A common cause for a dog's urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection. Urinary tract infections often cause pain during urination and difficulty urinating.

The primary cause of most urinary tract infections is the presence of bacteria in the bladder. Bacteria may enter the bladder through the dog's urethra. The urethra is the narrow tube that expels the urine from the bladder when a dog urinates.

The bacterial infection that causes a urinary tract infection is usually present in the bladder. Bacteria in the bladder may have gotten there through the dog's urethra. The the small passageway for the urine to be expelled from the bladder during urination is the urethra.

A dog's urinary tract infection can cause the dog's urine to contain pus, crystals, or blood. Some other symptoms of urinary tract infections include lower back pain, increased thirst, and increased volume and frequency in urination. A urinary tract infection may decrease the dog's ability to hold its urine which can cause accidental urination in the house.

To diagnose a dog's urinary tract infection, the veterinarian maintains a rectal exam to check the dog's urethra. The veterinarian may also press on the dog's abdomen to feel the dog's bladder. A urine sample may be collected and analyzed.

The urinary tract infection could be an upper urinary tract infection or lower urinary tract infection. Kidney functioning can be negatively affected by upper urinary tract infections. Lower urinary tract infections do not usually affect the kidneys.

Antibiotics are usually used to treat a dog's urinary tract infection. The veterinarian uses information from the analysis of the urine sample to determine which antibiotic would be the most effective to treat the infection.

The antibiotic may fail to clear the infection if the dog does not receive the total prescribed amount of the antibiotic. In some cases, the dog can have an underlying condition that is making the dog prone to urinary tract infections.

Diabetes mellitus and Cushing's disease are examples of diseases that can make a dog susceptible to developing urinary tract infections. If the dog is on medication for another condition or has a abnormality of its anatomy, the dog can be prone to urinary tract infections.

Other dog diseases may be responsible for causing the symptoms. The symptoms of a urinary tract infection could because by bladder cancer or bladder stones. Bladder cancer and bladder stones can make the dog prone to urinary tract infections.