As we discussed earlier, there is reason to suspect that the signs seen in your dog XXXX are due to a urinary tract disorder.

Some common causes of urinary tract disease in dogs are

- Urinary tract infection

- Crystals in the bladder which may develop into bladder stones

- When there is a womb infection (pyometra)

- Inflammation of the vagina in young bitches

- Incontinence

- Prostatic disease in male dogs (neutered and unneutered)

Common signs of urinary tract disease are:

- More frequent urination

- Taking much longer than usual to pass urine.

- Frequent urination attempts where only small amounts of urine comes out, drop by drop or not at all.

- Restlessness and a need to go out more often than usual.

- More frequent licking of the genitalia (this may be a sign of discomfort)

- The urine can be smelly and/or mixed with blood

- Sometimes the dog may appear unwell but not always

If your dog has any of the above problems then you should always consult a physical veterinarian for an examination.

As we discussed, the signs that your dog is showing are possibly caused by a mild urinary tract disease. I therefore recommend that your dog is examined by your preferred veterinary surgeon during normal working hours.

However, if things should change and your dog is showing any of these signs:

• Blood in the urine
• Discomfort
• Unable to urinate at all or only passing a few drops of urine

Then you should see a vet for an urgent veterinary examination.

It is important to find out the cause of the dog's problems and often the vet may want to take both blood and urine samples. X-rays or ultrasounds are sometimes included in the examination. Do not feed approx. 6 hours before the vet visit in case the vet wants to give a sedative for further examination. The dog may drink water as usual. Avoid walking the dog 2 hours before the visit.

If you are able to collect a fresh urine sample in a clean container prior to the visit then this may be of help to the vet.