PetCaseFinder

Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Bacterial urine infections in dogs with chronic kidney disease

By Foster, Jonathan D et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2018·View original on PubMed

PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →

Original publication title: Characterization of subclinical bacteriuria, bacterial cystitis, and pyelonephritis in dogs with chronic kidney disease.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A group of 182 dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was tested for urinary infections, and 33 of them had positive urine cultures, indicating bacteria in their urine. The most common type of infection found was subclinical bacteriuria, where dogs showed no obvious symptoms, followed by pyelonephritis (a kidney infection) and cystitis (bladder infection). All affected dogs were treated with antibiotics based on the specific bacteria found in their urine. While the study found that the presence of bacteria was not linked to the severity of CKD, it highlights the need for further research on how these infections affect dogs with kidney issues.

People also search for: dog chronic kidney disease symptoms · dog urinary infection treatment · what to do if my dog has bacteria in urine

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of bacteriuria (ie, a positive microbial culture result for ≥ 1 urine sample) in dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and characterize findings of subclinical bacteriuria (SBU), bacterial cystitis, or pyelonephritis in these patients. DESIGN Retrospective, observational study. ANIMALS 182 dogs. PROCEDURES Medical records from January 2010 through July 2015 were reviewed to identify dogs with CKD that underwent urinalysis and urine microbial culture. Signalment, clinicopathologic data, stage of CKD according to previously published guidelines, results of urinalysis and urine culture, and abdominal ultrasonographic findings were recorded. Dogs with positive urine culture results were categorized as having SBU, bacterial cystitis, or pyelonephritis on the basis of these data. Prevalence of bacteriuria was calculated. Associations between CKD stage, presence of bacteriuria, and diagnosis category were analyzed statistically. RESULTS 33 of 182 (18.1%) dogs (40/235 [17.0%] urine samples) had positive culture results. All dogs received antimicrobials on the basis of culture and susceptibility test findings. Most positive culture results (18/40 [45%] samples) were found for dogs with SBU, followed by dogs with pyelonephritis (16/40 [40%]) and cystitis (6/40 [15%]). Escherichia coli was the most frequently observed isolate (29/40 [73%] cultures from 25/33 dogs). The CKD stage was not associated with presence of bacteriuria or diagnosis category. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The prevalence of positive urine culture results in dogs with CKD was lower than that reported for dogs with some systemic diseases that may predispose to infection. Prospective research is needed to assess the clinical importance of SBU in dogs with CKD.

Find similar cases for your pet

PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.

Search related cases →

Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29701531/