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If your dog is prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs), you probably feel helpless at times. What can you give a dog for a urinary tract infection? Is there a dog UTI treatment over-the-counter? How can you help prevent your dog from getting UTIs? We’ll answer these questions and more.
Article Overview
Dog UTI Treatment
First, you’ll want to be certain that it is a urinary tract infection that your dog has. We suggest taking your dog to the vet to confirm the UTI (unless your dog suffers from regular UTIs and you have a game plan that you have gone over with your dog’s vet.) Your veterinarian may suggest some dog UTI medicine or dog UTI antibiotics.
Dog UTI Symptoms
Watch this video by Pets Best Insurance to help you know what to look for in a UTI.
Dog UTI Home Remedy
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Please check with your vet before administering a dog urinary tract infection treatment.
- Add one teaspoon (for small dogs) or 1-2 tablespoons (for big dogs) of apple cider vinegar to your dog’s water bowl. Repeat up to two times per day for up to seven to ten days, depending on how severe the UTI is. Be sure to have a second bowl of water without apple cider vinegar in case your dog doesn’t like the taste.
- Have your dog soak in a hot bath (make sure it’s not too hot and the level isn’t too deep) for ten minutes to help relieve the muscles. Wash your dog with a mild soap and pay attention to the genital area. Don’t leave soap on the area for too long and be sure to rinse the area with clean, warm water. Do this every few days until the UTI is gone. Learn more about bathing your dog.
- Encourage your dog to drink more water by placing extra water bowls around the house. Change the water once or twice a day to make sure it’s fresh.
- Crush one 500mg Vitamin C tablet and sprinkle it over your dog’s food. Do this once per day for seven days.
- Give your dog one to three teaspoons of citrus juice. The juice should NOT be from concentrate and SHOULD be all natural. Make sure there is no added sugar because it could aggravate your dog’s UTI further.
- Add about two teaspoons of chopped blueberries or cranberries to your dog’s food. Do this twice per day for seven to ten days.
Can I Give My Dog Cranberry Juice?
We have heard time and time again that for humans, cranberry juice can help get rid of a UTI. But what about dogs? How much cranberry juice for a dog UTI and is it safe? We recommend speaking to your dog’s vet about this. Each dog is unique and what works for one, may be dangerous for another. We strongly urge you to speak with your dog’s vet before administering any type of treatment.
Can I Give My Dog Cranberry Pills
We don’t want to sound like a politician here, but our answer is the same as above. Please check with your dog’s veterinarian before giving cranberry pills to your dog.
3 Dog UTI Prevention Tips
Below are three tips for preventing bladder infection in dogs.
- Make sure your dog is drinking enough water
- Keep your dog well-groomed, especially around the genital area
- Encourage potty breaks for your dog; the longer urine sits in the bladder; the more opportunity for bacteria to multiply.
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Dog UTI Test
Did you know you can find out if your dog has a UTI without visiting the vet? Try one of these dog UTI tests to detect a urinary tract infection in dogs as well as other illnesses. It could save you time and money at the vet’s office, especially if your dog is prone to UTIs. If the test comes back positive, you can then call your vet to get advice on how to proceed with treatment.
How often does your dog get a UTI?
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Hi our Ridgeback has no bladder infection, but battles to urinate . He is on a special diet. How can I feg him to drink more water as I think that this is part of the problem…any herbs that I can use. Please I am desperate. The vet has put him in cortisone. Thanks I am in South Africa
I’m so sorry your dog is going through this, and I’m terribly sorry for the delay in response to your comment. We were experiencing an issue with our comments and some went straight to the trash folder, but we are actively working on approving and replying to comments like yours. How is your dog doing today? If he is still struggling, I’d recommend calling your vet and asking what they recommend.
Hello. I just want to ask for a help , my dog is urinating blood since yesterday, we already visit to the vet but the doctor said it was her first time to encounter like this and she need’s to observe first. Now my dog is suffering and he doesn’t like to eat and to drink water and he can’t even stand now. What can we do now? He’s almost dying
Hi, I’m sorry to hear you and your pup are going through this. Any updates? If not, I would recommend seeking a second opinion from a new veterinarian. If you cannot take your dog to another vet, perhaps this online vet service can help.
This is the first time, if that is what she has. She seems to be having problems holding her urine but she doesn’t go post all way when she is outside. Within less than an hour she pees a lot on the floor.
Hi Debbie, we recommend you take your pup to see a vet to be properly diagnosed and receive treatment. UTIs can sometimes be underlying issues for other problems.
Hi. I’ve read through the article and all of the comments but haven’t heard anyone’s dog with this symptom. My 6 yo girl has swollen genitals as well as the area all around is quite swollen. She is more frequently needing to pee as well.
Is swelling like this related to UTI?
She is has been fixed since she was a pup so not in heat.
Hello, we always recommend that you see your vet with concerning symptoms. Licking of genitals can be a symptom of a UTI which can lead to swollen genitals. Ultimately, we recommend speaking with a vet because there could be a more serious underlying cause. If you’re unable to see your vet you can try this online vet service as well. We hope your pup starts to feel better soon. We would appreciate you keeping us posted on your vet’s information for our future readers who may have the same question. Thank you.
Hi, my 4yo Australian Shepherd was spayed in October. She has been licking her genitals nonstop since the surgery and has an unpleasant smell, the surgeon said this was normal. Recently she has peed large amounts overnight in her kennel and it smells like catfood. Is this a bladder infection?
Did you speak with the surgeon about your last sentence? If the surgeon says it’s normal, then I’d listen to them.
My 6 month old puppy is potty trained but all of a sudden today he is making little pee accdients and cries whenever he pees. He is drinking and eating normally. I tried looking it up but most things say cancer which is very worrying. I cant really afford to take him to the vet at the moment. Any tips on how to help him for now would greatly be appreciated.
Don’t get an animal if you cannot afford to take them to the vet whenever they clearly need medical attention.
Maybe the corona virus caused people to loose their jobs and homes. Maybe they are doing the best that they can. Maybe they got their puppy before the divorce. You don’t know what the story is. Relocated dogs with stress get sick. Many people can’t afford the high high high cost of a vet. It doesn’t mean they love their dog any less that you. Many dogs would be alive today if feed stores still had antibiotics on hand OTC. I’m sure vets are against it $$$. I can’t believe you Evan said that. Don’t you think if they could afford the vet, they would be there instead of frantically searching the internet for HELP ?
The fact that THAT comment was even said, has me logging off of this site. What a HORRIBLE statement to say to someone. I’m so glad Kelly that you’ve apparently never had a hardship moment in your life. Maybe YOU shouldn’t have a site like this if you can’t have empathy for a struggling pet owner. I’m just flabbergasted at your response. You never know someone’s situation.
I may be misunderstanding your comment, but Kelly does not own Canine Journal nor is she affiliated with our website. Our site is meant to help educate pet owners.
You could try out this online vet service.
my mix dog who we just got and is not spayed and 3 years old is having kinda loose stools and peeing fine but kinda alot. she drinks and eats just fine but i do add peanut butter to the food since she doesnt like it otherwise. help? idk if we can bring her to a vet but we do need to get her spayed as the previous owner never socialized or spayed her. home remedies anyone?
Hi joe, the peanut butter must be All natural skippy Creamy. Thats what i was told to give my dog. She likes it . But i wouldnt put it in her food everytime.
U could try some cheese like cream ch or just a lil sprinkle of a grated mozzerella too. Pumpkin works great to stop loose stools just add some to her food like a teaspoon and mix. Until u see her stool gets back to normal.
I would be careful that her peanut butter doesn’t have xylitol as it’s poisonous to dogs. Also, rice isn’t the best idea for diarrhea- canned pumpkin and turkey is best
Courtney, while you’re correct about xylitol being dangerous to dogs, this is not Joe’s issue at hand – his dog would have passed by now. Xylitol causes acute hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and is fatal without urgent veterinary intervention.
Also, rice is highly recommended for GI upset as part of a bland diet. A small amount of pumpkin daily (~1 Tbsp) can help increase fiber and bulk up the stool but should not be a primary ingredient. A ratio of 3/4 plain white rice to 1/4 plain boiled white meat chicken, turkey, or ground beef (no oils or seasonings) is a solid bland diet for dogs with diarrhea.
white rice and boiled chicken will help with the loose bowels.
My blue healer puppy 4 months old. I noticed today she squats to pee over and over and i dont see anything come out. Is she ok?
She may have a UTI. Try calling your vet or trying out this online vet service.
my dog is 15 year old yellow lab. She has lumbs all over her and can barely walk. She is showing signs of uti I think and I give her ascripton occasionally for pain as taking her to vet is just to stressful and I fear they will just say she is to old and want to put her down. I feel if she is happy and can walk it isn’t time yet. I keep her as comfortable as possible. I seem to keep my dogs going for many years. Most of my big dogs have lived to 15 and I keep them clean and taken care of till they can’t walk or go down. I tell everyone I run a geriatric ward in my dog room. LOL! I have several aging dogs one with cancer. I rescue them and give them the best life I can. So with that said I am going to try this remedy on her as a trip to the vets will probably be our last trip there. If she doesn’t improve I fear it will not be fair to keep her going.
I use cranberry uti on amazon flavored treats use as directed check your dogs urine ph should be 6.5 or slightly under if they have struvite Keeps the urine slightly acidic instead of vinegar that taste aweful also encourage water . Another great pain reliever for dogs is Boswellia and yucca combo this is great for joint pain start with 100mg for 100 lbs cut in half for smaller dogs but with any herb or treatment watch your dog for gi upset diaharea Boswellia has very uncommon side effects but is a great pain reliever and anti inflammatory for dogs horses and humans if you yourself suffer from joint pain try heal and sooth online it’s better than any narcotic and it’s natural however it has enzymes so not for dogs find a dog designed supplement or just add some Boswellia to dogs food do research yourself go from there. Hope this helps you like it has helped our family
My 9 year old miniature pinscher developed what appeared to be a uti about 3-4 weeks ago. He has cancer (large tumors in his snout) and so there is a lot going on with him right now, but the UTI was something we hadn’t experienced before. He was lifting his leg and “trying” to pee, but looked very uncomfortable, like he was in pain, and very little urine would come out although he continued drinking plenty of water. Normally he has a steady, strong stream of urine and urinates many times during a walk. I prepare his meals myself (commercial dog food is evil- read about it!) and I added dried cranberries to the mix as well as 5 blueberries per meal. He eats twice a day. I also added a little bit of red apple for general digestive support. These are in very small quantities, as he is only 11lbs and the majority of the meal is chicken or turkey. But I swapped the other veggies I would normally include (pumpkin, carrots, peas) with the blueberries, cranberries and apple. I believe i still gave him some pumpkin. After 3-4 days I saw a lot of improvement. He never had accidents in the house or foul smelling urine, so maybe we caught it early enough that it didn’t get too bad. I strongly believe the cranberries and blueberries helped. I have given him colloidal/sovereign silver in the past and though I support its use as a natural antibiotic, Rusty has never responded well to it and so we did not try that. For reference, my dog takes multiple doses of CBD oil and between 5-10mg of prednisone to control inflammation due to the tumors every day. I don’t think the CBD or prednisone would be factors in treating the UTI, but they definitely treat pain and inflammation, so take that into account when you are thinking of what to do for your little one.
I reduced the amount of cranberries after het got better but I still include a few and continue giving him blueberries as a treat every day.
Do a lot of research! Read everything you can find. Most vets don’t follow-up much after their formal education, and my experience is that they push a lot of meds and treatment that ultimately hurt my guy more than helped. After months of going back and forth to my vet and spending thousands of dollars, he finally admitted he had never seen Rusty’s condition before and didn’t know what to do. By that point Rusty had stopped eating, was bleeding from his snout uncontrollably, and was plain miserable. He had been our vet for Rusty’s entire life and I trusted him up until that point, but that was a major mistake on my part. Find a good vet who will take the time to research and come up with an individualized approach, and pay attention to your dog. He/she will tell you how they’re doing, believe it or not.
My dog name chintu.age fouryears old .that dog suffering from urine underside of infection. So…inching .say some medicines
My dog is 3 years old
She discharges daily bloody urinary
Water is over drinking she takes daily 3 litres water and no food
Wath is the problem
she needs to see a vet sounds like a very bad urinary innfection
Does a dog have to have antibiotics for a UTi
Antibiotics are commonly given for a UTI but I can’t confirm if a dog has to have them to help get rid of the UTI.
I have a 4 year old female Rottweiler she seems to get uti in summer when humidity is high. Started antibiotics today. She does not like acv. Prefers diluted milk will this help her?
I have a 3 year old Rottweiler and she developed a UTI on Christmas Eve, after our vet was closed for the holiday. We really wanted to avoid having to take her to the emergency vet. Aside from the stress of having to see a doc she doesn’t know, we really didn’t want to have to put her in the car for a half hour or more, on LA freeways with nowhere to easily pull off if she had to pee, to go to the emergency vet. We immediately started with ACV (4 tbls/day – she wouldn’t drink water with vinegar so we mixed it into her food). We gave her Vitamin C each day and also cooked down cranberries and put a couple tbls in each meal and gave her blueberries for snacks. She showed immediate signs of improvement and now on day 3, she is doing great, and it’s looking like we can hopefully avoid antibiotics.
So is it ok to give the blueberries as snack all the time and also is it ok to continue with the vit c as a daily thing.. It’s been 3days now since I started giving my dog 500ml of vit c and blueberries twice a day and cut up red apple .. He is already starting to go better, he’s not stopping and going pee, it’s almost clearing up .. My question is, can I continue giving blueberries as a treat and the vit c ?
Please tell me what ACV is? I have taken my CKS to the vet numerous times and she was put on 2 different types of antibiotics. Cleared up but after few weeks off antibiotics she gets it again. Very awful odor, pees on floor, drinks lots of water. She now is taking Silver my Vet sold me along with Cranberry chews. Not getting any better at all. I would love anyone’s suggestions. She is 13. Thanks
I believe ACV is short for apple cider vinegar.
Thanks Kimberly. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a setback today. Olive was fine this morning when we woke up, she ate breakfast, we went for a walk. On the 2nd half of the walk she started squatting often and not much coming out and for about 20-30 minutes after we got home, she went out every few minutes, nothing or barely anything coming out. She’s been pretty normal most of the rest of the day, she did ring her doorbell to go out several times after dinner, again with barely any pee, but has been fine since. She hasn’t ever appeared to not feel good or exhibit any discomfort, she’s happy & playful, playing with with our 1 year old Rottie like normal, eating like normal. I do think these home remedies are definitely helping, but we’ll be calling the vet tomorrow.
Sorry to hear about the setback, and I think you are doing the best thing for her by calling the vet. Hope she gets better soon!
Wow, so happy to hear she is doing great, Robin! Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
I have a 13 year old staffie and he mooches about on a night time and he peed this morning 8 times on mats can use please give me information what I can give him please his urine doesnt smell
How would you give the orange/citrus juice? I have a 14 year old pug. We are on prophylatic antibiotics currently but for her gut not UTI related. She has had 2 previous UTIs this year. We are also nearing the ultimate decision about end of life BUT, in order to get through some of the holidays with what might be a UTI- I was hoping to try some of the recommendations.
You can place it in a small bowl for her to drink out of or place it with some kibble in her food dish. These two ways would probably be the easiest. Sorry to hear she’s not doing well and I hope she starts feeling better soon!
Hi. My Aunt and Uncle rescued an 8 year old small female dog about 10 days ago. She is sweet and very smart. She drinks all the water you put down and is urinating with a lot of blood in it. She continues to try to go even when She has already emptied her bladder. She also appears to have lumps on her belly/abdomen. We know to take her to the vet and will do so Monday as money is extremely tight. Is there anything we can do to stop what ever infection, ease her discomfort or make her feel better until Monday? Anything we should be doing for her?
She has kidney stones that’s what my dog was doing take her to the vet please
What did you do for this and did it work.
We have a female Aussie, Katie, that’s about 3 1/2 yrs old, she was a working cattle dog until the guy we worked for sold off all his cattle, she’s now a spoiled inside central air hog/fur baby. She was fixed at young age, before she was 10 months old and she had never gone through a heat cycle. She has never pottied in the house, until today. She urinated on the floor and never asked to go out like she always does. When we take her out to potty she will potty for longer then usual and will go several different times. She is also now asking to go out more often. She has been drinking alot more water. We are in southern Tennessee, so it’s hot and can be very humid outside 6-7 months out of the year. We had chalked her drinking more water the last couple days up to it being hot outside. Now we’re not so sure that’s why she’s been drinking more water, after her pottying in the house today, something she has never done before, as well as her asking to go out to potty, as well as her urinating longer and several times while outside, I’m pretty sure she has a UTI. Will these natural remedies work and are they safe for us to try with her. I know that Aussie’s are more sensitive to various human foods, such as peanut butter, etc and we don’t want to try one of these natural remedies if there is a possibility it could harm her. We are not able to take her to a vet at this time and we prefer to use all natural methods/remedies for our fur babies. Can you tell me if trying these natural remedies are safe to be used on an Aussie dog? I appreciate any and all help/advice regarding our girl, Katie.
Sounds like when our dog had Leptospirosis. Look into that. He needed to be on Doxyclyne for 1 month.
Based on my own experiences with my dog, Rusty, I would strongly urge anyone who is giving their dog human pharmaceutical antibiotics (which Doxycycline is) to also give their dog food or natural supplements that will promote health in the immunity system. I incorporate as many dog safe fruits as I can into my dogs routine (such as blueberries, carrots, pumpkin, etc) as well as organic coconut oil and organic tumeric. Think of the havoc that these antibiotics reek on humans, and then think about your dog. If you use these strong meds to treat them, make sure to try to boost their body’s natural defenses as much as possible as well. My dog was on different antibiotics for about 4 months, and we had to do a lot to recover.
Try this.
Go to Walmart vitamin area.
Pick up a bottle of Natures Bounty Cranberry pills.
It’s $6.99.
My 8 year old blond Lab was peeing blood, and leaked blood on his bed at night.
I gave him a cranberry pill in the morning, one before bed at night.
In 3 days he was better.
No blood in urine, none at night.
The soft gell capsules I hide in a half of a fig newton cookie.
He takes whatever I have in the cookie.
The cranberry pills also have vitamin E & C in them.
They worked great for me & Scout is brand new.
Good Luck,
I honestly don’t know the answer to your question, but you could also try using probiotic chews and cranberry supplement chews for dogs. I bought mine through Amazon. We started having the same problems with one of our pups so we are currently trying the chews and the vinegar. He loves the vinegar for some reason. Hope your dog feels better soon.
My dog urin is neon yellow i think it could be UTI he drinks water but doesn’t want to eat. What should I do?
i don’t know if this helps but my dog passed away and it was because we thought he was picky then when i tried to take him to the vet they kept saying they cant take him but from what i saw online he had limes disease
Hi i was just wondering about my collie switch is a male dog.He has a soft swelled spot as big as a golf ball beside of his lipstick as they call it it is just on one side it dont seem to hurt him feels like a pocket of pus or something an his urine is a dark yellow i was just wondering could this be a UTI .i dont have no way to take him to a vet at this time.can anyone help
Hi Cathy, we always recommend seeing a vet when you think something is wrong with your pet. If you cannot take your dog to a vet, perhaps this online vet service can help.
How often do you give the orange juice for UTI treatment? Once or twice a day and for how many days? Thanks!
Ideally, you would give your dog about 1-2 ounces for every 10 pounds of weight. It would be given with breakfast every day for three days straight.
Hi Michelle! I believe my female pup has had a UTI for a while, now that I’ve noticed she has blood in her urine, she’s had accidents (where she’s never had them before), has to urinate often, and has been drinking more water than usual. I’m going to try the OJ and blueberries. I see you say every day, 3 days straight. Do you think I should do it for 7-10 days to be sure it’s gone? Thanks so much for any help you can give! We’re unable to take her to a vet right now.
Hi Susan, If there is blood in the urine, you should see a vet. If you cannot take your dog to a vet, perhaps this online vet service can help.
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for your reply. I ended up giving our dog the blueberries and OJ over the weekend and again,this morning. I was able to get an appointment and just got back from taking her to the vet. As a recommendation to others out there, our vet clinic was bought out by Banfield and so they suggested that I download their coupon for a free visit and they honored it for me; all I had to pay for was the medicine. That was such a great help. Hoping all will go well and that there isn’t anything more serious with her. Thanks, again!
Anyone got any suggestions
My poodle is 8 years old when she goes out to pee she goes a long time then when she finishes a real thick substance comes out
Sounds like she has a UTI or other infection. Probably should see a vet.
My dog urinates once then squats 2 more times later on, but nothing comes out. Urine is not concentrated and she seems fine Otherwise
I’m a fellow dog owner, not a professional, but my dog lifts his leg a thousand times on a walk or hike, long after the bladder is empty. Seems like a territorial marking/ instinctual behavior to me.