1. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
Dog urinary infections are not unusual. Female dog urinary tract infections are more common than urinary tract infections in male dogs. There are several types of bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections in dogs. Dogs suffering from urinary tract infections may have accidents in the house when they are otherwise housebroken. Dogs may also display frequent urination, strain to urinate or appear to be in pain. Treatment for urinary tract infections usually involves a course of antibiotics prescribed by your veterinarian. Urinary tract infections are easily diagnoses, so complications are rare, however, left untreated urinary tract infections can cause kidney infections and kidney disease.
2. Canine Incontinence
There are several types of dog urinary incontinence. There is urge, stress, paradoxical, overflow, hormone responsive and urethral sphincter incontinence. Some incontinence is a product of spaying and neutering, particularly after a female is spade. Treatment of canine incontinence varies based on what is causing the dog's incontinence in the first place. Treatment can include surgery or it could be as simple as adding a hormone to the dog's diet to help restore muscle control, this is a much more common treatment for female dogs. Also, dogs that develop incontinence as a symptom of diabetes will most likely have their incontinence cured with the addition of insulin to treat the diabetes.
3. Canine Bladder Stones
While commonly known as canine bladder stones, the proper medical term is urolithiasis. Bladder stones can develop in the bladder, the kidneys or the urethra. Canine bladder stones are usually in the bladder, as their name implies, 85% of time. There are several types of bladder stones that a dog can develop. There are struvite stones, which develop from magnesium ammonium phosphate due to a bacterial infection. Other stones include calcium oxalate, calcium apatite, cystine or ammonium urate. These types of stones develop when a mineral separates from the urine and then other minerals attach to the crystal over time. Bladder stones can lead to a blocked urethra making it impossible for the dog to empty its bladder. Surgery may be necessary to treat the bladder stone. Following surgery changes in the dog's diet will be necessary to prevent more bladder stones from developing.
Symptoms of all these common canine urinary issues are similar. The symptoms include uncharacteristic accidents in the house, straining to urinate, inability to urinate, clear discomfort while urinating and then as the symptoms progress, dogs may stop eating or begin vomiting. Usually a urinalysis done by your veterinarian will lead to an accurate diagnosis of your dog's symptoms. With proper diagnosis treatment of your dog and a full recovery are possible.