The dog does not pee - what to do if you have problems with urination

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder. This is a common urological disease among dogs, a characteristic symptom of which is frequent urge to go to the toilet. How cystitis manifests itself in dogs, how to treat inflammation of the bladder, and whether its development can be prevented - more on this later.

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Causes of bladder inflammation How does cystitis manifest in dogs? Forms of cystitis Diagnosis How to cure cystitis in a dog? Why is bladder inflammation dangerous? Prevention of cystitis

Causes of bladder inflammation

In 70% of cases, the cause of cystitis in dogs is bacterial infections. The causative agents can be chlamydia, mycoplasma, E. coli, etc. Bacterial infections often develop due to poor hygiene, long-term use of antibiotics and a weak immune system.

Other causes of cystitis in dogs:

• Hypothermia . An autumn walk in the rain, sleeping on a cold floor, swimming in a cool pond - all this can lead to hypothermia and the development of an inflammatory process.
• Complications after genitourinary diseases . Cystitis often develops against the background of urolithiasis (urolithiasis), inflammation of the urethra (urethra), inflammation of the kidneys, etc.
• Invasive diseases . Cystitis often occurs due to parasitic diseases localized in the bladder or other organs of the animal’s genitourinary system (for example, trichomoniasis).
• Mechanical damage to the genitourinary organs, including the bladder. Possible causes include serious injuries, which often occur from impacts, falls from heights, and traffic accidents.
• Intoxication (poisoning). One of the causes of inflammation of the bladder is poisoning of the dog with household chemicals, poisons (for example, chemicals) and medications.
• Metabolic disease. Its common causes include poor nutrition, failure to drink properly, etc. This can lead to the appearance of stones, blockage of the urinary canals and the development of inflammation.

Additional factors that provoke the development of cystitis in animals include frequent stress that negatively affects the condition of the whole body, deficiency of vitamins and microelements, frequent overeating and inflammation of any nature (for example, gastritis). In bitches, bladder inflammation may be associated with gynecological problems (for example, vaginitis).

How many times a day do dogs urinate in normal condition?

Diseases of Dogs
Dogs vary greatly in weight and physical characteristics depending on their breed. Because of this, in veterinary medicine there is no universal indicator for all canines.

The rate of urination may vary depending on:

• age (puppies and older animals experience a more frequent need to urinate);
• gender (cables use urine as a territorial marker);
• estrous cycle of the bitch (marking territory, increasing blood supply to the pelvic organs during estrus);
• ambient temperature (in hot weather, the volume and frequency of urination decreases);
• nutrition, amount of succulent and dry food;
• volume and frequency of drinking;
• walking regime (adults get used to constant walking time);
• breed and size (small dogs feel the need to urinate more often);
• psychological and emotional state;
• general health;
• individual characteristics;
• procedures and medications taken during treatment.

Puppies can pee up to 10-15 times a day, and well-mannered adult dogs up to 7-10 times only during walks outside. The amount, speed and frequency of bladder emptying in dogs depend on many factors.

Additional Information! Various problems arise with urination in dogs - toy terriers, for example, feel the need to use a diaper at home, in addition to walking, while large breeds calmly tolerate it until the next time they go outside.

Big and small dog

How does cystitis manifest in dogs?

The first thing you need to pay attention to is that the dog urinates often (4-5 times in 1 hour). There may be a false urge to urinate. If you suspect that your dog has cystitis, then pay attention to how he relieves himself. Males change their position, sitting down when urinating, to avoid pain.

Symptoms of cystitis in dogs:

• urinary incontinence,
• pain when urinating (can be determined by growling, whining of the pet),
• impurities of blood and pus in the urine,
• temperature increase,
• strong unpleasant odor of urine,
• abdominal wall tension,
• lack of appetite,
• strong thirst
• sluggish and apathetic state,
• decreased activity.

Signs of cystitis in dogs appear gradually. At the first stage, it is much more difficult to recognize the problem, because the animal’s urge to go to the toilet only becomes more frequent, but otherwise its condition remains the same. If you suspect that your pet has a bladder infection, do not waste time - contact a veterinary clinic in Moscow.

Signs of "trouble"

Dogs are not cats. In most cases, they pee on the street, and therefore many owners notice that something wrong is happening to their pet at the very last moment. So if this is exactly the case in your case, do not delay - contact your veterinarian immediately. You should hurry if you observe any of these symptoms in your dog:

• Urine is released in streams, as if in fits and starts. The dog may squat, grunt, or otherwise express discomfort.

• Frequent attempts to urinate (which constantly end without apparent success).

• When a dog tries to pee, his entire posture and behavior express an extreme degree of tension.

• Spontaneous leakage of urine. Occurs when fluid begins to flow out of a fully filled bladder under pressure.

• Blood in urine.

• The animal constantly licks the genital area.

• noticeably reduced.

• Vomit.

• The abdominal cavity is very tense on palpation.

• Apathetic state.

• In the most severe cases, when it comes to uremia, neurological seizures ending in coma are possible.

Forms of cystitis

Spicy . Its main feature is the rapid development of all signs of the inflammatory process, including frequent urge to urinate, intense pain, and lack of appetite. An acute form of cystitis requires immediate contact with a veterinary clinic. Delay can lead to serious complications, including the development of purulent cystitis.

Chronic . With this form of bladder inflammation there are no pronounced symptoms. There is no increased body temperature or intense pain. However, the pet requires supportive therapy and special care aimed at preventing exacerbation of cystitis.

Diagnostics

Only a veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis. He will examine the patient and ask the owner several questions to determine the cause of the disease. This is necessary to prescribe effective treatment.

The specialist will definitely take blood and urine for general and biochemical studies. If necessary, a bacterial test is prescribed to determine the type of infection that provoked the inflammatory process.

Additionally, the veterinarian prescribes:

• Ultrasound examination (ultrasound) of the abdominal area . It is necessary to identify sand or stones in the urinary system, as well as check the condition of other genital organs.
• X-ray examination . It shows not only stones, but also neoplasms, which can also provoke inflammation of the bladder and urinary system.
• Cytoscopy . Examination and examination of the inner surface of the bladder. At the same time, this diagnostic method allows for medical manipulations (for example, administering antiseptic solutions).

Typically, the diagnosis of cystitis in a dog is carried out on the day of visiting a veterinarian in Moscow. This allows you to quickly identify the inflammatory process, detect the cause of its occurrence and prescribe treatment.

Why does the dog pee a little?

The frequency of urination during the day is in fact not at all the criterion on the basis of which the dog’s health status is determined.

If an animal begins to write little or rarely, but remains healthy and cheerful, this may mean that:

• the pet has matured and learned to control its own natural needs;
• the situation is explained by natural causes and, most likely, is the body’s reaction to a change in one or more factors of the external world (hot weather, a little more salt in the food eaten, a little less water drunk, a “bad mood” - the dog for some reason for some reason he simply doesn’t want to go for a walk, but, having gone out for a walk, is in a hurry to return home, etc.);
• the problem exists only in the owner's imagination (in reality, the animal's bladder empties as before).

Did you know? The World Health Organization considers that the norm for a healthy person is 4-7 urinations during the day and one trip to the toilet at night. A single volume of urine is 200–300 ml, a daily volume is from 800 ml to 1.5 liters.

And yet, if the number of trips for minor needs for a dog is a very arbitrary value, then with the volume of urine that should be excreted from the body per day, certain norms exist. It is believed that for every kilogram of mass this figure is approximately 20–50 ml. Thus, for example, an adult male Chihuahua weighing 4 kg can urinate an indefinite number of times during a walk, but in general he must “pour out” from 80 to 200 ml of liquid per day.

A condition in which a dog experiences not a symptomatic, but a long-term decrease in the daily volume of urine excreted, is called oliguria in medical terminology. If urination stops altogether, they speak of anuria.

Oliguria may indicate malfunction of the kidneys or be of a different nature; depending on this criterion, it is called neral or extrarenal. The complete absence of urine is always associated with acute renal failure, but in some cases the condition is caused by a cessation of urine production (secretory anuria), in others by problems with its entry into the bladder (excretory anuria).

Another pathological condition worth mentioning is ischuria or urinary retention. In this case, the dog feels the urge to urinate, but is unable to do so. A bladder that is full due to ischuria causes significant discomfort to the animal.

Did you know? Mainly only males pee by raising their paw and always directing the stream at a vertical surface. Scientists suggest that there are two reasons for this: firstly, the smell with this method of marking the territory lasts longer, and secondly, the “aromatic signal” raised to the level of the animal’s nose has much less chance of going unnoticed.

There can be a huge number of reasons for a pathological decrease in the volume of urine excreted in a dog, some of them are truly dangerous, while others, although they should not be ignored, are relatively easily eliminated.

This list includes, in particular:

• dehydration of the body (including due to inflammation or other serious illness);
• insufficient fluid intake (the dog should always have plenty of fresh drinking water available to him throughout the day so that the animal can quench his thirst);
• imbalance of salt balance in the body (can develop against the background of excess sodium, chlorine, phosphorus and protein);
• a specific neuro-reflex reaction that occurs in response to certain stimuli (for example, it can occur after any serious surgical intervention);
• swelling of any nature;
• poisoning with heavy metals, chemical solvents, acids, medications (aminoglycosides, sulfonamides), as well as other toxins, regardless of whether they enter the body with food, through the respiratory tract or through contact with skin;
• pathologies of the cardiovascular system - acute heart failure, thrombosis, hypotension (low blood pressure), etc.;
• severe blood loss (due to injury or internal bleeding);
• diseases of the circulatory system that cause poor blood supply to vital organs;
• severe nervous disorder, shock (including pain);
• autoimmune pathologies;
• some infectious diseases, such as parvovirus enteritis or leptospirosis;
• pathologies from the urinary system, for example, obstruction of the urethra of the ureters (sometimes blockage is caused by salt accumulating in the body and crystallizing on the walls of these organs), trauma or rupture of the bladder, etc.;
• damage to the spinal cord or disruption of its function (often leads to severing of the nerve connections between the bladder and the brain);
• brain injuries;
• impaired renal function - chronic pyolonephritis or glomerulonephritis, embolism of the renal vessels, acute renal failure.

It is quite difficult not to notice developing oliguria (true, not fictitious) in a dog, and, moreover, anuria: an animal in such a state feels obviously unwell, and the pet’s well-being, in the absence of prompt intervention, will become worse and worse.

How to cure cystitis in a dog?

Treatment of cystitis allows you to eliminate the cause of inflammation (for example, a bacterial infection), restore urinary function and relieve pain in your dog. The course of treatment for the acute form of the disease is 7-10 days, for the chronic form – 14-21 days.

It is based on drug therapy. It includes the following:

• Antibiotics . They are designed to eliminate pathogenic microflora that provoke inflammation of the bladder.
• Analgesics . They are prescribed for intense pain syndrome, characteristic of the acute form of cystitis.
• Drugs that stop bleeding. They are used if blood clots are found in the pet’s urine.
• Antispasmodics. They are designed to facilitate the process of urination and are used for all forms of cystitis.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs. Provide suppression of the inflammatory process and decrease in body temperature.
• Diuretics. They increase urine volume and accelerate the process of eliminating inflammatory microorganisms.

Do not self-medicate. Only a veterinarian who has examined the pet and received the results of laboratory tests (tests) can prescribe medications for the treatment of cystitis in a dog.

Why is bladder inflammation dangerous?

The main feature of cystitis in dogs is its rapid development. Inflammation quickly spreads throughout the organs of the urinary system, covering not only the bladder, but also the urethra, ureters, kidneys, etc.

If you do not pay attention to the fact that your dog often pees and do not consult a doctor in a timely manner, complications are possible:

• Urolithiasis (UCD) . Due to the lack of proper treatment, urine with cystitis begins to crystallize and becomes alkaline. Stones and sand that form in the bladder interfere with the drainage of fluid and can be fatal.
• Pyelonephritis . Severe inflammation of the kidneys, accompanied by fever and increased blood pressure. It can be unilateral or bilateral, with the latter form being difficult to treat.
• Other consequences . For example, urinary incontinence in dogs (involuntary urination), chronic renal failure, etc.

Behavioral problems

Sometimes toilet problems are caused by stress. The pet is physically healthy, but some external factor provokes incontinence or fear of bowel movements. Typical stressful situations:

• new pet;
• the appearance of a child in the family;
• moving, repairs;
• noisy celebrations;
• conflict with one of the family members;
• separation from the owner.

If careful diagnostic measures do not reveal any health problems, it may be due to stress. When collecting anamnesis, it is important to tell the veterinarian about recent events that could affect the psycho-emotional state of the pet. To reduce stress levels, your doctor will prescribe a sedative. Long, intense walks, joint games, and increased attention will help.

Incontinence at the time of strong emotional arousal is eliminated by strengthening the nervous system. It is important to go to unfamiliar places, give your pet adequate exercise, and communicate with random people. You should not maintain an excited state with your voice or stroking; it is better to remain calm and equanimous.

Urinary retention or involuntary urination is a serious problem. This is not the case when there is time to try to fight the disease on your own. Regardless of the suspected causes, it is important to contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Prevention of cystitis

To prevent the development of the inflammatory process, try to prevent hypothermia of the animal’s body. For example, during autumn walks, small breed dogs need to be warmed with special clothing.

Useful tips for preventing cystitis:

• Do not neglect deworming to protect your dog from parasitic diseases and cystitis that develops against them.
• Vaccinate every year so that your dog develops immunity to infections that can cause inflammation.
• Provide proper and balanced nutrition for the animal using ready-made food or a natural diet.
• If your pet has already suffered from cystitis, then do not forget about regular preventive examinations at the veterinarian.
• If infections of the lower urinary tract develop, contact a specialist in a timely manner to prevent complications.

Cystitis in dogs is a common but dangerous disease. If you suspect that your pet has an inflamed bladder, then do not hesitate - make an appointment at the veterinary clinic and get examined.