If you suspect that your dog is suffering from urinary tract infection, it is best that you take your pet to the veterinarian right away for proper medication. While there are home remedies for UTI in dogs, pet owners are strongly advised to give their pets the right medicines to relieve them of the discomfort the disease may bring.
The diagnosis of urinary tract infection in dogs starts with a physical exam. Veterinarians would check on the clinical signs of the dog patient to verify the disease and its severity. However, the most common methods of diagnosis used today are urinalysis and urine culture. A portion of the dog's urine is tested and cultured so that its bacteria content is determined. Keep in mind that UTI only occurs if and when the invading bacteria had fully defeated the dog's immune system.
Urinary tract infections in dogs normally occur in the lower urinary tract. But for male dogs, the prostate gland is also involved. A special process has to be conducted to extract urine from the dog. Veterinarians have to be very careful not to contaminate the dog's urine with any specimens or microorganisms that maybe present in the dog's genitals.
Other than the usual urinalysis and urine culture, veterinarians may also require blood samples from the dog. The dog's blood would be further analyzed so that the veterinarian could rule out other diseases like diabetes in dogs, which may also be the reason for the infections and the bacteria. The blood sample would also reveal if there were kidney or bladder stones present.
If these medical diagnoses still prove to be futile, there's yet another method veterinarians may use to detect UTI in dogs. Right now, there are ultrasound machines situated in a veterinarian's clinic and this instrument could confirm whether or not your pet is suffering from UTI. Other than bacteria, fungi may also cause the same medical reactions in dogs. Some experienced vets check the dog's urine and subject it to fungal culture. Doing so would eliminate infections caused by fungi.
Today's advanced medical technologies are reaching man's best friend as well. It is good to note that just like humans, dogs are given the same amount of medical attention that they deserve.
UTI in dogs is a manageable disease if diagnosed and treated the right away. Taking dogs to veterinarians for a regular check up would definitely help a lot.