If you missed Understanding Your Good Dog’s or Cat’s Urine Analysis Pawt 1 or Understanding Your Good Dog’s or Cat’s Urine Analysis Pawt 2  you can read them by pawing on the links pawvided in the titles or paw on over to our Resource Page.  You can also read the blog post that pawceded Part 1 & 2,  UTIs & Good Dogs.

CEO  Olivia here to yap Part 3 Understanding Your Good Dog’s or Cat’s Urine Analysis where I will bark on what is a microscopic evaluation of urine sediment & what it can reveal about your fur legger’s health.

A dipstick evaluation is impawtant but your fur legger’s sample should also be evaluated microscopically because a dipstick evaluation doesn’t give the whole picture which may mislead your health practioner that your fur leggers urine is normal when there may well be an issue.  A urine sample is microscopically evaluated when the urine is centrifuged (big word meaning spun down at wagnificent high speed) which spins any cells or abnormal elements in the urine & are then deposited into the bottom of the test tube (this is called the urine sediment) where they are collected & viewed under a microscope.

For a normal urine sample your Vet or Vet Tech may see only a few red blood cells & white blood cells (less than 0-5 per high powered viewing site). Anything beyond these values needs further evaluation.

What elements can be found in abnormal urine sediment?

• White Blood Cells – could be a sign of an infection or an inflammatory process within the bladder or kidney.
• Red Blood Cells – may be a sign of trauma or irritation to the bladder wall or kidney. The technician will find red blood cells in the urine in fur leggers with bladder or kidney infections, bladder or kidney stones, interstial cystitis (inflammation within the lining of the bladder) or cancer within the urinary tract system.
• Bacteria – may be an indication of an infection. If bacteria are found in the urine sample, a urine culture & sensitivity may be recommended to further identify the bacteria & would help in the chosing the best antibiotic to resolve the infection.   If the technician does not see bacteria in the urine sediment, it does not mean that your fur legger does not have a bacterial infection in the bladder or kidney. In dilute urine samples or in urine samples that contain wagnificent numbers of white or/& red blood cells, the bacteria may not be seen. Always request a urine culture for clarification if the sediment does not initially support the diagnosis of a urinary tract infection & your good dog or cat is showing classic signs of a urinary tract infection, like urinating more frequently & pain when urinating.
• Casts – are not usually found in healthy cats or dogs & may be an indication of damage to the kidneys. You are probably asking what are casts?  Imagine the kidney is made up many tubes. The kidney tubes are lined with cells & when irritated, they cast their interior lining into the urine like snakes shedding their skin. Casts found in the urine are an indication that there is some kind of injury to the kidneys. It may be infectious, inflammatory or a result of a toxin ingested. Your good Vet will want to further investigate if cast are found in the urine.
• Crystals – When the urine pH is in the  abnormal range, it is possible that the normal elements that are naturally suspended in urine bind together to form crystals or stones. In us good dogs, the seed of a stone may be bacteria. In concentrated urine or urine analyzed greater than one half hour after collection, finding occasional struvite or calcium oxalate crystals in the sample is not unusual. If the number of crystals in the urine is pawsitively large, it may be clinically significant & your Vet may recommend a radiograph or ultrasound of your fur legger’s abdomen to look for bladder or kidney stones.
• Other Cells – Occasionally in cats or dogs with bladder tumors, abnormal cells can be seen in their urine. Pets with irritated bladder walls will exfoliate cells into the urine called transitional epithelial (tissue) cells.

That was a lot of impawtant information to chew at one sitting.  Don’t worry, you can come back & read this again by going to our Resource Page. I would recommend you bookmark it.  It’s a wagnificent source of information.    

HuMom gives me Omega Alpha‘s KidneyTone supplement to help keep my bladder & kidneys healthy & strong.  She gives it to me every 3 to 4 month for a full month.  It’s easy to use.  I get it in my morning meal but you can give it directly using a syringe.  We always have it on hand.  HuMom will freeze unused bottle & defrost it in the refrigerator a day or 2 before using it.  

Have a pawsome gnawsome week, CEO Olivia, Dot, Jerry Underfoot & Eddy💜

  PS 🐾 Looking for wagnifient healthy & furbulously fun toys or pawsibly a supplement for the well being of your pawtacular good dog or cat? Shop Naturally

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