Urinary Tract Infections can be a pain for both your dog and cat – they can make our pets miserable. It’s essential to treat a UTI quickly because not only are they painful but can cause serious complications.

Your pet’s urinary tract system removes waste from their body through the kidneys. If they have a UTI, they can’t effectively remove that waste, and it can lead to kidney infections, kidney stones, or worse.

The signs of an infection in both dogs and cats are:

• Frequent attempts at urination
• Having potty accidents
• Excessive thirst
• Loss of bladder control
• Crying when urinating
• Licking
• Blood in the urine

If your best friend has any of these symptoms, it’s time for a vet visit. Your vet will collect a urine sample which will help decide what treatment to prescribe. They may do an ultrasound to see if there are stones. Most often, a course of antibiotics will clear this infection right up.

There are some steps you can take to prevent UTIs in our pets. Be sure to have plenty of fresh water available in a bowl that is cleaned daily, clean your cat’s litter box every day, take your dog out to potty frequently, decrease stress in their lives, and feed them a wet food diet.Keep an eye on those symptoms! A UTI is a common problem; however, it must be treated promptly to avoid becoming more serious.