Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are fairly common in human medicine, affecting approximately 10-15% of people assigned male at birth, and 50-60% of people assigned female at birth. It is important to know that our animals can get UTIs as well. While this article will focus on dogs and cats, many other animals can have UTIs, including rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cows, pigs, horses, sheep and goats. In these animals, however, the infection is often secondary to an underlying issue such as nutrition, genetics, trauma, or poor husbandry, rather than a primary bacterial infection.
A UTI typically involves a bacterial infection of the kidneys, ureters (tubes that connect from each kidney to the bladder), urinary bladder, prostate (in male dogs), and/or urethra (the tube that goes from the bladder to the external environment. Most of the time, a UTI will occur due to bacteria entering the urinary tract from the external environment, and ascend into the urethra and bladder. While the urinary tract has defense mechanisms to help prevent infections, this is not always enough to stave off bacteria. Although any pet can contract an infection, older pets, females, and pets with illnesses (such as diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, and those who have compromised immune systems) will be at a higher risk.
Signs of a UTI are straining to urinate, urinating only small amounts at a time, urinating in inappropriate places (outside of the litter box for a cat, or inside the house for a dog), and blood in the urine. Some pets will lick their genitals or act uncomfortable. Because the infection is confined to the urinary tract, pets are not typically “sick” – meaning they often do not have a fever, they are not lethargic, and they do not have a poor appetite. The exception to this is if the infection invades the kidneys – that location does tend to have more signs associated with general malaise.
Because the above signs can also be seen with other urinary issues, such as stones, tumors, sterile cystitis (inflammation in the bladder without infection), or even behavioral problems, it is important to try to confirm an infection before starting treatment. The primary test performed is a urinalysis. A sample of urine is analyzed to look for the presence of red blood cells, white blood cells, and bacteria. It will also look at the concentration of the urine, if there are any crystals or glucose, or if there are any cells from the lining of the kidneys. Additional testing, such as a urine culture & sensitivity, radiographs, and blood work maybe performed as well depending on the individual case.
Treatment typically involves an antibiotic to clear up the bacterial infection. Pain medication is sometimes added on if a pet is particularly uncomfortable. For chronic or recurrent infections, probiotics and other supplements are considered. It is important to note that cranberry extract and d-mannose are typically only helpful for treating and preventing UTIs specifically caused by E. coli. While E. coli is commonly involved in UTIs, it is not the only bacteria that dogs and cats are affected by.
Most of the time, UTIs are cleared quickly. When there are repeat or persistent infections, we need to look at the overall health of the pet and determine if there are any underlying causes that are predisposing them to infections.