If you’re having difficulty housetraining your Shih Tzu puppy and urinating frequently in the house, the problem may not be with your puppy’s ability to learn, but with an underlying condition called a urinary tract infection. The condition is more prevalent in female dogs, but the occurrence in male dogs is increasing.

Signs of urinary tract infection (UTI)

The signs are not identical in all dogs, but if most of the following are present, your dog may have a UTI.

• Foul-smelling urine
• Blood in the urine
• cloudy or dark urine
• increased urination
• Difficulty urinating
• low energy levels
• Tenderness in the lower abdomen
• licking genitals

How does it happen?

There is a large number of bacteria outside the urinary opening. When bacteria enter the urethra, they multiply in the urine and eventually end up in the kidneys.

 The dangers of urinary tract infections.

Frequent infections can cause bladder scarring and, in more severe cases, kidney failure. For this reason it is advisable to take your dog to the vet if you suspect UTI and especially if the condition is chronic.

 How to prevent urinary tract infection

• Make sure your dog has access to fresh water. The more your dog drinks, the more often he will urinate. Urinary tract infection is more common in dogs that don’t urinate enough, as it gives bacteria more time to multiply while in the bladder.
• Certain medications and illnesses increase your dog’s risk of developing a UTI. These include antibiotics, glucocorticoids; corticosteroids, urogenital diseases (such as epididymitis or inflammation of the testicles), diabetes and tumors. By removing the medication or treating the disease, you can prevent the urinary tract infection from recurring in the future.
• Do not pour water or milk on your dog’s food and leave it in the open air for a long time. This will create an environment where the E Coli virus can multiply and increase your dog’s chances of getting a UTI.
• Always buy high-quality commercial dog food. Some experts are of the opinion that dog food is one of the main contributing factors to UTI due to bacteria in the food.

Treatment for urinary tract infection

• It is best to take your dog to the vet for a proper examination. In most cases, your vet will prescribe antibiotics to treat the condition.
• Change the dog’s diet. Homemade dog food is the first choice. If you can’t make homemade dog food, canned food is the next best thing. Urinary tract infections occur more often in alkaline urine than in acid urine. You should feed your dog foods that encourage acidic urine and this includes animal protein sources. Stay away as much as possible from vegetarian type diets as they lead to alkalinity of urine.
• A pill or tablet containing cranberry extract is also a very inexpensive way to treat or prevent UTIs.
• Give your dog 1,000 mg of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) twice a day.