kidney disease dogs uti

Kidney Disease in Dogs: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment

Your dogs kidneys are essential organs that filter waste products from the bloodstream. When the kidneys are weakened, either by acute or chronic kidney disease, your dogs health could suffer. Because kidney disease progresses over time, its important to learn the common symptoms so tha you can recognize them. If you catch kidney disease in dogs early on, treatment can slow down the progression and allow your dog to live longer.

What Is Kidney Disease in Dogs?

Kidney disease in dogs is sometimes called renal or kidney insufficiency because it occurs when a dogs kidneys stop doing their job as efficiently as they should. The main job of the kidneys is to help clear and excrete waste products from the blood and convert them to urine, says Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinary Officer for the AKC. If the kidneys are not working properly, these waste products can build up in the blood, causing detrimental effects.

Dogs can get either acute kidney disease, which develops suddenly, or chronic kidney disease (CKD), which develops slowly and worsens over an extended period. Both involve loss of kidney function, but they result from different circumstances. Acute kidney disease is a sudden attack or injury to the kidney, whereas chronic kidney disease is a slow, degenerative loss of kidney function, Dr. Klein explains.

What Causes Kidney Disease in Dogs?

Dr. Klein warns that kidney disease could be caused by a lot of things, including infection (such as with the bacteria that causes leptospirosis), trauma, genetics, drugs, toxins, cancer, mechanical obstructions (like kidney stones), and degenerative diseases (where the job and form of the affected body part get worse over time). Anything that decreases blood flow to the kidneys, such as dehydration or heatstroke, can cause the kidneys to fail.

Acute kidney disease in dogs can be caused by exposure to hazardous materials, including toxic plants such as lilies, certain drugs, harmful foods such as grapes or raisins, or antifreeze. Puppy-proofing your home and yard can keep your dog away from potentially harmful items or foods that could be toxic.

Chronic kidney disease in dogs is also associated with growing older. Because kidney tissue cant regenerate once its damaged, the kidneys can wear out over time. As small-breed dogs often live longer than large-breed dogs, they tend to show early signs of kidney disease at an older age10 years old or more, compared to as young as 7 for the large breeds.

What Are the Symptoms of Kidney Disease in Dogs?

The earliest signs of kidney disease in dogs are increased urination and therefore increased thirst. Other symptoms dont usually become apparent until about two-thirds of the kidney tissue is destroyed. So, in the case of CKD, the damage may have begun months or even years before the owner notices. Because of this, its common for the signs of kidney disease in dogs to seem like they came out of the blue when in fact, the kidneys have been struggling for a long time.

Other signs of chronic kidney disease in dogs to watch for include:

Dr. Klein says there are some rarer symptoms of kidney disease in dogs to be aware of, as well. On occasion, there can be abdominal painurinary obstructions or stonesand in certain instances, one can see ulcers in the oral or gastric cavity. In extreme cases, little or no urine is produced at all.

What Are the Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease in Dogs?

Kidney disease in dogs is measured in stages. Many veterinarians use the IRIS scale, which has four stages. Blood work measurements like creatinine and SDMA (biomarkers for kidney function) allow your vet to assign your dog to a particular stage which will determine the exact treatment.

Dr. Klein explains, The stages determine how well the kidneys can filter waste and extra fluid from the blood. As the stages go up, the kidney function worsens. In the early stages of CKD, the kidneys are still able to filter out waste from the blood. In the latter stages, the kidneys must work harder to filter the blood and in late stages may stop working altogether.

How Is Kidney Disease in Dogs Treated?

Dialysis (a medical procedure that removes waste products and extra fluid from the blood) is far more common in humans than in dogs, although peritoneal (kidney) dialysis can be performed in some cases. On rare occasions, surgical kidney transplant is possible in dogs.

But Dr. Klein specifies that depending on the type and stage of kidney disease, the main treatments for CKD are diet changes and administration of fluids, either directly into the veins (intravenous) or under the skin (subcutaneous). The balancing and correction of electrolytes are extremely important in the management of kidney patients, he explains.

Proper nutrition is needed, and there are many available diets formulated for cats and dogs with kidney issues, some by prescription only. Your veterinarian can help guide you to the most appropriate diet for your pet.

Because kidney disease, particularly in the late stages, can cause a dog to lose their appetite, it can be difficult to encourage your dog to eat enough. Dr. Klein advises, There are medications used as appetite stimulators available, such as the prescription drug mirtazapine. Capromorelin has recently been FDA-approved for dogs to address appetite in chronic kidney disease.

When Do You Need to Call Your Vet?

The prognosis and expected life span for a dog with kidney disease depend on the type of disease, the speed of progression, and underlying conditions present in the dog. However, the more serious the disease, the poorer the outcome. Thats why its so crucial to catch the illness early on.

According to Dr. Klein, In chronic kidney disease, there are methods, such as diets and medications, that can be used to lessen the burden of work the kidneys need to do and may help slow down the progression from one stage to the next. In acute kidney disease, there is less time and fewer choices available to prevent further damage to the kidneys and to try to jump-start the kidneys to get them to function normally.

Regular veterinary exams, including bloodwork, are an excellent way to spot kidney problems before the outward symptoms become apparent. And if you notice any of the above signs, dont hesitate to get your dog to the vet for further testing. It can make a huge difference in preserving kidney function and your dogs well-being for as long as possible.

Does Your Dog Have UTI Symptoms or Something Worse?

You and your dog might not agree about how many treats a day they should get. But you can certainly agree that urinary tract infections (UTI) are a pain. Urinary tract infections are uncomfortable at best, and downright dangerous at worst.

In most cases, these infections resolve with treatment and do not cause any lasting damage. In other cases, a dogs supposed UTI symptoms could be indicative of more serious conditions, such as poisoning or cancer. Staying informed and educated about symptoms is important for any dog owner.

What Is a UTI?

As with humans, a UTI in dogs refers to an infection of the urinary tract. The most common causes of UTIs in dogs are bacterial. In fact,bacterial urinary tract infections are the most commonly occurring infectious disease in dogs, period. Bacterial UTIs affect 14 percent of all dogs throughout their lifetimes. That means the odds are comparatively high that your dog could experience a UTI at some point in their life.

Most dogs get UTIs when normal skin and gastrointestinal (GI) tract flora get past the urinary tracts defenses. These bacteria then colonize the urinary tract, leading to an infection. E. coli is the most common bacterial cause of UTIs, but several bacteria and even some fungi can cause infections.

Some factors could increase your dogs risk of getting a UTI. Female dogs are more likely to get UTIs than males, but male dogs may still get them. UTIs also have an increased rate of occurrence in dogs with other health problems, such as chronic kidney disease and Cushings disease.

Symptoms of UTI in Dogs

Some common UTI symptoms include:

• Bloody and/or cloudy urine
• Straining or whimpering during urination
• Accidents in the house
• Needing to be let outside more frequently
• Licking around the urinary opening
• Fever

Sometimes, however, dogs dont show any symptoms of a UTI at all. In these instances, your veterinarian might discover the infection while testing for other things.

For symptomatic dogs, these signs could point toward a possible UTI. However, there are some more serious conditions that your veterinarian will want to rule out first.

When UTI Symptoms Are Something Worse

Urinary tract infections are serious enough on their own. If left untreated, they can lead to dysfunction of the lower urinary tract, kidney or bladder stones, inflammation of the prostate gland, infertility, blood poisoning, and even kidney infection and kidney failure. Likewise, some symptoms could be a sign of something far more serious than even a UTI.

Bloody Urine

One of the most alarming symptoms of a UTI is blood. If you think there is blood in your dogs urine, contact your veterinarian immediately. While this could be a sign of a UTI, it also could be a sign of the following conditions:

• Poisoning
• Kidney disease
• Trauma
• Cancer
• Stones in the urinary tract

Certain types of rodent poison can lead to platelet breakdown, which can be fatal. The faster your dog is seen by a doctor, the better their prognosis. You can also check your dog for other symptoms of anemia, such as pale gums or dark, bloody stools.

Bloody urine could also be a sign of trauma. Car accidents, dog fights, or slight injuries dont always leave obvious signs, but there could be internal damage to your dogs organs.

Stones in the kidney, bladder, or elsewhere in the urinary tract are painful for your dog. They may also lead to scarring and even obstruction of your dogs urethra, which is a veterinary emergency.

Difficulty Urinating

Difficulty urinating, or an inability to urinate, is a medical emergency. It can lead to a rupture in your dogs bladder, and if left untreated can be fatal, so make sure you call your veterinarian immediately if you notice this symptom.

There are several possible causes of difficult urination, including the following:

• Urinary tract infection
• Obstructions
• Scar tissue in the urinary tract
• Spinal cord injuries or disease
• Trauma
• Cancer
• Prostate disease

Your veterinarian is the person best equipped to deal with this dangerous situation. As with bloody urine, trauma and obstructions can be fatal if not treated, and scar tissue in the urinary tract could be the result of chronic urinary tract infections or other diseases.

Spinal cord injuries or conditions can affect the nerves that control your dogs bladder, and trauma or degenerative diseases may require immediate treatment to keep your dog comfortable. Certain breeds of dogs, such as German Shepherd Dogs, are at an increased risk for these diseases.

Prostate disease affects male dogs, especially intact males, and can be the result of infection, abscesses, trauma, or cancer.

Changes in Urination Habits

Like it or not, most of us are attuned to our dogs elimination habits. Many of us have been caught in the act of examining our dogs poop by non-dog owners, and the same goes for urination. This attention to detail is more than just excessive caring it can help your veterinarian diagnose a medical condition before it gets out of hand.

Changes in your dogs urination habits always necessitate a visit to your veterinarian. While accidents in the house could be a behavioral issue, they could also be a sign of a serious medical condition. Accidents or increased frequency in urination may be symptoms of diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushings disease, cancer, trauma, or urinary tract infections, just to name a few possible conditions. Your vet my suggest certain supplements or medications.

Bladder Cancer

Nothing is as alarming to a dog owner as the possibility of cancer. Luckily, bladder cancer is rare in dogs. But owners should still be aware of the symptoms of bladder cancer, especially if they own a breed predisposed to the condition, such asScottish Terriers, Shetland Sheepdogs, West Highland White Terriers, Beagles, and Wire Fox Terriers.

Recurrent urinary tract infections, or urinary tract symptoms, can be a sign of bladder cancer. The most common kind of bladder cancer is a cancer called transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). These cancers are very invasive and have a high incidence of metastasis. Early detection can often improve your dogs prognosis.

Bladder cancer can cause both UTIs and UTI symptoms, which can make it tricky to diagnose. Tumors can obstruct the flow of urine, leading to difficulty urinating. Cancer can also cause blood in the urine. Combined with the likelihood of a UTI on top of this, diagnosing a dog with bladder cancer can be tricky. Veterinarians look for other risk factors, such as age and breed.Additional diagnostic tests, like radiographs and ultrasounds, may be performed to look for blockages, tumors, or other causes for your dogs symptoms.

Currently, a study by the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine is screening dog urine for markers of TCC as well as urothelial carcinoma (UC). As part of this study, the CADET BRAF Mutation Detection Assay is being utilized to screen dog urine, in an attempt to hopefully diagnose cancer prior todogs developing warning signs.

The best course of treatment for cancers of the urinary tract is tumor removal. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy can also be beneficial, and your veterinarian will help manage recurrent bacterial yeast infections.

UTI Symptoms? Call Your Veterinarian

Whether your dogs UTI symptoms are just a UTI or something more, its important to find out for sure. If your dog is exhibiting UTI symptoms, your best bet is to call your veterinarian sooner rather than later.