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Dog Bacterial Cystitis.
Symptoms and cures for dog bacterial cystitis to help maintain a healthy dog.
DBT highly recommends the The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health! ebook when learning to look after your dog or pet.
Dog Bacterial Cystitis Symptoms
1. Struggling to produce any urine.
2. Going to the toilet allot more often than usual.
3. Small amounts of blood in the small amount of urine that is produced.
What Causes Dog Bacterial Cystitis?
Cystitis is a very common infection in humans and dogs alike and is more common in females.
Bacterial cystitis in dogs is caused by a bacterial infection of the bladder, and is more common in females due to the shorter distance the bacteria needs to travel up the urethra (the tube connecting the penis/vagina to the bladder) in order to reach the bladder. The main source of bacteria in most cases will be from the anus because of the short distance between the anus and vagina especially in females.
Then after the unwanted bacterium has reached the bladder it will then need to travel to the thin outer wall of muscle that forms the bladder, where the infection can worsen. At this point the mild acids in your dog's urine will try and fight and stop the infection to maintain a healthy body.
When this natural defence system fails and there are not enough acids in the urine that the infection will begin to worsen, become inflamed, and start a burning sensation in the dog's bladder and may cause microscopic blood vessels to rupture and leak into the urine to give a reddish pink tint . Your dog's body's natural response to this is to contract the bladder muscles leaving the bladder in a constant state of spasm.
When a dog's bladder is in this state it will simulate the feeling of wanting to urinate and any small amounts of urine that does reach the bladder will quickly fill the contracted and smaller bladder causing a similar effect.
What Your Vet May Say or Do
When a vet is presented with a dog with possible case of bacterial cystitis they will probably suggest you bring them a urine sample to test for blood cells, acidic (pH) levels, and glucose in the urine.
Finding blood vessels in the urine sample confirms that there is inflammation of the bladder so other treatments can be correctly diagnosed to combat the situation.
Glucose in the urine sample may encourage bacteria growth. If any glucose is present then this will show your dog may have mild diabetes and different treatment will be needed to correct the issue and make them less prone to cystitis.
If the pH levels in your dog's urine are too high then it may not contain sufficient acid levels to combat any bacteria, again making your dog more prone to bacterial cystitis and needing further treatment such as different foods and drinks to lower the pH level.
After this test your vet may want to do further tests to check for the presence of microscopic bladder stones (crystals) or abnormal cells like tumor cells by giving your dog an ultrasound scan, x-ray, or inserting a camera (endoscopy) to view the bladder.
Once these procedures have been done the vet will be able to diagnose the best antibiotics and inflammatory medication to use for the specific case and dog patient.
Other Possible Conditions
Dog Stranguria (Straining to Pass Urine)
Dog Cystitis with Bladder Stones (Crystals)
Dog Bladder Tumor
Dog Prostatitis (Prostate Gland Infections)
Dog Prostatic Hypertrophy (Enlarged Prostate Glands)
Dog Prostatic Tumors
Dog Penis and Vagina Infections and Inflammation