Blood in Dog Urine: Causes and Solutions for Concerned Pet Owners

Seeing blood in your dog’s urine can be alarming. While it may indicate a minor issue like a urinary tract infection (UTI), it could also signal a more serious condition requiring immediate attention. Understanding the causes, recognizing the symptoms, and seeking timely treatment are crucial to ensuring your dog’s health and well-being.

Why Does My Dog Urinate Blood?

I. Urinary System Diseases

① Cystitis

Bacteria infect the bladder and cause inflammation. The inflammation irritates the bladder mucosa, leading to bleeding of the mucosa and blood mixing into the urine. Common sources of infection include E. coli and others.

② Urethritis

Inflammation occurs when the urethra is attacked by bacteria, fungi or parasites. During urination, the mucous membrane of the urethra is damaged and bleeds, making the urine bloody. Male dogs, for example, have a longer urethra, which can harbor bacteria and increase the risk of UTIs.

③ Bladder stones or urethra stones

When a stone moves through the bladder or urethra, it may scratch the urinary tract tissue and cause bleeding. The formation of stones is related to the dog's diet, water intake, and metabolism. For example, stones tend to form in conditions such as chronically under-drinking water and consuming foods with too many minerals.

Also Read: Understanding Bladder Stones in Dogs: Causes, Types, Treatment, and Prevention

④Kidney injury

External force hitting the kidneys, or the existence of diseases in the kidneys themselves, such as glomerulonephritis, will impair the filtration function of the kidneys, resulting in red blood cells in the blood entering the urine and causing blood in the urine.

II. Blood diseases

①Thrombocytopenia

Platelets play a key role in the blood clotting process. If a dog suffers from thrombocytopenia, the clotting function will be affected and it is prone to spontaneous bleeding, including urinary bleeding. This can be caused by side effects of certain medications, infections, or autoimmune diseases.

② Coagulation factor deficiency

A lack of essential clotting factors can cause abnormalities in the blood clotting process. Inherited clotting factor deficiency disorders or due to certain diseases (such as liver disease that affects clotting factor synthesis) can lead to blood in the urine.

III. Other Factors

①Poisoning

Accidental ingestion of certain toxic substances, such as onions, chocolate (which is poisonous to dogs), rat poison, etc., may damage the dog's urinary system or blood system, thus causing blood in urine.

② Oestrus

Female dogs may urinate blood during estrus due to some physiological changes in the reproductive system during estrus, although this is usually mild and returns to normal as the estrus period ends.

If your dog urinates blood, it is recommended to take her to the vet as soon as possible for a detailed examination, such as urinalysis, blood test, X-ray or ultrasound, etc., in order to determine the specific cause of the disease and treat accordingly.

What to Do If Your Dog Urinates Blood Because of a Parasite Infection?

(1) Medication 

Deworming medication: choose the appropriate deworming medication according to the type of parasite. For example, for common parasites such as roundworms and hookworms, you can use drugs such as prothiobenzimidazole and levamisole, and take 1 tablet for every 5 pounds of dog, once a day for 3 days.

Antiparasitic medications: in case of blood parasites such as Babesia infection, medications such as ivermectin and doxorubicin may be required, which should be given to your dog on a regular basis and in the right dosage, as recommended by your veterinarian, until the condition is under control.

(2) Supportive treatment 

Blood transfusion therapy: If the parasitic infection leads to severe anemia, blood transfusion therapy may be needed to relieve the symptoms of anemia.

Supplementation of nutrients and body fluids: During the treatment period, the dog needs to be given nutrients to boost its immunity, as well as body fluids to prevent dehydration.

(3) Environmental cleaning 

Thoroughly clean the environment where the dog lives, and regularly sweep and disinfect the dog's bed, toys and other items to reduce the spread of parasites.

(4) Preventive measures 

Regular deworming: It is recommended to deworm your dog internally every 3 months and externally every month to prevent parasitic infections.

Dietary hygiene: keep your dog's diet hygienic, do not feed raw water or raw food, avoid sharing tableware and food between humans and pets.

Environmental hygiene: clean the dog's living environment regularly, sterilize the kennel, dog toys, etc., and avoid the dog coming into contact with unclean floors and water sources.

It should be noted that different types of parasitic infections may require different treatments, so the type of parasite needs to be determined before treatment. If your dog shows symptoms of blood in the urine, it is recommended that you take it to a veterinary hospital for examination and treatment in a timely manner to ensure that you receive the correct diagnosis and treatment plan.

How to Treat Dogs with Blood in Urine?

I. Urinary system diseases

• Cystitis

Anti-inflammatory: use medication containing amoxicillin, ofloxacin and other ingredients to reduce inflammation.
Hemostasis: use hemostatic drugs, in severe cases can be treated with systemic medication.
Catheterization: If there is a buildup of urine, catheterization is performed promptly to slow down the pressure on the bladder.
Bladder irrigation: After the urine is expelled, the bladder can be repeatedly irrigated with an appropriate amount of anti-inflammatory medication (not suitable for dogs with cystitis caused by urethritis).
Medications: medications such as urolithiasis (diuretic, increase urination, flush the urethra), speed (anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial), and saxidorphin (to repair the damaged bladder mucosa) can be used.

• Urethritis

Treatment of Urinary Inflammation

Frequent urination; dysuria; hematuria; urodynia

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Anti-inflammatory: use anti-inflammatory drugs such as amoxicillin.
Pain relief: Use medication such as Meloxicam to relieve pain caused by urination.

• Bladder stones or urethra stones

Increase water intake: Start by increasing the amount of water your dog drinks on a daily basis to minimize the formation of stones from overly concentrated urine.
Medications to remove stones: If the stones are small, you can use medications such as Petitgrain beef ingots (diuretic to remove stones, dilute the urine to increase urination, so that the stones in the body are removed with the urine), moneywort (diuretic effect is particularly good), and chickpea (helps digestion and aids in fossilizing stones).
Surgery: If the stones are large or the medication is ineffective, you need to go to the hospital for surgery.

II. Blood disorders

Thrombocytopenia or coagulation factor deficiency

This situation needs to be treated for the specific cause of the disease, such as the use of drugs to enhance platelets or drugs to supplement coagulation factors, the specific medication needs to be carried out under the guidance of veterinarians.

III. Other factors

• Poisoning

If the blood in the urine is caused by accidental ingestion of toxic substances, you need to take the dog to the veterinary hospital as soon as possible for gastric lavage, detoxification and other treatments, the use of vomiting, diuresis, supplementation of body fluids to help the dog expel toxins from the body, to accelerate the recovery of the body.

• Oestrus

Blood in the urine caused by estrus usually does not require medication, you only need to give the dog a good hygiene and cleanliness during the estrus period, and the symptoms will disappear naturally after the end of the estrus period.

• Trauma

If blood in urine is caused by external impact or injury to the urinary system, you need to take your dog to the veterinary hospital for a detailed examination to find out if there is any rupture of organs, if there is no rupture of organs, then anti-inflammatory and hemostatic treatments should be done.

How to Adjust Your Dog's Daily Diet When Urinating Blood?

⒈ Increase water intake 

Make sure your dog has fresh, clean water available at all times. If your dog is not a water drinker, consider adding a small amount of low-sodium chicken or beef broth to the water to make it more appealing.

Increase the proportion of wet food, which has a higher water content and can help increase your dog's water intake.

⒉Adjust protein and mineral intake 

Reduce the intake of high-protein, high-phosphorus, and high-calcium foods, as these ingredients may aggravate the kidneys and bladder.
Choose a low-protein, low-phosphorus dog food or consult your veterinarian about the need for a prescription food.

3 Avoid Harmful Foods 

Avoid feeding your dog foods that are toxic to dogs, such as chocolate, onions, and grapes, which may cause blood in the urine.

⒋ Increase the intake of vitamin C and dietary fiber 

You can increase the intake of vitamin C and dietary fiber by feeding some fresh vegetables and fruits (e.g., broccoli, carrots, apples, etc.), which will help maintain the health of the urinary system.

⒌Control salt intake carefully 

Reduce the intake of high salt foods as a high salt diet may lead to increased blood pressure and aggravate the burden on the kidneys.

⒍Choose regular feeding time and amount 

Maintaining regular feeding times and amounts and avoiding overfeeding or starvation will help maintain normal functioning of the digestive and urinary systems.

⒎Borrow to avoid irritating foods 

Avoid feeding spicy, greasy or irritating foods that may irritate the urinary system and worsen symptoms of blood in the urine.

During the treatment period the dog's condition has improved, and do not stop using the medication, adhere to the use of a period of time to prevent recurrence. It is important to note that dietary adjustments should be made under the guidance of a veterinarian, as different causes of blood in the urine may require different dietary adjustment regimens. Meanwhile, if the symptoms of blood in urine in dogs continue to be unrelieved or aggravated, the dogs should be taken to the veterinary hospital for further examination and treatment.

FAQs

Is blood in dog urine an emergency?

Blood in the urine of a dog is a symptom that needs to be taken seriously and is usually indicative of some serious urinary disease or systemic illness, and therefore can be considered an emergency in many cases. The following is a specific analysis.

Urinary stones

When there are stones and a large number of crystals in the urethra or bladder, these stones or crystals will irritate the mucous membrane of the urethra and bladder, which in turn leads to mucosal bleeding. Clinical manifestations are frequent urination, hematuria, urinary closure, and if there is no urination for a long time, there will be an increase in abdominal circumference, which can lead to bladder enlargement as well as rupture in severe cases.

Genitourinary infections

Common conditions include cystitis and urethritis. Clinical manifestations of inflammatory urinary tract infections are frequent urination, cloudy urine, hematuria, sometimes accompanied by purulent discharge.

Genitourinary tumors

There are renal tumors, ureteral tumors, bladder tumors, prostate tumors, genital tumors, etc. The presence of tumors may lead to bleeding from damaged tissues of the urinary system, resulting in symptoms of blood in urine.

Conclusion

Blood in your dog’s urine can stem from a variety of causes, ranging from treatable infections to more severe conditions like bladder stones or tumors. Early detection and timely veterinary care are essential for addressing the issue effectively. By monitoring your dog’s health, providing proper hydration, and scheduling regular check-ups, you can help keep your furry friend happy and healthy. If you ever notice blood in your dog’s urine, don’t hesitate to contact your veterinarian for professional advice.

Related:Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Dogs