Bacterial urinary tract infections cause discomfort and welfare compromise in dogs, and accurate diagnosis guides appropriate treatment while reducing antimicrobial resistance.
UTIs cause genuine discomfort - the urgency and pain of dysuria affect quality of daily life. Dogs cannot communicate their discomfort clearly, so owner recognition of behavioral changes (squatting frequently, producing small amounts, showing discomfort) is important for timely treatment. Treating symptomatic UTIs appropriately brings rapid welfare relief. However, unnecessary antibiotic use without culture risks driving resistance that undermines future treatment options for the whole dog population.