In a healthy dog, urine is usually light to dark yellow in color. If there is blood in the dog's urine, it is usually reddish in color. For dog owners the fright in this case should be big.
Fortunately, however, in many cases the causes of blood in the urine are largely harmless. Nevertheless, you should contact a veterinarian promptly with your dog to get to the bottom of the trigger for the blood in the urine.
Find out what causes your dog to pee blood and how to treat hematuria below.
Where does the blood in the urine in the dog come from?
If your dog is urinating blood, the origin of it can be in both the upper and lower parts of the urinary system. The blood in the urine of the dog can thus originate from the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder or the urethra.
That being said, it is also possible that the blood originally comes from the reproductive organs of the quadruped and only mixes with the urine during urination.
Usually due to internal injuries caused, for example, by inflammation or the friction of urinary stones, bleeding occurs, resulting in hematuria in dogs. Occasionally, however, a coagulation disorder may be present. This is the case, for example, when she is poisoned with rat poison.
What is the color of bloody urine in dogs??
Dogs do not necessarily have to have bright red blood in their urine. Partly the bloody urine of the quadruped can also show a brown or almost black coloration.
Causes of blood in the urine of the dog
If your dog has blood in his urine, there are many possible causes. Some of them are largely harmless. Others, however, are serious canine diseases, some of which can even be potentially fatal.
Among other things, the following causes may be responsible for your dog's hematuria:
– Urinary stones can form from the kidneys to the bladder throughout the urinary system and, among other things, cause your dog to urinate blood. In dogs with cystitis, in addition to an increased urge to urinate, the following is important. Problems with urination also blood in the urine to the typical symptoms. – Tumors in the urinary system or reproductive organs are also possible triggers when a dog has blood in the urine. Diseases of the kidneys such as cysts or inflammation of the renal pelvis. The kidney body can make itself felt in dogs with blood in the urine. – Inflammation of the genitals in dogs can bring bloody urine in addition to foul-smelling discharge. – If an unneutered male dog pees blood, it can sometimes be due to prostate enlargement. – In bitches in heat, blood from the vagina often mixes with the urine, making it appear as if the quadruped is urinating blood.
In individual cases, by the way, dyes from the muscles, the blood or even certain foods can also be the cause of red urine. This is comparatively rare, but should be mentioned here for the sake of completeness.
What symptoms occur with hematuria?
Hematuria is only a symptom of an existing underlying problem. Depending on the cause, various other symptoms may also occur. For example, the dog may have a fever, pain when urinating, a listless appearance, or vomiting and diarrhea.
In addition, there may be blood not only in the urine, but also in the stool of the dog. Depending on the symptoms the reason for the bloody urine can often be narrowed down a bit.
How much blood does the dog pee?
Basically, you should take bloody urine seriously in any case. Nevertheless, it is of course a difference whether there is only a little blood in the urine at the end of urination or it seems almost as if the dog pees pure blood. In this context, also keep in mind that a high blood loss, regardless of the cause, carries additional risks and therefore particularly fast action is required.
Dogs with blood in the urine are a case for the vet
Blood in the urine does not necessarily indicate a serious illness. Unless the dog is in heat and otherwise appears healthy, you should still take your dog to the veterinarian. The veterinarian can examine your four-legged friend. To determine the cause of bloody urine.
For this purpose, the first step is to examine a sample of the dog's urine. Depending on the examination results and other symptoms, imaging procedures and a blood test may also be required for a reliable diagnosis.
How to treat dogs with blood in the urine?
Considering the numerous possible triggers, it should hardly come as a surprise that the treatment of dogs with blood in the urine can also be quite different.
Tumors, for example, often require surgery. If the veterinarian has diagnosed a bacterial cystitis in the dog, he will prescribe antibiotics for the four-legged friend. In this way, the inflammation of the bladder can usually be treated well. However, despite antibiotics, the dog may still have blood in the urine before treatment finally brings the desired success.
The administration of antibiotics is usually also suitable for dogs with smaller bladder stones. In addition, this often involves the use of a special drug that dissolves the stones. If the bladder stones are already too large, surgical intervention may also be necessary to remove them.
Counteract urinary tract problems with the diet
If your dog has blood in the urine due to urinary stones or cystitis, it usually makes sense to pay attention to the diet of the four-legged friend in addition to the veterinary treatment measures.
Switching to a high-quality wet food with a low PH and adjusted mineral content can help counteract urinary problems as a possible cause of bloody urine in dogs.
For this purpose, we recommend that you rely on Bellfor country menu. The hypoallergenic wet food based on insects is characterized by excellent digestibility, a low PH value of 5.5 and an adapted mineral content.
At the same time, thanks to carefully selected ingredients and easily digestible insect protein from the larvae of Hermetia illucens (black soldier flies), it provides your dog with all the nutrients it needs.
Blood in the urine in dogs – our conclusion
As you can see, bloody urine in dogs can be caused by many different things. Take it seriously in any case. Contact a veterinarian immediately.