After we started thinking more seriously about expanding our family, my husband brought up the idea of getting a pet or two. While I was completely against the concept at first, I realized that it might be helpful for our children to warm up to the idea before having another sibling. We got a dog and our kids were tasked with the job of feeding it every day and doing other tasks, and it was amazing to see how much the animal helped our family to grow. Pets can be a wonderful addition to a home, which is why I made this blog. Check out these fun pet posts.
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Selecting Better Pets
What You Should Know About Kidney Infections In Dogs
Natalie Baker
Kidney infections are not something most dogs owners think about on a regular basis. It can be easy to be lulled into a sense of complacency that your dog is and will stay healthy throughout their lives. It is only when something goes wrong that you become familiar with health ailments. However, when it comes to kidney infections, you will want to be informed before anything happens so you can be on the lookout for the signs and symptoms. Get to know some of the important information about kidney infections in dogs. Then, you can be sure you contact an animal care hospital at the first sign of kidney problems in your dog.
What Is a Kidney Infection?
The kidneys are organs responsible for helping filter out waste from the blood and sending that waste to be excreted in the urine. As such, when the kidneys become infected, the waste processing work that they do can be disrupted, causing numerous problems throughout the body.
Kidney infections in dogs are most often bacterial infections, meaning somehow (usually through the urinary tract), bacteria gets into the kidneys and starts proliferating there. Bacterial kidney infections in dogs are clinically known as pyelonephritis.
It is important to keep in mind that kidney infections in dogs can become very serious very quickly. Once the kidneys are infected, the infection can easily get into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. Blood infections are commonly known as sepsis and can be quite deadly.
What Are the Signs of a Kidney Infection in Dogs?
If a dog has a kidney infection, their drinking and urination habits may change. They may actually start drinking a lot more water than usual and might also, in turn, urinate a lot more than usual. Alternatively, urination may become difficult and even painful for them. If your dog cries or whines while trying to urinate, you have a definite sign that they have an infection of the urinary tract that may or may not have reached the kidneys.
Your dog may also have urination accidents in the house when they might not normally have those issues. This is because they feel a frequent urge to urinate and may not always be able to wait to be let outside. Dogs with kidney infections may also have blood in their urine, fever, lower back pain (where the kidneys are), or frequent licking of the area from which they urinate (urethral area).
How Are Kidney Infections in Dogs Treated?
If you notice signs of a kidney infection in your dog, you need to get them to the animal care hospital right away. The infection will be treated with antibiotics. Depending on the severity of the infection and whether the blood has become infected, these may be given orally or intravenously.
Dogs with severe kidney infections or who may be in acute kidney failure because of the infection will be kept at the animal care hospital for treatment and observation. If your dog has a mild or moderate infection, treatment can be outpatient, but you will have to observe your dog closely. Surgery may be necessary if the veterinarian at the animal care hospital finds that a blockage, stone, or other such issue has caused the infection.
Now that you know more about kidney infections in dogs, you can be sure you get your dog to the animal care hospital as soon as possible if you notice signs of the condition.
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