You & Your Pet by Dr. Wise

Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association 11 South Angell Street #347 · Providence, RI 02906 (401) 751-0944(401) 780-0940 · Fax · rivma@rivma.org

Our veterinarian tested a sample of urine from our dog Muffin to diagnose a kidney infection.  Since then, I've been curious about how just a few drops of urine can reveal so much.  Can you explain?

You are right.  It does seem remarkable that so much information can come from such a simple procedure.  But testing a pet's urine, whether from a dog or cat, is a very valuable diagnostic aid.  It can uncover problems in the liver, pancreas, and bladder as well as the kidneys. 

Urine is produced in the kidneys and is then stored in the bladder.  The kidneys are important in metabolizing things.  Part of our urine analysis is to determine its specific gravity.  This can tell us how well the kidney tubules are concentrating the urine which is important information for determining kidney function.  A simple reagent strip can be dipped into the urine to show several things.  Glucose in the urine points to diabetes and bilurubin levels can be used to detect liver problems.  The protein level can help us find kidney damage (nephritis) and blood in the urine can indicate inflammation that might be caused by a bladder infection, bladder stones, bladder tumors, or kidney disease.

We can spin the urine in a centrifuge, then check the sediment at the bottom of the test tube under a microscope.  The different cells and crystals we find can provide a wealth of information.  If we suspect a tumor in the bladder or kidney, we stain the cells so we can find tumor cells.  We can see bacteria and white blood cells which can indicate infection.  Certain crystals tell us if there are bladder or kidney stones.

All this information is even more valuable when it is combined with a complete blood profile and x-rays.  As you see, a little urine can completely diagnose a problem or at least steer us in the right direction.

This information, prepared as a public service by the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, answers problems Rhode Island veterinarians currently are seeing in their practices, as well as new developments in animal care.