The Frequency and Clinical Implications of Bacteriuria in Chronically Paralyzed Dogs

Background Paralysis is a known risk factor for urinary tract infections ( UTI ), sepsis, and death in paralyzed people, but there are no data available on diagnostic criteria for UTI versus bacteriuria, their frequency, or clinical implications in chronically paralyzed dogs. Hypothesis/Objectives That chronically paralyzed dogs suffer frequent bacteriuria causing reduced duration of survival. We documented the frequency of bacteriuria, associated clinical signs, and survival rate in chronically paralyzed dogs. Animals Forty‐seven client‐owned dogs paralyzed with no pelvic limb pain perception for >3 months and at least one urine culture ( UC ) performed. Methods Retrospective, observational study. Medical records of dogs meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed for results of UC , urinalysis, and clinical signs. Outcome was compared between dogs with and without bacteriuria. Results Thirty‐five of 47 dogs had at least 1 positive UC , and 13 had recurrent bacteriuria. Rectal temperature and urinalysis results were extracted from records. Fever was present at time of UC in 5 of 68 observations, 2 with and 3 without bacteriuria. Pyuria was significantly associated with positive cultures ( P  < 0.001), cloudiness was not ( P  = 0.076). Survival data in 35 dogs (8 dead) showed no association between bacteriuria and survival ( P  = 0.69). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Bacteriuria is common in paralyzed dogs but does not cause fever; diagnostic criteria of UTI are unclear. We did not detect an association of bacteriuria with survival, but this needs further confirmation.