A word of warning to dog owners: your pooch is a possible source of urinary tract infections (UTIs) .

UTIs occur when bacteria infect the bladder, urethra or kidneys. They can be very painful, but are usually treatable with antibiotics .

About half of all women experience UTIs at some point in their lives, and men can get them too. Most of the time, they are caused by bacteria from a person’s own faeces – usually Escherichia coli .

Peter Damborg and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark investigated whether …