Dog Peeing Blood – What Should You Do?

Key points

• Several possible causes mean diagnosis by a veterinarian is required
• The majority of cases are easy and cheap to treat
• Some cases will need life-long management 
• Urgent but not an emergency – unless the dog becomes unable to urinate

Common in:

Any age and breed, but maybe more common in immunocompromised dogs – the young, the elderly, and those with an underlying disease. Dalmatians are also over-represented.

Symptoms and types

Dogs with blood in their urine may have inflammation in their urinary tract, which is usually painful. You might notice your dog licking at their penis or vulva to soothe the irritation. Dogs with urinary inflammation may also feel the need to urinate more often – they’ll ask to go out a lot or squat more often, but produce only a small amount of urine. You may also notice straining or obvious pain when urinating.

Other symptoms include:

• Drinking more
• Lethargy and being ‘off-color’
• Nausea
• Behavioral changes – especially in older dogs
• Smelly urine
• Weight loss

There are lots of different possible causes of blood in your dog’s urine but – with the exception of females in heat – none are normal.

You should book an appointment with your vet if you notice any of the symptoms of bloody urine in dogs.

Understanding the diagnostics

Your vet will ask you a few questions and check over your dog to help rule out possible causes of the blood in your dog’s urine.

A urine exam comes next – so take a fresh sample to the veterinarian if you can. Don’t worry if you didn’t manage to get one though, the vet might catch one at the practice, or take one with a needle and syringe if your dog is small enough. 

A paper strip called a ‘dipstick’ will be used to test things like the pH of the urine and whether there are any white blood cells that suggest inflammation.

The urine will also be examined under the microscope for bacteria and crystals. In some cases, the urine may need to go to an external laboratory for more extensive testing.

Depending on the results, your vet might also request imaging – usually an ultrasound or an x-ray – in order to look for problems in the bladder or kidneys. Blood tests may also be recommended, to look at markers of kidney trouble.

Learning about the causes

So, what might the vets find? Let’s look at the common causes.

1. Urinary Tract Infection

A urinary tract infection (or ‘UTI‘) is the most common cause of blood in a dog’s urine. The bacteria responsible is often E. coli, but many other bacteria (or even fungi and parasites!) can also be found.

Urinary tract infections are more common in female dogs or those with underlying diseases such as kidney disease, diabetes, or Cushing’s disease.

2. Urinary Stones or Crystals

Minerals present naturally in the urine can condense to form urinary crystals. A combination of diet, breed, urinary infections, and other problems can combine to cause urinary crystals in dogs.

Crystals can irritate the bladder lining and lining of the urethra, but the main concern comes when these crystals stick together to form urinary stones or ‘uroliths’.

Bladder stones affect many breeds of dogs, but Dalmatians are a common culprit – they commonly get urate and xanthine stones due to a genetic defect. Bladder stones can grow almost as large as the bladder itself and they’re formed of layer upon layer of minerals.

These stones can bounce around in the bladder, causing irritation and inflammation, as well as providing a good place for bacteria to grow.

There are many types of crystal and stone, and whilst some can be dissolved, most larger stones need removing surgically.

3. Cancers of the Urinary Tract

Bladder and kidney tumors are fairly rare in dogs but do occur. Like most cancers, bladder tumors usually affect older dogs.

4. Prostate Problems

In boys, prostate problems can cause bloody urine. Prostate infections, benign prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer may all cause blood to leak into the urine stream – you might also notice a slower urine flow than usual.

5. Other causes

Of course, many other things can also cause bloody urine in dogs, including:

• Kidney bleeding (unknown cause)
• Bleeding and clotting disorders
• Trauma to the penis or vagina
• Transmissible venereal tumors 
• Estrus (in unspayed females)
• Bladder polyps

Best treatment options

Depending on the cause of the blood, treatment can range from no treatment to antibiotics, to a diet change, to surgery.

You should follow your vet’s advice for all treatment, and ensure that any antibiotic courses are completely finished – it’s common for bacteria involved in a UTI to be resistant to one or more antibiotics.

Home remedies and their effectiveness

There are no known effective home remedies for peeing blood in dogs. In some cases, a preventative dose of cranberry extract may help dogs with recurrent infections.

When to see a vet

It’s best to see a vet as soon as you notice blood in your dog’s wee. Delay can cause many cases to worsen.

However, as long as your dog is bright and alert and passing urine when they go, you don’t have to call the emergency vet – a daytime appointment in the next 24 hours is fine!

Monitor them closely for signs of deterioration, including no more urine coming out, as this is an emergency.