A bacterial infection in the urinary tract is one of the most common of the infectious diseases that our canines can contract.  However common it may be, the long range consequences of ignoring UTI can lead to (1) kidney failure, (2) prostatitus, (3)septicemia, (4)discospondylitis, or (5)bacterial endocarditis. Infertility or death can also be the end result of hoping that this will simply go away.  It is simple to test for by a veterinarian, and to treat in the early stages.  The hard part is for the owner to realize that an urinary tract infection exists.  Clinical signs are rarely seen in dogs, and only by observing  one or more changes in habit can an owner know that something is wrong.  The clinical signs of the possibility of a bacterial infection existing are:
          a.  an unusual, unexplained increase in thirst
          b.  increases in the frequency and/or volume of urine that the dog voids
          c.  a reluctance to urinate
          d.  the dog appears to strain when urinating
          e.  an abnormal odor or color of the voided urine
          f.  a dog that is normally clean and housebroken, is suddenly having frequent, or chronic, accidents.
     These clinical signs depend on the owner of the dog observing them.  The moment suspicion is aroused in the owner that something is wrong is the time for a visit to the veterinarian.  A simple laboratory examination and bacterial culture of the urine is all that is needed in the early stages, and the veterinarian can usually tell what is going on with your dog's health.

(1)  kidney failure - when 65 -70% or more of functional tissue in both kidneys has been lost

(2)  prostatitus - a urinary tract infection that spreads to the prostate gland in male dogs.  This condition is very common, and is an inflammation of the prostate.  If the condition is not treated at this point the bacteria from the UTI can spread to other areas of the body via the bloodstream, or it may stay within the prostate.  If it stays in the prostate, than it may, or may not form an abscess.  Treatment by a veterinarian is imperative.

(3)  septicemia -  the bacteria from a UTI travels from the uterine tract into the bloodstream, where it multiplies, and infects other organs of the body.

(4)  discospondylitis - septicemia that infects and inflames an intervertebral disk

(5)  bacterial endocarditis - septicemia that infects the heart valves and the lining of the heart.