About strong urine

Question
I hope you can answer my question. I have a chow/shepard mix male dog. His urine is so strong smelling, sometimes it smells just like skunk spray,it is very dark yellow sometimes a deep gold color. He drinks plenty of fresh water.What causes this and what can I do for him?  Thank-You Very Much  

Answer
Hi Kathryn!

Changes in urinary patterns can be early signs of other more serious problems.

The first thing to do is to properly diagnose the condition.

Infective Incontinence:

In a case where incontinence appears suddenly, urinary tract infection and/or stones is usually the first suspect. Dark colored urine, smelly urine, seeing your dog trying to pass water and managing only a little, are all early signs.

Elevated temperatures, restlessness, dull eye and blood in the urine are all signs that infection is more serious. Normally, by this stage, your Vet will have diagnosed the problem and recommended antibiotic therapy.

The important next step is to understand what were the causal factors and to do something to remedy these, to prevent the problem becoming more serious.

Causes:

There are a number of possible underlying causes, the most common of which is probably an increase in what is called the 'residual volume'.

When the bladder empties there is some urine left behind. If the amount left behind increases, the normal cleansing wash-out process is compromised. This can result over time in irritation or inflammation within the bladder itself, or the urethra (the tube that lead from the bladder to the outside). Such irritation or inflammation will weaken the mucous lining of these structures and thereby the dog's defense against external infective agents entering via the urethra.

Stones are the most common cause of blockage but cancerous or other growths could be involved. Any other history or factors compromising the immune system should be considered, along with diseases such as Cushings Syndrome, Diabetes and Renal Failure.

As with all infections, one must first ask why the body's natural defenses have failed? The first aim of any holistic treatment is to remedy these deficiencies, as part of the treatment program, rather than just attempt to identify the 'bad bugs' and kill them, which does nothing toward a long term solution.

I hope this has been helpful and I wish you the best of luck!Please keep me posted and give that Sheperd mix dog millions of kisses for me!Sending wagging tails your way!
Nicole