# Is this a urinary tract infection? And how do dogs get UTIs?



## jesterjigger (Dec 12, 2008)

We already took Jilly to the vet and we have antibiotics, so don't worry about us seeking medical advice here instead of with a vet, but the vet was unable to get a urine sample and it was the local emergency clinic since our regular vet is closed so I thought I'd get input here. 

Last night Jilly threw up, we thought she might have found something on the floor that didn't sit well with her stomach, and since she seemed fine otherwise, chalked it up to a one time thing. 

Today I ellipticalled and showered while Jilly was in her pen with water and puppy pad. While I was in the bedroom for 2 hours she peed three times and threw up once. I took her out of the pen and cuddled her when I came back and she was shaking when I held her. She went right to sleep on the couch next to me and would shake periodically as she slept (not normal for her, it was so regular and wasn't "dreaming" quivering). She seemed kind of out of it, for her. 

DH was going to be home within 40 minutes so I decided to let her sleep and waited to see her reaction to him coming home. She did get off the couch, but she wasn't nearly as excited to see him as normal, she didn't jump around, mainly stood and whined at him from behind her pet gate. 

I told DH about her problems and he started calling vet clinics while I played with Jilly to see how she was, she played, but not nearly as "hard" as normal. She also peed right next to me while we were playing, when she hasn't had an accident in the house for 3 weeks (she normally goes to the door and rings her bell or stares us down til we get her. Sometimes she is *very* frantic to get taken outside. 

DH got the address and we headed out for the emergency clinic. The vet did an exam and said that the physical was good, but her bladder was empty so thaty couldn't do a urine sample and said that she most likely had a UTI, and that can cause stomach upset. Despite her bladder being empty she peed in the middle of the living room as soon as we got home (25 minutes after the vet exam), without even making a move to the door to let us know she needed to go out. (She's been out twice since then and went both times, once DH just took her out and the second she went to the door to signal she needed to go out).

She also sometimes needs to go out every 40-50 minutes when she's awake and playing. She's 16 weeks old now, we weren't sure if that's normal or if that's due to having a UTI, so I guess we'll see with the antibiotics. But do her symptoms sound similar to dogs you guys have had with a UTI? She did seem to be holding it longer than normal for the last couple of days when it was subzero outside, I wonder if that made the problem worse. 

And how do dogs get UTIs?


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## TexasRanger (Jul 27, 2008)

I hope your little girl feels better, here is something that might help.



> Most canine urinary tract infections are the result of a bacterial infection. Occasionally, they are caused by bladder stones or stones of the urinary tract (urolithiasis). There are a number of contributing factors that make a dog more susceptible to developing such infections. For example, female dogs are more likely to experience urinary tract infections than male dogs. This is due to the fact that a female dog's urethra is wider and shorter than a male dog's urethra. Dogs with other medical conditions, such as diabetes mellitus and hyperadrenocorticism, are also more prone to developing urinary tract infections. Additional contributing factors include urine retention or other abnormalities affecting urine flow, low urine concentration, and weaknesses of the dog's immune system


PS I've heard that cranberry works real well to prevent UTIs/kidney stones in humans, so ask your vet if you can start giving her some, along with drinking LOTS of water.


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