Your dog builds up his picture of the world via his sense of smell. When he sniffs the urine markings of other neighborhood dogs, he's picking up information about their whereabouts and statuses. A friend of mine calls it "reading his p-mail," but it's more like a cross between the daily newspaper, the Social Register, and Facebook. And when he leaves his own mark, it's a form of social networking.
We humans don't see the world in quite the same way, of course. But paying attention to your dog's urination habits can tell you something about his overall health. Either too much or too little can be a sign of an underlying medical problem. But how much is enough? The standard formula for a healthy dog is 2 milliliters of urine per kilogram of body weight per hour - roughly a pint a day, for a twenty-pound dog.
Your measurements likely won't be that precise. But even the untrained eye can usually tell when something's wrong. If your housetrained dog becomes incontinent - wanting to be let out frequently to urinate, wetting his sleeping area, dribbling without assuming the customary urination stance - it's a warning sign. If the urine has a foul odor or is discolored, or is accompanied by a fever, then the cause is most likely an infection - either cystitis of the bladder, or a urinary tract infection. Both should be addressed immediately; the good news, though, is that both are easily treatable with antibiotics.
Spinal damage or a tumor can damage the nerves that allow the dog to release his bladder muscles. Your dog may require assistance to urinate while recovering from surgery or injury; your veterinarian will teach you to "express" the dog's bladder with a gentle squeezing of the abdomen. In some cases, a dog may become permanently disabled and require such assistance regularly.
Lack of urination is another danger sign. The major causes are
An enlarged prostate is only an issue for unneutered males. The prostate is present in male dogs who are "fixed" before puberty, but without the hormone testosterone it never develops. As an unneutered male dog ages - usually over the age of eight - the prostate most often undergoes a benign enlargement (prostate cancer, though relatively common in human males, is very rare in dogs). This swelling clamps down on the urethra and restricts the colon, making both urination and defecation difficult. The most effective treatment is neutering; when testosterone is removed from the system, the prostate shrinks to a tiny portion of its former size.
Bladder stones can also block the passage of urine. Bladder stones, or uroliths, form when the urinary system is oversaturated with minerals - typically magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, and ammonia - which then crystallize in response to an infection, or to a change in acidity in the urine. When a bladder stone lodges in the urethra, it blocks the flow of urine. Left untreated, they can cause damage to the kidneys as the urinary system backs up.
Uroliths typically first manifest when a dog is four to six years of age; smaller dogs are more prone to them tyhan larger breeds, and females moreso than males. Early symptoms may include strain while urinating, or frequent urination in small amounts. A full urinalysis can detect the mineral content and pH levels that indicate the presence of bladder stones; this is typically later confirmed with imaging technology, e.g. radiography or ultrasound.
Certain medications, diet, and inadequate water can predispose your pet to bladder stones, and the best treatment is prevention. With a change in diet and drinking habits, bladder stones often dissolve on their own, and are flushed from the body naturally. In life-threatening cases, catheterization or even surgery may be necessary.
The above conditions present a urinary obstruction - that is, they prevent the passage of urine. Anuria - the breakdown in the body's ability to create urine - is very different, and the conditions that cause it far more deadly. Dehydration is more properly a symptom than a syndrome in itself, being most likely to occur when your dog is suffering from:
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Overheating
* Lack of appetite
Along with the failure to urinate, the signs of dehydration include a dry mouth, sunken eyes, and a lack of elasticity to the skin. If you suspect your dog is dehydrated, you should seek veterinary care immediately, both to rehydrate the animal and to determine the underlying cause of dehydration.
The most lethal cause of anuria is acute kidney failure. Most often associated with late-stage terminal illness, renal failure can come on unexpectedly in some cases of poisoning, especially when ethylene glycol antifreeze is involved. Without extraordinary medical intervention, kidney failure will result in death within just a few hours. Always be careful with antifreeze; store it in a safe place and cover or wash away any spills immediately. The sweet taste is attractive to both dogs and cats, and only a few licks can bring on permanent health problems.
Author Resource:
Jack Feerick is an editor for PurelyDogBeds.com – your source for dog beds and more
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