Objective: To determine frequency of urinary tract infection (UTI) among dogs with pruritic disorders that were or were not receiving long-term glucocorticoid treatment.
Design: Observational study.
Animals: 127 dogs receiving glucocorticoids for > 6 months and 94 dogs not receiving glucocorticoids.
Procedure: Bacterial culture of urine samples was performed in dogs receiving long-term glucocorticoid treatment, and information was collected on drug administered, dosage, frequency of administration, duration of glucocorticoid treatment, and clinical signs of UTI. For dogs not receiving glucocorticoids, a single urine sample was submitted for bacterial culture.
Results: Multiple (2 to 6) urine samples were submitted for 70 of the 127 (55%) dogs receiving glucocorticoids; thus, 240 urine samples were analyzed. For 23 of the 127 (18.1%) dogs, results of bacterial culture were positive at least once, but none of the dogs had clinical signs of UTI. Pyuria and bacteriuria (present vs absent) were found to correctly predict results of bacterial culture for 89.9% and 95.8% of the samples, respectively. Type of glycocorticoid, dosage, frequency of administration, and duration of treatment were not associated with frequency of UTI. None of the urine samples from dogs not receiving glucocorticoids yielded bacterial growth. The frequency of UTI was significantly higher for dogs treated with glucocorticoids than for dogs that had not received glucocorticoids.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: Results suggest that dogs receiving long-term glucocorticoid treatment have an increased risk of developing a UTI. On this basis, we recommend that urine samples be submitted for bacterial culture at least yearly for such dogs.