If you have a difficult house teaching your Shih Tzu puppy and she often urinates in the house, the problem may not be your puppy’s ability to learn, but rather as an underscore, called a urinary tract infection. This condition is more common in female dogs, but the appearance in males is increasing.
Signs of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Signs are not the same for all dogs, but if most of the following are present, your dog may suffer from UTI.
- Bad smelling urine
- Blood in urine
- Cloudy or dark urine
- Increase urination
- Difficulty urinating
- Low energy levels
- Tender lower abdomen
- Licking genitals
There are a large number of bacteria outside the urinary opening. When bacteria enter the urethra, they multiply in the urine and eventually end up in the kidneys.
The dangers of urinary tract infections.
Frequent infections can lead to scarring in the bladder and in more severe cases of failure. For this reason, it is recommended that you take your dog to a veterinarian if you suspect a UTI, and especially if the condition is chronic.
How to prevent urinary tract infection
- Make sure your dog has access to fresh water. The more often your dog drinks, the more often it urinates. Urinary tract infection is more common in dogs that have insufficient urination, as this gives more time for bacteria to breed, sitting in the bladder.
- Some drugs and diseases increase your dog's risk for developing UTI. These include antibiotics, glucocorticoids; corticosteroids, urogenital diseases (such as epididymitis or testicular inflammation), diabetes and tumors. By eliminating the medication or treating yourself with this disease, you can prevent urinary tract infection in the future.
- Do not throw water or milk on your dog's food or leave it outside for a long time. This will create an environment in which the E Coli virus can multiply and you will increase your dog's chances of contracting UTI.
- Always buy high quality commercial dog food. Some experts believe that dog food is one of the main factors contributing to UTI, due to bacteria in food.
- It is better to take your dog to a veterinarian for proper examination. In most cases, the veterinarian will prescribe antibiotics to treat this condition.
- Change the dog's diet. Homemade dog food is the first choice. If you can't cook homemade dog food, this is the best choice. UTI is more common in alkaline urine than in acidic urine. You need to feed your dog food that stimulates acid urine, and this includes animal-based protein sources. Stay as far as possible from a vegetarian type diet because they lead to alkaline urine.
- A tablet or tablet containing cranberry extract is also a very effective way to treat or prevent UTI.
- Give your dog 1000 mg of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) twice a day.
