Importance of Urine Tests for Dogs & Cats

Why do we ask you to bring in a urine sample or allow us to obtain a sample for testing annually at vaccination and/or health check appointments?

Urinalysis can provide us with information on the health of the kidneys, bladder, liver, pancreas and other organs. Determining what is a “healthy” or baseline urine sample for your pet can assist to detect changes or abnormal results down the track.

Urine testing is also used to monitor a patient’s response to treatment and sometimes needs to be interpreted along with other tests and procedures.

What & how do we test?
Step 1 – Visual Analysis

• Colour: Normal is amber-yellow, a red/brown tinge may indicate blood
• Turbidity: Normal is clear to slightly cloudy
• Specific Gravity: Indicates how well the kidneys are able to concentrate the urine

Step 2 – Chemical Analysis (dipstick)

• Urine pH: This tells us if the urine is acidic, neutral or alkaline. Normal for dogs and cats is usually between 5.5 and 7.0
• Protein: Normal urine has little or no trace of protein
• Glucose: Normal urine should have no trace of glucose, a positive result should be followed up with blood glucose tests.
• Ketones: A positive ketone result in the urine should be followed up with further testing for diseases such as diabetes.
• Bilirubin: High amounts detected in the urine can be a sign of liver disease. A small amount in dog urine is normal but there should be none for cats.
• Urobilinogen: It is normal for dogs and cats to have a small amount, but generally this test is inaccurate for pets.
• Blood: A very small trace of blood in the urine can be normal, but larger amounts can indicate infection, trauma, bladder stones and blood clotting issues.

Struvite Crystals under microscope

Step 3 – Sediment Analysis
A portion of the sample is spun in a centrifuge at high speed so the heavier particles can be separated, placed on a glass slide and examined under a microscope to detect any of the following:
Bacteria: Large amounts usually indicate a bladder infection, further testing may be required to assist with the best course of treatment.
Crystals: Made up of minerals that can clump together and form bladder stones, common types are struvite and calcium oxalate. Usually a special diet is required to dissolve the crystals before they form stones.
Casts: Small cylinder-shaped formations of cells and debris can give us more information about kidney function.
White Blood Cells: Large numbers can indicate inflammation from a bladder or kidney infection.

How to obtain a sample?
Dogs: Usually the best way is a caught sample mid stream either straight into a sterile urine pot, or using a larger collection tray that has been rinsed in hot water. We can assist you with this prior to the appointment if required.
Cats: It is much harder to “catch” a urine sample from a cat, so we usually recommend a very common procedure called cystocentesis where a small needle is inserted directly through the skin and into the bladder to withdraw the sample. Litter tray samples are also common for cats where the litter is replaced with a plastic replica that does not soak up the sample.

How fresh does the sample need to be?
The fresher the sample, the more accurate the results will be. Ideally we either test it straight away or at least within 2 hours of collection. It should be stored in the fridge if not being brought to the clinic immediately.