Urinary tract infections (UTI's)

If you have a paralyzed dog or a dog with a neurological condition you will be only too aware of the range of complications that can effect their bladder.

Paralyzed dogs typically can’t urinate voluntarily and need to have their bladder expressed at least three times a day. Good hygiene and frequent bladder expression helps to avoid the build up of bad bacteria which can lead to bladder and UTI’s.

See our guide for more information on how to express a dog’s bladder.

Despite our best efforts bladder infections do occur. Infections of the bladder or urinary tract are generally easily treated with antibiotics. However, in some dogs UTI’s can become a chronic, reoccurring problem requiring regular trips to the vet and endless antibiotic treatment. The frequent use of antibiotics can also run the risk of your dog developing antibiotic resistance.

Petnostics test kit review

Petnostics has released a range of home test kits to help dog owners detect and manage bladder conditions commonly effecting paralyzed dogs. The idea behind these kits is that they can provide a tool for you to monitor the early signs of infection or conditions that can lead to stone development allowing you to seek medical treatment early and avoid more serious complications.

Who better to review these kits than my paralyzed dog Louis who has had had reoccuring UTIs and bladder stones removed a year ago. Petnostics provided us with one of each of their UTI and bladder stone home test kits.

Here’s a video to explain how Ptnostics test kits and handy mobile app work.

At the time of doing the test we did not suspect an infection or any other bladder problems. Other than the fact that we need to express him, his bladder seemed to be in a good, healthy condition. 

We collected a sample of Louis’s urine and dipped in the UTI test strip. After placing the strip on the reference card the Petnostics mobile app guided us through the rest of the process. the rest, guiding us through the process of taking a photo and then the app analyzed the results.

Our results showed some signs that an infection might be present. Not conclusive but maybe enough of an indication that something might not be quite right.

What next? Well we were scheduled for a vet checkup so we had a sample taken (clean sample via syringe) and cultured. The results showed that Louis had a mild bacterial infection that we hadn’t noticed!

We think that the Petnostics test kits offer a great tool to help dog owners monitor for common bladder problems at home.