dog constantly whines to go out, 0degrees outside

[jackyboy]

my lab is 6 and within th last few days has to go out once or twice an hour it's freezing outside and he doesn't even do that when it's nice out. Could he have a urinary tract infection? by the way i'm new

[Prin]

Welcome to the board! I think your dog needs a vet ASAP...

[jackyboy]

you think it's that serious?

[Prin]

Yes.. If it's a bladder infection, it's probably serious by now, if he has to go out so often..

[Byrd]

Have you gone out with him to see what he's doing? If he is trying to pee, but can't, that's really bad. If there is blood in his urine, then that's really, really bad.

Is he even going to the bathroom or is there something else he's interested in?

Is he waking you up in the middle of the night to go?

Is he drinking more than usual?

[jackyboy]

haven't gone out every time,but he is going, no blood in urine, not in the middle of the night but more than ready early in the morning

[jackyboy]

he doesn't like to stay outside never has, he goes out then barks right away to come back in that's why the frequency is noticable. like i said it's probably 5 degrees right now

[Byrd]

Well, you could try to collect a sample and take it in to the vet.

[jackyboy]

i'll probably just go to the vet in the morning, collecting a sample just doesn't sound very um easy

[Byrd]

LOL It's not. They might ask for one anyway though.

If he's drinking a lot, you may want to ask about diabetes as well.

[jackyboy]

he just went out(first time since i've been on) and he struck a pose but nothing came out. like i said i'll go to te vet tomorow

[Byrd]

Good. Update us when you get back.

[jackyboy]

i wll, and thanks byrd for changing my oppinion a little

[OntarioGreys]

Jackyboy if your dog has been having regular checkups, I would suggest getting a urine sample, (you can collect in a ziplock storage bag, should be a mid stream sample) and drop it off at the vet shortly after collect the fresher it is the better for testing, the vet can then check it and let you know if it is an infection or if there are crystals in the urine which could be a sign of bladder stoness, if a UTI the vet would provide antibiotics as long as the vet has a fairly recent weight the can do without having to see the dog so save the money on an office call, if crystals depending on what the vet sees they may then provide and antibiotic(there is usually infection present as well) and a dissolution diet to dissolve or they may ask you to bring in the dog for x-rays. In a male dog bladder stones can be especially dangerous as they can cause a blockage of the urethra(it is much small than a females) which can cause the urine to back up into the kidneys which can be fatal, so if the dog is trying to go and nothing coming out it can be a lifethreatening emergency the dog should be seen a vet right away.

If your dog has not been to the vet in a while, it is a good time to take the dog in along with a mid stream urine sample(if you need to collect a bit ahead of time then you should refridgerate)

[Byrd]

By doing what OntarioGreys says you can save yourself the $50 or so for the visit. Just make sure that whatever you use to collect the sample is sterile so that they don't misdiagnose.

[jackyboy]

i'm not worried about the cost, we live on an air force base and the base vet is very resonable, he needs to go in anyways we haven't been in a while. thanks for everything

[Byrd]

Hey, how did it go? Do you have an update for us?

[jackyboy]

hi jack's symptoms are alot better and he has an appt tuesday. i'll keep you posted