My dog has dark clots in her urine after finishing heat. Is this normal?

Reddish urination during this period of time can definitely occur. However, this is not to say that it isn't coincidental and a separate urinary issue is not occurring. As long as July isn't experiencing any other clinical signs such as frequent small amounts of urination, straining to urinate, pain when urination, or urinating extremely large amounts, I wouldn't necessarily assume anything is wrong currently. If you have a working relationship with your veterinarian, he might be open to you collecting a urine sample in a container and dropping it off at their office for analysis. They will be able to tell you if there are large numbers of white blood cells and/or bacteria present, and potentially prescribe an antibiotic should they see fit. Hope this makes sense.

I am sorry to hear that your dog is experiencing this. Urinary tract infections would be the most common cause of dark red urine, but urinary bladder stones are also common and are more likely to lead to clots as well. Even less common but still a possibility would be urinary tract cancer. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. A urinalysis and x-ray will likely be recommended. If needed an ultrasound is sometimes recommended as well. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

The color of discharge during a heat cycle can be extremely variable throughout the duration of the cycle and it can even change from cycle to cycle. Based on what you've described it sounds like Precious is experiencing a normal heat cycle. If the discharge becomes smelly or she begins to act lethargic or ill, have a veterinarian evaluate her just to be safe.

These signs might be compatible with a urinary tract infection/inflammation. Stress related (idiopathic type of inflammation) infections and presence of crystals are the most common causes of it. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed again. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It's normal for there to be some blood in the urine with a UTI, however passing clots is not very common. If the vet didn't take x-rays or do an ultrasound of he bladder, I'd recommend going back for another appointment to check and make sure he doesn't have a stone - that's not something we always do in the first go around, but blood clots would make me concerned.

Poor Luna. As I’m sure you know, blood clots in the urine are not normal and when a dog is passing visible blood, it does require an immediate vet visit. Even though she is acting normally, I would take her into an ER vet right away. I hope this helps.

I recommend calling your veterinarian in the morning and scheduling an appointment to have her looked at. There could be a few different reasons for blood in the urine. She can have a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, a kidney issue or even a bladder mass. I would recommend bringing a urine sample to have them evaluate it and see if Trinity has a urinary tract infection. I would also consider having x-rays performed to potentially look for bladder stones. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.