October 9th, 2020

Abnormal urination in dogs can be a life-threatening emergency that needs immediate veterinary care, or it can be easily treated with antibiotics as a result of infection.

To keep your dog in good health, it helps to understand what might cause painful urination in your dog and to know when you should see the vet right away.

The causes of abnormal urination could be varied, but the common signs include:

You'll need to take your dog to the vet immediately if your pet produces only a few drops of urine -- or none -- when they try to urinate. Don't wait: being unable to urinate can quickly result in serious illness for your dog or even death.

• Bladder Infection

While your dog's bladder is normally a sterile place, sometimes bacteria can climb from the genital area into the bladder, leading to infection and inflammation. Symptoms of a bladder infection is pretty much like what mentioned above, but some dogs may show no symptoms at all.

Treatment for simple bladder infections is usually 10-14 days of antibiotics, with symptom improvement often within the first few days. Sometimes the urine is cultured to determine which antibiotic will work best. Dog owners should always be sure your dog completes the entire course of antibiotics your vet prescribed in case of relapse.

• Urinary Crystals and Stones

Sometimes the naturally occurring minerals in your dog's urine can clump together, forming crystals or stones. Many things can cause the minerals to clump, including an infection, medication, genetics, diet, how often your dog urinates, and how much water they drink.

Symptoms of urinary stones can vary depending on whether they're in the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra, but apart from the signs listed above, dogs may also show symptoms of vomiting, fatigue, as well as abdominal or kidney pain. And they may lick their genital area more often.

Treating stones depends on where they're located. Measures may include medication, surgery, or a change in diet. Treatment may also involve antibiotics if the crystals or stones are the result of an infection.

• Prostate Problems

There are several reasons for an enlarged prostate in dogs, including tumors, cysts, enlargement because of hormones in dogs that have not been neutered, and infection.

If the enlargement is caused by infection, signs may involve drinking more water and needing to urinate more often. Treating an enlarged prostate depends on its cause.

There are other, less common causes of painful urinary problems in dogs, including tumors in the bladder or urethra, scar tissue development, a fractured penis (rare), or trauma.

• Observation

If you think your dog may have a problem with abnormal urination, start by watching closely when they urinate. Is the stream steady and strong or weak, or does it come out in fits and starts?

Now look at your dog's genitals: Is there redness, swelling, signs of scratching or biting? Is your dog constantly licking the urinary opening? Other signs your dog may have a urinary tract problem include bloody or cloudy urine, crying or straining to pass urine, pain, fever, a strong odor to the urine, and more. If you see these or any other worrying symptoms, take your dog to the vet right away.

• Balanced nutrition

The food your dog eats plays an important role in its overall health and well-being. When your dog has urinary bladder stones, it is even more important to feed the right dog food. Foods high in magnesium, phosphorus, protein and calcium have been linked to stone formation. Veterinarians believe feeding your dog a food with restricted amounts of these minerals can assist in the dissolution of some types of stones that have formed in his urinary tract.

For accurate diagnosis and treatment options, always consult your veterinarian and ask them to recommend the best food for your dog’s urinary tract health.