Older pets = Urinary tract infections
Buddah the Staffie is 16 years young. She came into PAH to have another one of her skin lumps examined. Unfortunately as we age, we grow lumps and bumps on our skin. Mostly as vets we try to manage these but occasionally surgery is needed. This day we were opting for managing the lump. 
Dr Jill noticed Buddah had been in a few months ago for a urinary tract infection which had made her very ill. The urine had not been tested for some months so this was very important to explore.
A urine sample was taken by needle and showed significant changes. It was full of rod bacteria and white blood cells. Buddah was started on antibiotics immediately.
The urine was sent for analysis to find out what would be the most helpful antibiotic treatment. If Buddah became noticeably unwell she would need to start intravenous fluids and intravenous antibiotics.
Recurrent urinary tract infections are so common in elderly animals and can cause so many problems. If we can control this infection we will be aiming to regularly analyse Buddah’s urine for the rest of her life. 
