Canine Bladder Infection Symptoms | Dog 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, canines 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 diagnoses 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.

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