what are the signs of a UTI?

[Jen W]

Dory hasn't had any accidents, but I noticed on our very short walk this morning she squatted to pee no fewer than five times.  Though she sometimes goes twice on long walks, this is pretty unusual, especially for a walk that was only 6 blocks long.

Is this a sign of a UTI?

[F, Calla & Luca]

It certainly could be. Urgency and frequency are hallmarks of a UTI.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not necessarily, it's also just a marking behavior. Both female and male dogs will "mark" over any spot where they smell urine from another dog with a small amount of their own. It would be more significant if she did this in your own yard, where there are no scents of urine from other dogs.

I would keep an eye on her and make sure she is drinking plenty of water.  

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

http://www.petcarerx.com/article/cat-and-dog-uti/266

[Debbie & Gibbs]

My female Westie when she has a UTI she also will squat multiple times on a walk. She will also go to the doggie door in the laundry room and pee on the floor right beside the doggie door, pretty smart girl! I would probably take the vet a sample just to be sure.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

My 2 previous dogs were males, and of course they went 100 times per walk.  I always thought females only went once or twice per walk, but sometimes Libby goes as many times as the boys!  Live and learn!  But obviously you know your dog best and can tell if her habits are different than normal!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Calla never marks but Luca does.

[Christine & Shelby]

How old is she? My Shelby used to be a one and done pee-ER on walks and she gradually progressed into marking behavior. On our walks (about 1 mile, both morning and night) she will pee 10-12 times easily. When this first started to change, I was concerned it could be a UTI but we had no issues at home during the day or night. Any other issues? I think this started to change for my Shelby at about a year to a year and a half.

[Jen W]

That's exactly how old Dory is - 16 months.  Last night when we out for the last time before bed she just went once (probably b/c I only gave her the chance to go once since it wasn't a walk) and it seemed like there was a lot.  I press on her tummy when I rub her belly and there is no indication of any pain, no extra licking, nothing else unusual.  I'm going to keep an eye on it and see what happens.  

Thank you all for your advice!