struvite stones can normally be dissolved by particular types of foods or urinary acidifiers. Surgery may be required to remove other kinds of stones.
At times, stones may be caught in the urethra which completely blocks passage of urine. This is an emergency and you should take the dog to your vet immediately. Aetapet.com has detailed information on kidney stones and other common diseases in dogs and cats, which you should read.
There are different types of canine urinary tract cancers among which bladder cancer is the commonest. It’s a malignant, aggressive cancer and diagnosed through a combination of ultrasound and/or x-rays, bladder tumor antigen testing, urinalysis, tissue biopsy and urine sediment cytology. Treatment may involve radiation, surgery, palliative care and chemotherapy.
A short duration kidney failure may occur in dogs due to various reasons like exposure to toxins, infection or other factors, but chronic kidney failure occurs slowly and often no particular cause can be discovered. During kidney failure, dogs usually drink and urinate more often than normal. They also stop eating, vomit, lose weight and become lethargic. In the long run, they may pass only a little urine or may not pass urine at all. A urinalysis and blood test may determine if there is kidney failure; but there may be additional tests to find out the underlying cause.
Treatment depends on a dog’s particular condition but usually involves medications along with fluid therapy and special diets.
Keep checking your dog’s behavior regularly to save her/him from any of the above diseases to avoid parting from your beloved furry friend.