This can happen to any breed of dog, and if it happens, there is no need to panic. Blood in a dog's urine is a scary sight, but in many cases it can be treated. It can be caused by a simple urinary tract infection or prostate problems (in male dogs).
Hematuria is the scientific name for the presence of blood in the urine of dogs. It may be caused by inflammation or infection of the urinary system, affecting the upper or lower urinary tract. If your dog has blood in its urine, it should be taken to a veterinarian to diagnose the cause and receive recommendations to help your pet.
The most common causes of blood in a dog’s urine, what to do if this happens, and treatment methods are further in the article.
Blood in the urine of a dog: causes of upper urinary tract diseases
Like humans, a dog's upper urinary tract includes two kidneys. Blood in the urine that forms in this part of the urinary tract is a kidney pathology. The causes of bleeding from the upper urinary tract are as follows:
- Idiopathic renal hematuria. This is the release of blood by the kidneys into the urine for an unknown reason. This may be due to medications, an infection, or a problem with the immune system. Most often, this is a hereditary kidney disease.
- Kidney infection. If your dog is urinating blood, one or both of his kidneys may be infected.
- Stones in the kidneys. Kidney stones in dogs can affect one or both kidneys, resulting in blood in the urine.
- Kidney cancer. This disease is uncommon in dogs. But when affected, we can see blood in the urine. Cancer can be localized only to the kidneys or spread to other organs.
- Renal telangiectasia. Some dog breeds, such as Welsh Corgis, have a genetic predisposition to spontaneous dilatation of blood vessels in the kidneys, which can lead to blood in the urine.
What to do when identifying parasites?
The appearance in a dog's body of parasites such as capillaries (worms that live in the urinary system), as well as tick bites, can provoke diseases in which blood appears in the animal's urine.
Other symptoms include sudden weight loss in the animal, disturbances in sleep and appetite, lethargy and the appearance of visible signs of pain in the dog. And in the event of a tick bite and the development of piroplasmosis provoked by it, the destroyed red blood cells are also excreted through the feces, which changes its color to red.
In this case, an early consultation with a veterinarian is necessary, and delay is fraught with serious complications and even death.
Blood in the urine of a dog: causes of lower urinary tract diseases
The lower urinary tract includes the bladder and the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. The causes of bleeding in this area may be the following:
- Bladder infection. A lower urinary tract infection (UTI) is by far the most common cause of blood in a dog's urine. It can be caused by skin allergies, the anatomy of the urethra, vulva or foreskin, and hormonal urinary incontinence in spayed dogs.
- Bladder stones. They can form for a variety of reasons, including genetic factors, diet, and chronic infection.
- Bladder cancer. Symptoms of bladder cancer in dogs are often similar to those of a UTI. This disease can lead to “little troubles” in the home - urinary incontinence, difficulty urinating and blood in the urine.
- Prostate problems. Benign prostate enlargement and prostate infection are the most common prostate problems in intact male dogs.
Causes of blood in a dog's urine, which can affect both the upper and lower urinary tract, include bladder rupture due to trauma caused by an accident or attack by another dog. Causes also include coagulopathy, the scientific term for problems with blood clotting, and vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels.
Why urine may be an unusual color
In what other cases can urine take on an unusual color? There are several options for this condition:
- Dehydration. The process often occurs during poisoning. Your pet may have vomiting and diarrhea, resulting in dehydration. The urine becomes dark or brownish in color. A similar sign also occurs when a dog has spent a long time in the heat without drinking.
- Muscle destruction. If your pet has a black or purple discharge, then the reason for this is excess physical activity or an increased amount of dairy products in the diet.
- Medicines. Some medications can change the color of the discharge. It is recommended to remember what medications the animal was given recently.
- Nutrition. Some foods, such as beets, can cause the discharge to change color to reddish. You just need to adjust your diet a little so that this doesn’t happen again.
Attention! In some cases, the reasons for changes in the color of urine are quite simple, so do not immediately get scared and panic.
A dog has blood in its urine: treatment and diagnosis
If your dog is urinating blood, you should see a veterinarian as soon as possible. As a general rule, any dog that urinates blood for the first time should be examined by a veterinarian within the first 24 hours.
During the appointment, the specialist will try to diagnose the root cause of the blood by taking a urine test from the dog. A urine culture test may be needed to check if the problem is caused by bacteria. The doctor may also take a blood test, take an x-ray, or perform an ultrasound scan.
Treatment will depend on the specific cause of the blood. If the problem is due to bacteria, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. In the case of benign enlargement or neoplasia of the prostate, he will probably recommend castration of the male dog. He may suggest surgery if he finds that blood in the urine is caused by bladder stones or other problems. In such cases, veterinarians usually prescribe anti-inflammatory or painkillers for the dog.
Your veterinarian may recommend changing the food. Nutrition is an important part of managing urinary tract problems in dogs. Wet food helps dilute urine, and certain nutrients can help reduce stone formation and optimize urine pH.
Associated symptoms that should alert you
Often, a change in urine color is accompanied by other symptoms. It is necessary to pay attention to any change in the animal in order to determine the cause of the pathology in time and take the necessary measures.
It is necessary to pay attention to external signs and take the dog for examination
Important signs are the following symptoms:
- lack of appetite, reluctance to drink;
- apathy, the dog becomes sad and lethargic;
- change in behavior;
- vomiting, diarrhea;
- blanching of the mucous membranes;
- fever, fever;
- hemorrhages in the subcutaneous layers;
- strong secretion of saliva;
- cloudy eyes.
Signs often accompany various diseases in old dogs, so if they are detected, you should immediately contact a good specialist and not engage in self-treatment.
Preventing urinary problems
Regular veterinary examinations for your pet are the best way to prevent blood in the urine and other urinary problems. The specialist will tell you whether the dog is predisposed to urinary problems. If this is the case, he will recommend periodic urine tests to make sure everything is in order with her health.
It should be remembered that no matter how convenient it may be to simply let your pet out into the backyard so that he can do his own business there, monitoring the process of urination of the dog is sometimes a necessary element of caring for its health. Leaving a problem such as blood in the urine unattended can lead to more serious consequences. The owner is the main advocate for the health of the pet, so you need to carefully monitor it and discuss the results of your observations with your veterinarian. Love and attention will help your dog stay happy and healthy for many years to come.
Contributor Bio
Dr. Patty Cooley
Dr. Patty Cooley graduated with honors from Wellesley College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She is currently the proud owner of Sunset Animal Clinic in Miami, Florida. But that's not all. Dr. K is a know-it-all, an avid knitter, an ardent yoga and music fan, and an indefatigable foodie who has a hard time getting herself to run in the morning. She lives in South Miami with three dogs, countless cats, two rescued goats, and a noisy flock of chickens.
You can follow her articles at DrPattyKhuly.com and SunsetVets.com.
Diagnostics
You will need to provide a detailed health history of your dog, including a history of symptoms and possible incidents that may have triggered the condition.
The history you provide can help your veterinarian understand which organs are causing secondary symptoms.
Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical examination of your dog with a complete blood profile, including a blood chemistry profile, complete blood count, and urinalysis.
In male dogs, examination of a semen sample will help identify prostate disease.
The differential diagnosis of bloody urine will include other causes of discolored urine. Regular blood test reagent strips are designed to detect red blood cells, hemoglobin, or protein.
Diet will also be considered.
If you are supplementing your dog's diet with vitamins or anything other than regular kibble, you will need to tell your veterinarian, as significant doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid supplement) can cause false negative results on test strips.
Ultrasonography, radiography, and contrast-enhanced radiography may be helpful in making the diagnosis.
If any mass lesions are indicated, a biopsy may be required for definitive diagnosis. Vaginoscopy in females or cystoscopy in males will exclude neoplasms and problems with the lower urinary tract.
How to collect urine for testing
One of the owner’s tasks is to collect the pet’s urine for analysis. Here you will have to be patient with the animal. In the case of small dogs, everything is simpler - they can do their business in a regular cat litter box. But this trick won’t work with large dogs. You should take a sterile jar or a special container for collecting urine with you on your morning walk and collect a small amount each time you urinate.
Don't collect urine from the ground! And directly from under the dog.
It's okay if it doesn't work out for you. The clinic will be able to take urine for analysis using a urinary catheter, or by cystoscopy - directly by puncturing the bladder (this is completely safe).
Prepare before going to the vet
In the office, you may have to provide the veterinarian with all possible assistance (hold the animal while they take blood for analysis, give an injection, extinguish aggression, calm your voice, scratch its ears, stroke it). If you know that you are terrified of blood, IVs, or definitely cannot withstand the type of medical interventions, then perhaps you should ask a friend or relative for help.
Find a veterinary certificate, veterinary passport.
Take:
https://dog-care.ru/zdorove/bolezni/krov-v-moche-prichiny-lechenie.html
- Leash;
- Collar;
- Muzzle;
- Carrying;
- A pack of napkins;
- litter;
- Bowl, water (at the veterinarian's discretion)
Prepare answers to possible questions from the veterinarian:
- Are all vaccinations up to date on the animal?
- Pet’s behavior in recent days, appetite;
- His diet;
- What drugs and medicines did you give to the animal;
- Latest test data (if available).
It’s better to make an appointment in advance - you’ll save time and be able to calculate when you’ll have to take time off. This does not apply to life-threatening situations where you will have to take an animal to a veterinary clinic without an appointment.
Be affectionate with your pet, play, talk to him. You can take his favorite toy with you so that while you wait for your turn at the reception, you can distract your friend from the new environment.
Furry, feathered or scaly ones also need to be prepared. No matter how much you want to treat your little one with something tasty, remember: you need an empty stomach. Feeding is prohibited!
You can wash your animal without using detergents. But it is important not to touch your pet if there is nasal discharge, watery eyes, salivation (salivation), dandruff, scratching, rashes, skin scabs, loss of hair/feathers/scales, wounds and other external manifestations of a potential disease.
If the veterinarian has instructed, collect the animal’s urine in a sterile container, and pick up the feces with a stick (no blades of grass, specks, or debris). Transfer the feces into a sterile container. Send to the biochemical laboratory within 6 hours. The feces are examined for eggs of roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms, liver flukes, echinoccus, alvecoccus, pork tapeworm, bovine tapeworm, and gastrointestinal bleeding is detected.
At the veterinary hospital, the animal’s blood will be analyzed for antibodies to allergens, viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
