My dog's urinalysis shows a pH of 8.5. Should I be concerned?

It may be more acidic or alkaline depending on what she has eaten. Be sure she is eating a high quality dog food and cut out all other foods/treats to see if the issue resolves. If you are worried you should take her to the vet for a urine test.

Normal urine PH in dogs is 6.5 - 7.0 so if your pup is within this range the. He should be OK. There are Prescription diets such as Royal canin that are specifically formulated to lower urine pH. Increasing water intake and reducing g sodium (salt) intake can also help.

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.

Unfortunately, you cannot diagnose a urinary tract infection from pH strips. The urinalysis strip that veterinarians use looks for the presence of blood, white blood cells and numerous other things. The ideal pH range for dogs can be 5.5-6.6, but a reading outside that range does not necessarily indicate an infection.

Not that I am aware of. The exact cause of calcium oxalate bladder stones is poorly understood at this time. Normal dog urine is slightly acidic and contains waste products from metabolism including dissolved mineral salts and other compounds. These mineral salts will remain dissolved in the urine as long as the pH stays within a narrow range, and as long as the urine does not become too concentrated. Some diets that cause a persistently alkaline urine pH may also cause this. This link may help you more. ( https://www.vetmed.umn.edu/sites/vetmed.umn.edu/files/canine_calcium_oxalate_uroliths.pdf )

Hello. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, some of these dogs keep developing stones, & we just do not know the total reason & mechanism for this. So you are perfectly right to feel confused, & frustrated with this. The Royal Canin S/O has been one of the best options in terms of preventing stones through the diet, & of course, the more water he takes in, the more water there is to flush the oxalate elements out of his bladder before stones reoccur. Sometimes we do recommend potassium citrate, if urine pH is consistently lower than 6.5, & some newer thinking is to add hydrochlorothiazide if he does seem to be redeveloping urolithiasis frequently & he does not have high blood calcium levels. You could monitor his urine for blood with urine dip strips manufactured for this purpose ( your vet can help with this ). A full urinalysis should be done every 3-6 months to keep pH between 6.5 & 8 & to maintain urine specific gravity to 1.020 or lower. Imaging, with either ultrasound or x-rays every 6-12 months is useful to identify very small stones that can generally be removed without surgery.removed . Hopefully, Casper will remain stone free for a very long time. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.