Even dogs can get urinary tract infections or UTIs. If you have ever gotten a UTI, you will know just how painful it can be, and how much it can distract you from doing your work and enjoying your day. If you think that your puppy has a urinary tract infection, here are some ways to deal with the situation.
- Symptoms. First of all, you should acquaint yourself with the symptoms of UTIs in puppies and in dogs. One of the first signs that a dog has this infection is if he has blood in his urine. Blood in urine usually indicates very severe urinary tract infections, since it means that the infection has already reached the bladder itself, and not simply the vessels leading to the bladder. Other signs of urinary tract infections are difficulty in urinating, pain in the lower abdomen, and frequent urination. If your dog tends to whine whenever he is trying to urinate, or if he squeals out in pain whenever you hold him up by his abdomen, the cause may be a UTI.
- Environment. Consider the environmental factors surrounding your puppy. Remember that puppies are a bit different from humans. Humans do not urinate and defecate in the grass, and they do not roll and run around naked in the yard. Dogs, however, love doing this, especially puppies. When the puppy rolls in the grass, the dirt from the ground can cause bacterial infections that can travel up to the dog’s urinary tract, causing the infection. To prevent this, make sure that you keep the yard in tip top condition. If you have an indoor dog, also make sure that you keep the surroundings as clean as possible, especially his litter box.
- Diagnosis. Unlike humans who cannot talk, you will rely mainly on physical behaviors to determine whether your dog might possibly have a urinary tract infection or not. Once you think that he has the infection however, you should bring him to the vet immediately to get a more in-depth diagnosis. There are some dogs whose UTIs are caused by other factors such as diseases like diabetes. If this happens to be the case for your puppies, the only way to prevent a recurrence of the UTI is by curing the underlying symptom itself.
- Treatment. Just like a normal infection, one of the common treatments for dogs how have urinary tract infections is to use antibiotics. The same antibiotics that are used for humans or even older dogs will not apply for puppies however, because puppies have much smaller bodies. You will need to get prescription antibacterial drugs from the vet, and you need to carefully administer these in the correct dosage to ensure that your puppy does not get overdosed from the medication. The vet should also be able to provide you with other helpful tips, such as improving your puppy’s water intake, isolating him from other puppies to prevent infection, et cetera.
Seeing your cute little puppy suffering from a UTI can be very
difficult, especially if you are a hardcore animal lover. With these,
you should be able to deal with the UTI and improve your puppy’s
condition.