Trouble urinating.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Angela,

Unfortunately this sounds like a situation that does need veterinary care and hopefully soon.

If your dog is having trouble urinating then there has to be a medical reason for this to happen.

The best case scenario is that this is a simple urinary tract infection. We don't know why dogs get them, but they can be very common. The way to tell is to have your vet do a urinalysis (some tests on his urine) to determine if there is bacteria present. If this is the case then the vet will prescribe oral antibiotic medication for him to take. There is no at-home treatment that is going to work if this is a urinary tract infection.

It is also possible that there is something obstructing his urethra (which is where the urine flows out of the penis.) It could be that he has a bladder stone that has travelled down into the urethra and is now stuck. Sometimes the vet can fix this by putting a catheter in the urethra and pushing the stone back into the bladder. They would then put the dog on a special food to dissolve the stone. However, some stones can't be dissolved and need to be removed with surgery.

Another possible cause for a blockage would be some type of tumor that is pressing on the urethra. This is not as common.

If Schafer wasn't neutered I would be worried about a prostate problem. While we can see prostate cancers in neutered dogs, prostate problems are not terribly common in a neutered dog.

I am a little bit concerned as well by the fact that Schafer is drinking a lot more. This makes me wonder if the problem is originating in the kidneys. He could have kidney stones that have made their way through the bladder and into the urethra. Or, this could be a kidney infection. A cancer affecting the kidneys is a possibility as well although not as common.

I really feel for you in your financial situation but there is really nothing that you can do at home for Schafer. If there is a blockage in his urethra it is a partial blockage now because he is able to still get some urine out. But, if it becomes a full blockage this is life threatening...and in either case it is very uncomfortable. It really does sound like he needs to see a vet as soon as possible.

I'm not sure if it helps but you may get some help by reading this post about help with veterinary bills.

Please let me know if you have more questions!

I hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie



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Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, the poor guy, it seems like he is very uncomfortable.

This is a coincidence, but did you know that I am in Ottawa too? (assuming you are in Ottawa, Canada.) Unfortunately though I am about to have a baby in a few weeks and so I am not actually working right now.

You are right - you will not find a vet in Ottawa who will do a payment plan. This is terribly unfortunate but the reason is that too many dishonest people have ruined it for all of the good folks out there. You may want to look into Medicard. This is a financing company that will allow you to make payments on veterinary bills. We have a number of clients that use them.

If you are looking for a good clinic (although really, all of the clinics in Ottawa are great), I practice at Beechwood Animal Hospital. The prices there are very reasonable.

I really hope everything is ok.

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

You're right, Alta Vista is a FANTASTIC veterinary clinic. It is without a doubt one of the most pricey though. I send clients there for tricky things like oncology referrals and MRI's and stuff like that. If cost is a concern then it's definitely not my first choice.

Regardless, I hope you get good news.

Dr. Marie.