The usual manner in which veterinarians will treat a dog urinary tract infection is with antibiotics. The infection is caused initially by bacterial growth within the bladder but if it goes untreated it will travel down to the urinary tract resulting in most often a painful and stubborn condition to manage. In understanding this condition one must consider the fact that there is always bacteria present in this area of the dog's body but only a certain kind of bacteria will lead to infection. Infection's of the urinary tract are more common in female dogs than in males.
Signs of a Urinary Tract Infection
There are multiple signs that may indicate an infection in the dog's urinary tract. They include:
- visible blood in the urine
- a noticeable lack of energy, fatigue or lethargy
- fever
- a particularly pungent odor that emanates from the urine
- painful or difficulty urinating
- a stomach that is tender to the touch
- and a frequency of urinating in inappropriate places
Types of Antibiotics
The most commonly prescribed antibiotics for a urinary tract infection are amoxicillan or more commonly called claramox and ampicillin, although on occasion the treating veterinarian may also use:
- cephalexin
- ceftiofur
- emofloxacin
- gentamicin
- nitrofurantoin
- tetracycline
- trimethoprim
Not all antibiotics provide effective relief for all dogs and as a result it may take some trial and error before the appropriate medication is found. Sometimes through the course of the dog's life it will develop an infection on more than one occasion and initially finding the correct medication will be beneficial towards treating any other ailments of this nature the dog may develop.
Possible Medication Side Effects
In using any type of medication including antibiotics there is always the risk of side effects. Some of the side effects for the treatment of a dog's urinary tract infection are:
- in the initial stages of the use of oral antibiotics there may be lethargy where the dog just doesn't feel well
- since the antibiotics kills both the good bacteria and the bad bacteria there may be an imbalance within the digestive tract and as a result the dog may begin to vomit
- there may be loose stools or the dog may experience diarrhea
- if the medication is over used the dog may develop a resistance to the antibiotics resulting in a delay in time of treatment while multiple antibiotics are tried in an attempt to determine what one will work effectively.
Time Frame for Use of Medication
The duration for using the medication to treat the infection is 10 to 14 days. For the most part the symptoms of the problem will be resolved within one or two days but the medication should be continued for the full two weeks. The reason for this is that even though it may seem the ailment has cleared up there is still the risk of re-infection. There is also the concern that there are multiple bacterial infections at the same time and as a result the medication requires time to treat each and every bacteria present.