Why does my pet need a urine test and what health issues does it find?

Increased thirst and urination can be commom symptoms of many disease processes and you are right that the first things we check for are metabolic (kidney disease, diabetes, etc.). The answer to your question is both. A urinalysis should always be performed as part of a blood panel, otherwise you are missing crucial information. Your vet will likely order a senior kitty wellness panel from an outside lab which will include cbc, chemistry panel, thyroid testing, and urinalysis. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No, the urinalysis would not be able to give you information regarding the direct function of the digestive system or pancreas specifically. A diagnosis of diabetes is made when there is high blood glucose and glucose in the urine. A urinalysis primarily measures kidney function and liver function and also screens for crystals or other types of sediment in the urine, bacteria, blood, and white blood cells that could indicate an infection or other urinary tract issue. A urinalysis can also tell you how concentrated the urine is which is used to help assess hydration status. I hope this helps!

That will depend on the lab offering the test. T4 checks thyroid function, Urinalysis (UA) checks for blood, white blood cells, specific gravity, bilirubin, glucose, protein, ketones, and urobilinogen, the results of all of these can tell whether kidneys, and liver are working properly and whether there may be a problem with your dog's metabolism. Here is information on the blood tests: https://www.petcoach.co/article/chemistry-panels-tests-for-pets/

The abnormal findings are: elevated pH - often seen in bladder infections high number of leukocytes and red cells - usually seen in bladder infection or/and inflammation Proteins - often seen in kidney diseases but also can be seen in urinary tract infections. It looks that Peppy has urinary tract infection. Ideally, the urine analysis should be repeated in 7-10 days time to make sure everything is back to normal.

The blood test is just fine. I do not see any abnormalities. The urine tests are pretty normal as well. No bacteria or crystals. Some white and red cells present can be normal. There may be some early kidney disease with the presence of microalbuminuria but more testing would need to be done. These test results need to put together with the dogs clinical signs. I'm not sure what you are trying to decipher. What are the dog's clinical signs? There is not enough information here for us to be helpful. You may want to opt for a private consult with me or one of our other experts so we can chat back and forth. That way we may be able to help you better.

An ultrasound of the whole urinary tract can be helpful for patients with unexplained blood in the urine. This would be of the kidneys and bladder as blood can come from anywhere along the urinary system. X-rays of the abdomen, after a pet has been fasted for at least 12 hours, can also be helpful. This can be important in some cases as not all problems can be identified with an ultrasound, such as stones in the tubes that lead from the kidney to the urinary bladder (ureter). Additionally a urine culture may be helpful to make sure that there is no underlying infection that is causing the blood. And, it is important to know how the sample was obtained. If it was freely collected from the patient or in the litter box then it is more concerning. If the sample is obtained as a sterile sample directly from the urinary bladder with a needle, then sometimes the blood in the urine is from the sampling (best sample for culture though). I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Your vet might be worried about a urinary tract infection and may want to get a sterile sample to send out for a culture through a procedure called a cystocentesis. In this procedure a very small needle is advanced into the bladder, sometimes using ultrasound guidance. It is a very common procedure in veterinary medicine. Diabetic animals often have 'quiet' urinary tract infections that are not obvious on a typical urinalysis and a urine culture to look for bacteria is often more helpful. A urine culture also helps determine what antibiotic the bacteria are susceptible to. Performing a culture on a 'free catch' sample that you would bring in might not be helpful since contaminant bacteria from the lower urinary tract can be in the sample.