Clinical trial information:  Dr. Loretta Bubenik

Title of trial: 

Urinary bladder infection in dogs with urinary bladder dysfunction secondary to intervertebral disc herniation managed with manual bladder expression, intermittent catheterization, or indwelling urinary catheterization

Characteristics of animals needed (species, age, breed, sex, etc): 

We need dogs weighing less than 30 pounds that are suffering from bladder dysfunction secondary to intervertebral disk hernia and require surgical intervention for the disk herniation.

We also need healthy control dogs that undergo surgery for other reasons and that do not have bladder dysfunction.

Equal numbers of males and female dogs are needed

Goal of trial: 

The goal of the trial is to evaluate the incidence of urinary tract infection following three different management techniques for bladder dysfunction.  Our long term goal is to sort out the best management technique while reducing the risk of urinary tract infection.

What will be done to the client-owned animal: 

All animals will have urine samples collected at presentation and before discharge to determine if infection is present.  Dogs will be randomly assigned to a treatment group. 

Extent of financial support (if any): 

Our study pays for the urine cultures (which have to be done whether the dogs are in the study or not) and pays for any urinary catheters used.