My dog has UTI symptoms. What should I do before the vet appointment?

Poor Dolly. One important thing to do is take her out frequently. This gives her more opportunity to empty her bladder. Feed her canned food and add water to it to flush her bladder. I hope this helps!

She likely has a urinary tract infection or possibly bladder stones. If you can't get her in any sooner than Monday and can't call them to ask for advice or to move up the appointment and she still seems otherwise okay, get her seen Monday. If she does start feeling sick or has trouble urinating, take her to an emergency clinic, just understand that at any vet right now the wait may be long unless she is an emergency and in very bad shape. I don't know of any products you can buy over the counter that will help, and using OTC products could actually mask symptoms that could help lead to a faster diagnosis when she does get to her appointment.

As long as he can urinate and is acting otherwise normally, it is likely not an emergency situation. Consider allowing your veterinarian to collect a sterile urine sample to submit for a culture and sensitivity panel. This may identify the bacteria responsible for Red's infection as well as the most effective antibiotic to use in treatment. Stones in his bladder or kidneys and masses may be ruled out with the ultrasound. He may need to be on long term or pulsed (alternating weeks or month on/off meds) antibiotic therapy.

If Dutch has blood in her urine, seems painful, or is straining to urinate without producing urine I would recommend seeing an emergency veterinarian before your appointment. To catch a urine sample you can take a clean, shallow plastic container and scoop it underneath her once she postures to urinate. It can help to have two people - one to hold a leash and the other to catch the sample. Place it in the refrigerator until you go to your appointment.

Hi. Yes, you can bring in a urine sample if fresh. They can not prescribe treatment if it comes back positive, without an exam. You can call your closest location to get price of exam, urinalysis, and potential medication.

The straining to urinate along with the increased thirst may indeed indicate a developing UTI. You would need to have Zo physically examined by your veterinarian for confirmation. A sterile urine sample should be collected and submitted for urinalysis and urine culture/sensitivity. This may identify the organism responsible as well as the best antibiotic to use in treatment. Your vet may recommend abdominal x-rays or ultrasound to rule out kidney or bladder stones. Given current events, you may need to drop her off at the clinic then wait for the doctor to call you to discuss exam findings and treatment options.

If the antibiotics didn't make much difference, I'd be suspicious of puppy vaginitis, which is a relatively common inflammatory condition that can lead to accidents and sometimes make them more susceptible to urinary infections. It generally resolves with age. I would also check for a stricture (this may require sedation as they don't love vaginal palpation...). For now, since your vet hasn't been able to check a urinalysis, that would be the first priority. See if you can get a sample- sneak a small container under her when she squats. If you have to hold onto the sample a few hours before dropping it at your vet, stick it in the fridge, but the fresher the better. If you're having no luck, your vet can collect a sterile sample via cystocentesis. Hope this helps.