Canine bladder infection causes frequent discomfort to our four-legged friends. The basic cause of the infection is bacteria from the external environment entering through the urethra and proliferating in the interior lining of a dog’s bladder (also known as the urine pouch or sac). Canine bladder infection causes inflammation, discomfort, and difficulty with urination.

Most dogs come into contact with the bacteria that cause canine bladder infection, but not all dogs actually suffer from the inflammation and discomfort of infection.

Female dogs are more susceptible than males to canine bladder infection (also known as urinary tract infection or acute cystitis). Females have shorter urethras than males, providing a shorter channel for transmission of bacteria from the outside environment to the interior lining of the bladder.

A number of factors—in addition to gender differences—contribute to the chances that our friends will suffer from canine bladder infection. Among the most common are these:

·       Erratic urination and infrequent elimination of bacteria buildup from the canine     bladder and urinary system;

·       House training practices that instill anxiety about the need to urinate;

·       Poor quality diets and erratic supplies of fresh drinking water;

·       Infrequent and poor quality exercise;

·       Environmental exposure to e. coli bacteria and e. coli related enzymes;

·       Underlying medical conditions, including Cushing’s disease, tumors, bladder stones, weight gain, kidney infections, and compromised immune systems.

·       Age.

The causes of canine bladder infection can often be traced to a dog’s training and care, to its environment, or to the status of its overall health.

Human impatience with house training can teach a puppy to associate fear with its natural urge to urinate. The puppy’s urination anxiety can cause it to void erratically or incompletely. As it grows, the habitual retention of urine in the canine urine pouch can contribute to the establishment of an internal environment that is ideal for the proliferation of bacteria. A dog with proliferating bacteria in its bladder and urinary tract often suffers from acute or recurrent infection, inflammation, and discomfort.

              Other care issues contributing to canine bladder disease include human failure to supply a reliable and adequate supply of fresh drinking water or a balanced, high quality diet. Clean, fresh drinking water is essential for the healthy regulation of a dog’s urinary system, and a quality diet is essential for the maintenance of a healthy immune system. Regular and adequate exercise is a third component of quality care. The fourth component is provision of a clean, comfortable living space. Inadequacies in any of these care and environmental areas can predispose canines to infection.

              A final factor contributing to the occurrence of infections in the bladder sacs of dogs is the animal’s age and overall health. Older, sedentary dogs and dogs with chronic medical problems offer less resistant targets for bacterial infection than healthy, active dogs.

              Infection in the urinary tracts and bladders of dogs is caused by bacteria. Through failure to understand the most common contributing factors, however, humans often contribute to the likelihood of infection–through participation in uninformed (and ineffective) training practices, through provision of inappropriate living quarters and the withholding of attention when dogs signal a need to urinate, and through failure to ensure adequate exercise and an optimal supply of high-quality nutrition and fresh water.

Canine Bladder Infection: Symptoms

              Not all dogs with bladder infections exhibit obvious symptoms of infection, but many do,

              Because canine bladder infections frequently cause inflammation and a painful, burning sensation in a dog’s lower urinary tract, some of the most common symptoms of the disease include incontinence and urination in inappropriate places, brief or interrupted urination, changes in the frequency of urination, urination on the run, cloudy and foul-smelling urine, and urine contaminated with traces of blood. Additional symptoms include increased demands for attention, dehydration, lethargy, weakness, restlessness, and increased thirst.

Appetite loss, vomiting, and fever also sometimes indicate a possibility of canine bladder infection, but these symptoms are less frequently associated with the disease than those summarized above. On rare occasions, dogs with severe bladder infections stop urinating altogether; these animals require emergency veterinary attention.

Veterinarians look for the presence of bacteria and blood in urine samples to confirm symptomatic diagnosis of canine bladder infection. In addition, they evaluate pH levels, look for the presence of white blood cells, and check for other abnormalities in the urine. They may send urine samples to laboratories for culturing and analysis. Occasionally, they request diagnostic ultrasounds or X-rays to check for internal lower urinary tract and bladder conditions that contribute to bacterial growth and infection.

Only dogs themselves are normally aware of the physical discomfort often associated with canine bladder infection—a painful, burning sensation associated with urination. They often express this discomfort through behavior. Sensitive owners are alert to changes in canine behavior and seek professional diagnosis and therapeutic intervention as warranted. How would you respond to the following symptomatic behaviors in your dog?

·       Your housebroken and fastidious four-year-old Golden Retriever unaccountably  begins urinating in small amounts on the carpet around your house.

·       Your Chesapeake Labrador–no spring pup—starts to strain each time she urinates. She also only urinates only in small amounts—outside–but she wants to be let out more frequently than ever.

·       Your Toy Poodle can’t seem to get enough water; she’s always thirsty and seems obsessed with water.

·       Your rescue dog is alternately listless and restless–either lethargic in her basket or demanding to go for walks to relieve herself at unconventional and inconvenient times.

·       Your Airedale Terrier has started to urinate with sudden spurts of running, looking back at you with a guilty, perhaps shamed expression.

·       Your Shetland Sheepdog passes only a very small amount of urine each time she tries to relieve herself, and the urine she does pass smells foul and appears cloudy.

While not all dogs with bladder infections exhibit these obvious symptoms, many do. Knowledgeable owners interpret unusual behavioral signals and unaccountable behavioral changes as possible indications for veterinary review and professional  treatment. Even when canine bladder infection is diagnosed through urine analysis and antibiotics are prescribed, owners may wish to consider introducing changes to their dogs’ diets and implementing other changes to enhance the immune systems of their pets.

Sensitive owners, in summary, spare their four-legged friends unnecessary discomfort and the chance of additional complications by remaining alert to signature behavioral changes and by responding quickly to early signs of canine bladder infection,

Canine Bladder Infection: Complications

              Medical complications stemming from canine bladder infection are usually associated with either inappropriate treatment or with complete lack of treatment. Possible complications include development of bladder or kidney stones, added stress to a dog’s weakened immune system, renal failure, prostrate infection, septicemia (infection of the bloodstream and other body organs), and development of drug-resistant bacteria.

              An acute case of suspected canine bladder infection must be referred to a veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. In order to treat a dog with bladder infection symptoms appropriately, the veterinarian must obtain and analyze a sample of the dog’s urine. The presence of white blood cells or bacteria in the sample can indicate infection. The veterinarian should then culture the sample to conduct antibiotic sensitivity tests and prescribe an effective antibiotic course of treatment.

              Veterinarians who prescribe medications for canine bladder infections without first analyzing the antibiotic sensitivity of the bacteria found in the urine culture risk contributing to the growth of drug-resistant bacteria. In addition, this trial-and-error approach to antibiotic medication can lead to such complications as the development of drug-resistant kidney infections or the development of weakened immune systems accompanied by secondary infection. At the very least, the four-legged patients of veterinarians who prescribe antibiotics for canine bladder infection without analyzing urine cultures can suffer unnecessary discomfort and an unnecessarily diminished quality of life.

Just as they can be helpful in diagnosis and in determining an appropriate course of treatment, urine cultures after treatment can also minimize the chances of complication by confirming the efficacy of the intervention. Follow-up testing of urine samples can be especially beneficial in treating resistant or recurrent cases of canine bladder infection.

Owners who prematurely discontinue appropriately prescribed courses of antibiotics also run risks of contributing to the proliferation of treatment-resistant strains of bacteria and contributing to the possibility of infection complications. In fact, the risks associated with inadequate or inappropriate treatment of canine bladder infection are similar to those associated with a complete lack of treatment. These include:

·       Risk of prostate infection;

·       Risk of kidney infection (possibly fatal);

·       Risk of drug-resistant infection and the development of chronic, hard-to-treat, recurrent urinary tract disease;

·       Risk of compromised immune system functioning and a susceptibility to secondary infection;

·       Risk of bladder crystal formation and bladder or kidney stone formation with an associated urinary obstruction;

·       Risk of complete cessation of urination (a medical emergency);

·       Risk of septicemia (a systemic infection caused by bacteria in the bloodstream and the subsequent bacterial invasion of various organs throughout the body, including the heart).

The bad news is that complications associated with canine bladder infection—a common ailment–can be painful, debilitating, and sometimes even fatal. The good news is that these complications are almost always preventable through proper care, close attention, and appropriate treatment.

Canine Bladder Infection: Prevention/Remedy/Treatment

The prognosis is good for dogs diagnosed and treated early for canine bladder infection. The standard treatment is a precise course of oral antibiotics prescribed by a qualified veterinarian and administered in accordance with directions, typically for a period of 10-14 days.

Supplementary treatments and adjustments to lifestyle and diet can also be beneficial—both in supporting a dog’s recovery from canine bladder infection and in preventing infection recurrence:

·       Water: Dogs should be provided access to an ample supply of clean drinking water at all times; their bowls should be kept clean; they should be discouraged from drinking outside (where water is frequently contaminated by pollutants and microorganisms).

·       Urination: Dogs must be given frequent and regular opportunities to flush their systems through natural urination.

·       pH Levels: The acidity in a dog’s urine can be increased by adding diluted cranberry juice, orange juice, lime juice, or ascorbic acid to its drinking water. This change in pH level disturbs resident bacteria and is often beneficial to dogs receiving standard antibiotic treatment for canine bladder infection. It is also beneficial as a preventative measure. (The juice should always be diluted and pure with no added sugar.) Another method of adjusting the pH levels and creating an environment hostile to infection in a dog’s bladder and urine is by occasionally adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar to its water.

·       Exercise: All dogs benefit from regular exercise, but those suffering from bladder infections should be allowed to exercise less strenuously until they recover.

·       Homeopathy: Some dog owners report great success in treating canine bladder infections with homeopathic medications–both as a “stand-alone” treatment and as an adjunct to antibiotic treatment.

·       Diet and Diet Supplementation: In many dogs, nutritional deficiencies undermine the efficacy of immune system functioning. Bacterial invasions can signal a need for dietary adjustments.

A high-quality dog food should be nutritionally balanced, free of chemicals, and rich in antioxidants. A few are.

But not many.

Even so, the immune-enhancing qualities of all commercial dog foods are boosted by NuVet Plus^TM, a proprietary pet supplement scientifically developed to give dogs the nutrition they need by providing a synergetic combination of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and herbs.

A number of NuVet Plus^TM ingredients are considered especially helpful in strengthening immune systems and in preventing and treating canine bladder infections:

·       Vitamin A promotes the immune response by contributing to the health of the mucous membranes.

·       Vitamin C stimulates the function of key immune cells, including the white blood cells.

·       Vitamin E, an antioxidant, protects cells against damage from free radicals, the unstable oxygen molecules widely implicated in immune system degradation.

·       Rich in protein and containing nearly two dozen trace minerals, Blue Green Algae promotes healing, purifies the blood, and strengthens the immune system.

·       Cat’s Claw (Una de Gato) cleanses the intestinal tract, enhances the action of white blood cells, and acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

·       Iron promotes maintenance of a healthy immune system.

·       Shark Cartilage, an anti-inflammatory, wound-healing agent, protects against bacterial infection.

·       Zinc, functioning as an antioxidant, promotes healthy immune responses.