Blood in urine

[Joanna and the Weez]

This morning I found a few drops of blood on the floor and it looked like it was in Weezy's urine. If she wasn' spayed, I'd think she was in heat. But she is (spayed, that is!). This has me very concerned. I've made an appointment with the vet for later in the day, but I'm wondering if any of you have had this problem with your dachsie's and what the problem might possibly be. I'm hoping and praying that this isn't something serious.

Thanks,

Joanna

[Mickamack]

I don't want to alarm you, but I have to urge you to get Weez to the vet. I only had one dog who urinated blood. My Buddy was doing the same thing. We noticed it in the middle of the week and he already had a scheduled appointment at the end of the week, so we waited for his sch. appointment. By the time we got him there, Buddy was so weak from losing blood, that he couldn't even stand. It turns out that Buddy had AutoImmune Hemolytic Anemia. He got so sick, so quickly, it was unbelievable! From what I'm told, if you can get treatment quickly enough, your dog has a good chance of recovering, but with us waiting a few days, Buddy had gotten a too sick. We took him to a vet teaching hospital at Cornell Univ. and he died while getting a blood transfusion. This all happened within a span of 5-6 days.

I don't mean to put you in a panic. I can only tell you of MY experience with a dog having blood in the urine. There may very well be another cause for blood being in the urine, maybe a kidney infection??? I really have no idea, but no matter what, I urge you to have the vet check him out as soon as possible. I waited when I shouldn't have and I lost my Buddy because of it.

Please let us know how Weez makes out today.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Weez.
Karen

[Penny's Aunt]

Bladder infections are relatively common in dogs. Some dogs also develop "stones" (mineral deposits) in the bladder. Some are small, like sand. The largest I've seen (in a 20-lb dog) were 3 that had grown & worn together to form a 3-pc ball the size of a large grapefruit. The owners wondered why she couldn't hold her urine & had blood in it.

How old is Weezy? How long ago was she spayed?

Just for safety, look at her vulva & make sure it isn't swollen, which might indicate that she is in heat (not 100%). Yes, I know you said she was spayed, but it isn't totally unknown (esp in a large hospital) for a dog that was supposed to be spayed to turn out not to be spayed at all.

But you do need to take her to the vet & get her checked out. If possible, take a urine sample with you. (Can be tricky to get, esp in a female.)

Good luck!

[chelsam]

As the mom of a dachsie who has had a few urinary tract infections, here's an easy way to collect a urine specimen for a female. Simply wait for her to squat, then slide a pan (very narrow), or ice cube tray between her hind legs very quickly, and you have your specimen. Transfer to a clean container. Works like a charm. By the way, I can't take full credit for this idea, my vet's tech shared this with me.

[Penny's Aunt]

Excellent suggestion! But you'd better have her on a leash, or you'll be running across the yard, waving the ice cube tray, yelling "Wait! Wait!"

[Joanna and the Weez]

Ha, Ha! I can see it now! I wanted to thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I took Weezy to the vet this afternoon and he thinks it is definitely a bladder infection - gave her a shot of penisilin (sp?) and antibiotics to take for the next two weeks. Thank goodness that's all it was. My little Weez sure gave me a scare!

[Mickamack]

Oh, I'm so happy that it was only a bladder infection. We send our get well wishes to Weezie. She'll be as good as new before you know it! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smile.gif

[Wienergal]

Joanna, if your vet didn't do X-rays, keep an eye on Weezy for a while. Peaches, The Dachshund Who Has Had It All, also had blood in the urine and it was bladder stones, not an infection. Some of the stones were the size of small peas, and they were irritating the interior of the bladder and causing it to bleed. (The poor girl actually passed one! It didn't seem to bother her at all. So again, I'm wondering about that dog pain threshold...)

Bladder stones can be treated effectively with special food and medication. If she is urinating real frequently--just little drips here and there, if the blood persists, if she seems to be a bit agitated when urinating, get the X-ray!

Good luck!!