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Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common ailment in small animals. The urinary tract consists of the kidneys, ureters (tubes that carry urine to the bladder for storage), the urinary bladder, and the urethra that conducts urine outside the body. A urinary tract infection could involve any of these areas, though most commonly when we speak of a urinary tract infection we mean bladder infection.

Bacterial UTI is a common infectious disease of dogs, affecting 14% of all dogs during their lifetime. It is less common in cats, and is seen only infrequently in large animals.

Causes

Bacterial urinary tract infections (UTI) typically result from normal skin and GI tract flora ascending the urinary tract and overcoming the normal urinary tract defences that prevent colonization.

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Infection can occur at a single site, setting off inflammation in the kidneys (pyelonephritis), ureters (ureteritis), bladder (cystitis), urethra (urethritis) or the prostate gland (prostatitis); at multiple sites; or in the urine (bacteriuria). Upper UTIs include pyelonephritis, pyelitis and ureteritis. Lower UTIs include urethritis and cystitis.




Clinical Signs and Diagnosis

Because bladder infections are localized to the bladder, there are rarely signs of infection in other body systems: no fever, no appetite loss, and no change in the blood tests. The bladder is a sterile area of the body, which means that bacteria do not normally reside there. When bacteria (or any other organisms for that matter) gain entry and establish growth in the bladder, infection has occurred and symptoms can result. It is important to realize that it is the inflammation associated with infection that causes these symptoms. There can be infection without much inflammation (particularly if the patient is on a cortisone-type anti-inflammatory medication) and there can be inflammation without infection (the usual situation in feline lower urinary tract disease).

Pets with UTIs, can display some of the following signs:

Excessive water consumption
Urinating only small amounts at a time
Urinating frequently and in multiple spots
Inability to hold urine the normal amount of time/apparent incontinence
Bloody urine (though an infection must either involve a special organism, a bladder stone, a bladder tumour, or be particularly severe to make urine red to the naked eye)

It is especially important to realize that many animals do not show any externally visible signs of their bladder infections and, since they cannot talk, screening tests may be the only route to discovering the infection.





Management and Treatment

A simple bladder infection is usually easily treated with 10 to 14 days of antibiotics. The patient’s symptoms usually resolve quickly, within the first 2 days of treatment, though the entire course of treatment should be given. Inadequate treatment leads to infection recurrence and possibly future bacterial resistance.




Prevention

Risk factors will increase the chances of a UTI developing in any given situation. Risk factors include diuresis, corticosteroid use and perhaps most commonly, urethral catheterisation