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Dogs are experts at hiding illness. It is very common for a dog to have a serious medical problem, yet not to show any sign of it until the condition is quite advanced. Dogs can't tell you how they feel, but DoggyCheck™ can! It alerts you when your companion has blood in urine (DoggyCheck™ 1 Blood Indicator), alkaline urine (DoggyCheck™ 2 Infection and Stones Monitor), or acidic urine (DoggyCheck™ 3 Diet Imbalance Monitor). These symptoms along with certain behavior changes such as straining to urinate, urinating small amounts frequently, reluctance to play or jump, depression, and lethargy indicate a possibility of a serious disease or imbalance.
Urinary Stones
Urinary stones (uroliths, calculi) are common in dogs. They can be found in kidneys, bladder, and urethra. Over 85% of the time they are located in bladder. The most common stones are struvites or triple phosphate stones and calcium oxalate stones. The formation of crystals or stones in urinary tract can be caused by the following factors usually working together:
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Mineral crystals present in urine |
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Bacteria |
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Diseases |
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Medications and vitamins (excess of vitamin C) |
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Diet (alkaline or very acidic) |
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Alkaline (high pH) or acidic (low pH) urine |
Typical symptoms include:
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Straining to urinate |
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Urinating small amounts frequently |
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Blood in urine |
Miniature Schnauzer is the breed most commonly affected by struvite (triple phoshate) stones. Several breeds of dogs are predisposed to calcium oxalate stones: Schnauzer, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, Bichon Frise, Miniature poodle, and Yorkshire terrier.
Cystitis
Cystitis is an inflammation of dog's bladder. It is not clear what causes cystitis. It is possible that the following factors contribute to this condition: bacterial infection, bladder stones (they might irritate the bladder wall), polyps, and tumors.
Typical symptoms include:
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Straining to urinate |
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Blood in urine |
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Difficulty urinating |
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Frequent urinating |
Kidney Disease
The presence of blood in urine can be one of the signs of potentially dangerous kidney disease. Kidney disease is the second most common cause of non-accidental death in dogs and is sometimes called silent stalker. It is not always clear what causes kidney disease, but among many factors the following are most common:
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dehydration |
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blood loss |
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impaired heart function |
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immune-mediated diseases |
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tumors |
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infections |
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toxins |
Aside from the factors listed above, some medications used in treatment of chronic kidney disease may cause the symptom of blood in urine.
Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer occurs in middle-aged and older dogs. Fortunately tumors of urinary bladder are much less common than urinary infections in dogs. But as true in many cancers, by the time the dog owners recognize the signs of tumor, the tumor is often fairly large. Typical symptoms of bladder cancer may include:
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frequent urination |
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urinating small quantities |
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blood in urine |
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secondary infections |
Urinary Bacterial Infections
Urinary bacterial infections can occur in bladder (most common), kidneys, urethra, and prostate. Bladder infections are easily treated when diagnosed. They play large role in struvite (triple phosphate) stone formation as they make urine more alkaline and they also cause the formation of triple phosphate crystals. Often bladder infections are referred to as Cystitis (see above) and can cause bladder irritation and intermittent blood in urine. Bacterial infections are the major cause of the prostate disease in male dogs. Once the prostate is colonized by bacteria, the infection becomes very difficult to control and eliminate. Some canine disorders, such as diabetes, cancer and viral diseases, impact dog's immune system by reducing dog's ability to fight secondary bacterial infections.
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Procedure Canine Disorders Buy Now Q and A Contact Us About Us