Dog Urinary Health

Why Dog Urinary Health is Important

Your dog's urinary health plays an important role on how your dog's body functions. The urinary system is the main system that processes and removes waste products that can possibly have a bad effect in your furbaby's overall health. According to the MSD Vet Manual, your dog’s urinary system has a number of important functions. Aside from getting rid of waste products in the body, the urinary system also:

If your dog's urinary system is not well, your dog's body is at risk since waste products are not properly processed, your furbaby's body can be a breeding ground of bacteria and infections.

Problems in the Urinary System

As mentioned, problems in the Urinary System is common from puppies to adult dogs to senior dogs. The following are few of the most common urinary problems:

Urinary Tract Infection in Dogs

Bacteria that goes inside your dog's urethral opening causes infection and this in return is able to irritate your dog's urinary tract. A urinary tract infection in dogs (also known as a UTI in dogs) is not uncommon. Luckily, dog UTI symptoms are not too difficult to observe. Your dog will either have a hard time urinating, will strain to urinate, dribble urine and have accidents around your house. Other signs of a urinary tract infection in dogs include: 

Dog Kidney Infections

Kidney infections are often caused by bacteria that goes inside your furbaby's urinary tract, that eventually moves up into the kidney, affecting its capabilities to function well.

Some noticeable signs of dog kidney infections include fever, chills, abdominal pain, frequent peeing, or signs of discomfort when peeing. The signs of dog kidney infections may appear very similar to dog UTI symptoms. If you notice either kidney infection or urinary tract infection symptoms in dogs, take your dog to the vet for evaluation.

Bladder Stones in Dogs

Common cause of bladder stones is when calcium in the body increases in a high level, blocking the urethra and eventually developing infections. Bladder stones are actually microscopic crystals that are then formed into stones of different shapes and sizes in the urinary system. Signs that your furbaby might be suffering from bladder stones include:

Diabetes in Dogs

Diabetes in dogs is a metabolism disorder. Metabolism refers to how your dog's body converts food to energy. It is a disorder that happens between the glucose-insulin connection in the body. Although dog diabetes are not caused by the urinary tract, it can show some similar symptoms. Signs of diabetes in dogs include increased urination, dehydration, and lethargy. 

Diabetes increases high blood glucose levels which promotes bacterial growth, resulting to urinary tract infections. In the long run, diabetes may also cause damage to the kidney and to the nerves in the bladder, resulting to urinary incontinence.

Supporting Your Dog's Urinary Health

Your dog's nutrition helps maintain a good dog urinary health as it helps prevent an infection and strengthen your dog's urinary system. And to give your fur-baby the nutrition he needs, you can consider the following:

Provide plenty of water. Providing your dog plenty of clean, fresh water encourages him to urinate and are then able to flush out regularly waste into this system and dilutes great concentrations of minerals in the urine.

Provide cranberry supplements for dog bladder strength. Pet Parents® Bladder SoftSupps® will provide your furbaby with key nutrients to help bladder & dog kidney support. Cranberry supplements for dogs helps ensure that your furbaby is being provided with the best value & quality possible. Dog cranberry supplements help support dog bladder health, specifically in minimizing the occurrence of urinary infections like a urinary tract infection in dogs.

More than this, it provides other benefits, too, like acting as an antioxidant, aiding in reducing sugar in the blood and helps in reducing the accumulation of fat in your furbaby's body. Just like other pet products, not everything is created the same. That's why you should know how to pick only the best.

Visit your vet. If you see abnormal changes in your furbaby's urinary behavior, consult your vet as soon as possible. Your vet will perform different examinations to determine what is exactly going on in your dog. Your vet can look for signs of bladder stones in dogs, diabetes in dogs symptoms, and dog UTI symptoms along with any other illness. When a proper diagnosis is made, they may prescribe you with a new diet and treatment plans for your dog’s urinary health.