Is my senior dog's aggression caused by bladder issues or aging?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It becomes concerning when an older dog develops blood urine that is non-responsive to antibiotics. Having blood in the urine with out bacteria can mean a bladder stone or a bladder tumor. Tests I would consider next would be a urine culture, one belly X-ray to look for a bladder stone and full blood work. If the culture is negative and the X-ray doesn't show a stone then I would worry about a bladder tumor. An ultrasound of her bladder would help diagnose if she has a bladder tumor. Another option before doing more testing is to try a more powerful antibiotic for 3 weeks. But if the blood is still present with out the presence of bacteria then I would go forward. I hope this helps!

Antibiotics typically improve UTI signs within 1-2 days so Bakka could have something else like a stone in his urinary tract or even an issue like a prostate gland infection or rarely cancer. As the antibiotics are not working and a stone could cause him to be unable to urinate and have kidney damage, Bakka should be seen by a veterinarian.

I am so sorry that Puffy is having this issue. I would recommend having an x-ray performed to rule out or in stones. If she has bladder stones then ideally she would have surgery. If she is about 10 years old I wouldn't be concerned about the surgery as long as her physical examination is good and her blood work is good. If she does not have bladder stones I would recommend getting a urine culture performed and potentially an ultrasound of her bladder. The urine culture will definitively rule out a urinary tract infection while the ultrasound will make sure there is no mass in her bladder. I hope Puffy feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

He could have a urinary tract infection so he should be examined by a vet. Your vet can run a urinalysis to look for infection and other potential causes. He could also have urinary stones, prostate problem, tumor, etc. If he has an infection then he will need an antibiotic to treat.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chocolate Bar. 18.5 years of age-what an amazingly long life you have given him! The recurrent blood in the urine is concerning though. There is a chance that he has developed bladder cancer. I would recommend having an abdominal ultrasound to visualize his entire urinary tract to look for any abnormalities. If there is a suspicious growth, then the radiologist can collect a sample for testing. In the meantime, continue his medications as directed. Good luck!

Large breed dogs rarely live to be 12 years or older. Even if his blood testing (senior panel) is normal that doesn't mean everything is OK with him. Blood testing is not the only diagnostic tool we have to tell if an animal is healthy. It's a good place to start but it is not the end all, be all. I suggest you have some x-rays done of his chest and his abdomen. He may arthritis in his spine or other joints that is making him crabby. He may be showing signs of congnitive dysfunction (dementia). There are medications that may help him depending on what is going on. The first thing is ruling out medical issues (like arthritis, a tumor in the abdomen, an enlarged heart, etc). If nothing obvious is found then it is likely dementia and again, medications are available that may help him.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The BUN and CREA are the most worrying symptoms indeed. It means that Pushka's kidneys are not working very well. A urine test should be the next step of investigation to rule in/out kidney infection and intoxication. Also, ultrasound scan of the kidneys may help to make the final diagnosis. Other blood parameters that are abnormal could be related to the kidney problems or not. High RBC, HCT, HCT could be due to dehydration, but it may be caused, for example by kidney problems. I don't think the abnormalities are due to stress. I hope it will help but if you have any further questions, please let us know.