Pet Q&A: Why can't a urinary infection be eliminated?
Q. My dog has had a urinary infection (blood in his urine) that was treated with several different antibiotics but on the follow-up urine tests he continues to have blood in the urine. Why can't the infection be eliminated?
Having blood in the urine does not necessarily indicate an infection by itself. There are several other causes of bloody urine aside from an infection.
First, a urine culture needs be performed to definitively diagnose an infection and repeated after treatment to ensure that it has been cleared.
To perform this procedure, a sterile urine sample is collected in the office and submitted to the laboratory to be cultured to see if it grows any bacteria, thus supporting a diagnosis of an infection.
A urinalysis can be performed on a free catch urine sample (one you would collect at home) which can show evidence of an infection if it shows bacteria or white blood cells along with the blood but these samples can sometimes be contaminated and may not be truly accurate.
Other causes of bloody urine include urinary stones, bladder tumors, kidney or prostate issues.
Additional tests like an X-rays or an ultrasound may need to be performed in order to diagnose these potential issues. Talk to your veterinarian to see if any of these tests may be recommended for your pet.
— Reena Shah, DVM