UTI in Female Dogs

[Sun Sprite]

I have a ten to twelve year old border collie who is prone to fear pee. Poor child, the wind was blowing so hard a couple of days ago, I was sure those spots on the cover were just fear pee. She had three such spots all day. Next morning, there was obvious blood. I had her at the vet' office as soon as they opened. Poor girl she actually wanted to go to the vet. She even let me get a pee sample for them to test.

She definitely had a UTI. Now, did I miss it for a day? Or did the fear of the wind, and actual fear peeing actually lead to irritation causing the UTI? I'll never know. I do know we have been keeping her inside the last few days because of the ridiculously low temperatures outside.

I know how painful those are, sure wish she wasn't haven't them.

[Juniper138]

http://www.pet-yard.com/dogs-urinary...infections.php

[Chicory_Witch]

Poor old girl, sounds like my mom's dog. Border collie about to turn 13 in February, he's losing his mind though among other things.

Hope she gets feeling better soon, from all the peeing it sounds like she had it the day before you noticed it, it just added to the fear peeing.

[Rae'ya]

Originally Posted by Sun Sprite

I have a ten to twelve year old border collie who is prone to fear pee. Poor child, the wind was blowing so hard a couple of days ago, I was sure those spots on the cover were just fear pee. She had three such spots all day. Next morning, there was obvious blood. I had her at the vet' office as soon as they opened. Poor girl she actually wanted to go to the vet. She even let me get a pee sample for them to test.

She definitely had a UTI. Now, did I miss it for a day? Or did the fear of the wind, and actual fear peeing actually lead to irritation causing the UTI? I'll never know. I do know we have been keeping her inside the last few days because of the ridiculously low temperatures outside.

I know how painful those are, sure wish she wasn't haven't them.

Don't feel badly, Sun Sprite, you did the right thing, and I've had lots of clients who leave these things much longer than one day before bringing their pets to see us. The fact that she gets excitement/anxiety urination makes it difficult for you to know that something is wrong when there are her normal fear triggers around. I probably would have made the exact same assumption, and the reality is that the infection is usually brewing in there for a few days before you notice anything anyway, so one day wouldn't have made a difference to whether she got the UTI or not.

I think it was likely a combination of increased stress/fear at the weather, and the fact that she's been indoors more than usual. Being indoors for a few days if that's not her normal routine may have caused her to drink less, and would have changed her normal toileting routine. Holding the urine in the bladder for longer than normal can cause irritation. Plus given that she sounds like a nervous girl, changes to her normal routine can have bigger consequences on her than a more laid back dog. Cystitis in women is generally triggered by stress, and it's the same in dogs. Sometimes there's no real 'reason' that they pick it up, but we do tend to see it in the nervous ones more often than others.

There may also be a dietary component... the urine can be more acidic because of the way the body metabolises it's food, so sometimes if they become recurring then we look at adjusting the diet to help keep the pH balance of the urine more normal. The urine test the vet did should have included a pH reading, and if you do a follow up test after the antibiotics course (which I would recommend), it will tell you if the urine has come back to 'normal' or if you might need to make some follow up changes or additions to her normal diet.

I hope this clears up for her quickly, and it sounds like you're doing what you can to make her more comfortable. If you like, you can try to encourage her to drink more by making some chicken or fish broth (with actual chicken, not with stock/boullion cubes, as they're usually quite salty) or flavouring her water with a tiny touch of milk (providing she's not reactive to lactose) or honey. Also make sure that you're taking her outside to pee plenty of times during the day, and don't just rely on her telling you that she wants to go out. She might not tell you until she's really busting, and letting the bladder get full can exacerbate cystitis and UTIs.