What can a dog's urinalysis reveal about pancreas or digestion?

A urine test, or [urinalysis](https://www.petcoach.co/article/urinalysis-testing-a-urine-sample/), analyzes a urine sample and may be performed as a part of a wellness screening panel or due to illness. A urinalysis is useful in aiding in the diagnosis of a range of medical conditions, including [urinary tract infection](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/utis-in-dogs), crystals in the urine, [diabetes](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-diabetes) and kidney disease, among many others. Many different parameters are evaluated, including the concentration, pH, glucose, protein, red blood cells, white blood cells, bilirubin, ketones, bacteria, crystals and casts present in the urine. Annual wellness lab tests, including a urinalysis, are typically recommended for most senior pets. However, routine urinalyses are not typically performed on other healthy adult animals. If your pet begins to display changes in their urinary habits, such as urinating more frequently, straining to urinate, having accidents in the house, blood in the urine or is drinking more water, it is likely that your veterinarian will recommend performing a urinalysis.

Pancreatitis can cause loose bloody stool, but should not affect a pets ability to urinate at all, as that is a completely different body system. If Eevee cannot urinate and is seen straining to urinate then I would suspect a urinary obstruction may be present which can be cause by urinary stones. He should be taken back to the vet right away for radiographs to determine if a stone is truly present and appropriate treatment for this. However, if he is not straining to urinate, he may just be dehydrated. Offer him plenty of water and perhaps even Pedialyte diluted 50:50 with water to see if this helps hydrate him enough where he can urinate regularly. Hopefully he will go soon and start to recover from his illness. Also pancreatitis can easily be diagnosed with blood snap test (cPL test) done at the vet. A proper diagnosis will make it a bit easier to treat him and also determine what symptoms to be most concerned about during his recovery. Best wishes with Eevee and I hope he feels better soon.

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/

Hi and thanks for posting! High blood sugar can also be a sign of diabetes in dogs. I would have a urinalysis run on Tallula to see if glucose is in the urine. Glucose in the blood and urine is a diagnosis of diabetes. It is common for pancreatitis to occur in diabetic patients. I would follow your veterinarian's advise to come back for an ultrasound to check for pancreatitis and I would see if her urine can be checked for glucose. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would not give Binx any additional medications or supplements as medications can cause pancreatitis. The pancreas aids in digestion by releasing digestive enzymes in to the duodenum (first segment of the small intestine). It also makes and releases insulin. Pancreatitis means inflammation of the pancreas. The digestive enzymes that are normally excreted in to the small intestine are activated to early with in the pancreas, in a sense causing digestion of the pancreas. Pancreatitis can be caused from medications, obesity, high fat foods or getting in to high fat foods and underlying diseases can be a risk factor. I hope this helps!

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.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Urinating in her bed could be behavioral, or could be medical. An increase in Amylase and Lipase can imply that the pancreas is inflamed, and your vet recommending a low-fat diet and recheck in 2 weeks is the right recommendation. As long as Lada is still eating, and isn't painful, then a simple pancreatitis will resolve with a low-fat diet alone. No antibiotics are required and are NOT recommended, and pain medications are only given if required. I would continue with this recommendation, and deal with this possible pancreatitis first, and if Lada is still wetting the bed (as she might be doing this related to the pancreatitis, so best to clear this up first), then you can discuss medications to help tone the urethral sphincter. But I do recommend treating the pancreatitis first. Best of luck with Lada! I hope she feels better soon.