My dog's mast cell tumor is dark & urine smells. What's happening?

These signs might be compatible with a urinary tract infection/inflammation. Stress related (idiopathic type of inflammation), infection 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. 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.

Poor Kubia! There may be spread but I think it is unlikely, what I suspect is that the bladder tumour has grown to the extent that it is pressing on the colon. They run in close proximity, this could be causing irritation to the colon. If you are concerned about her quality of life don't hesitate to ask us, or discuss with your vet.

Unfortunately the concerns is that there may be a urinary tract infection which needs to be treated with antibiotics. I recommend to get her into see the veterinarian and have her urine checked for infection or crystals as these can commonly show up like this. Sometimes very concentrated urine can smell stronger and in that instance, you want to increase the drinking. This can be achieved by adding water to the food but it sounds like she is already drinking a lot. Play it safe and have her urine checked to be sure. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Sometimes more concentrated urine can have a stronger odor. I would make sure he is drinking plenty of water and not dehydrating himself. If he has been drinking adequate amounts of water and if the smell continues, I would get him examined by his veterinarian and have his urine tested as he may be dealing with a urinary tract infection. If diagnosed with a UTI, he will need to go on a course of oral antibiotics for treatment. I hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via text or phone consultation.

A mast cell tumor is a type of cancer-- if your dog has a mast cell tumor, it has a form of cancer. Generally, mast cell tumors are in the skin or in the connective tissue just under the skin. Sometimes, these are more aggressive and do spread to other parts of the body including the intestine or colon. Primary mast cell cancer in the intestine or colon are quite rare in dogs, usually its the result of spread of the cancer from a primary tumor in the skin. Mast cell tumors contain histamine. Therefore, symptoms can occur pretty quickly. Histamine affects the entire body-- it can cause vomiting, hives, and vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels which can lead to swelling, bruising, etc). Vomiting or diarrhea as a symptom does not necessarily mean that the cancer has spread to the GI tract, rather it could just be histamine release from a primary tumor in the skin. I hope that clears things up a bit for you. Here is some additional information that you may find helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/article/mast-cell-tumors/ https://vth.vetmed.wsu.edu/specialties/oncology/information-for-owners/mast-cell-cancer

Poor Ruby! The weird stool could be due to a numerous things including the tumor but also parasites, stress, eating something she shouldn't and much more. I would have your vet take a look at her and the tumor. The vet will be able to do a fecal to see if she has any parasites or bacterial imbalance. They will also be able to look at the tumor to ensure it isn't cancerous and to make sure it doesn't need to be surgically removed before it gets any worse. You could try to feel some plain boneless, skinless chicken and white rice to see if this helps with her stool. Keep a close eye on her. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better really soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Brown or red color urine is not expected from any of the commonly used chemotherapeutics in dogs. Dogs with prostatic tumors can develop secondary infections and sometimes actually have bleeding episodes. I recommend that you discuss with your oncologist submitting his urine for a urinalysis/urine culture to rule out a urinary tract infection, especially if that matches the rest of his clinical signs of present. Good luck and have a great day!