Dog urine is unnatural

Question
Hi Shelley,
Today when I got home, my two dogs who were alone all day were begging to be let out. But one (possibly the older 11 year old) left a urine puddle next to the door, and instead of just natural yellow it had tons of tiny brown dots in it. When I was wiping it up I noticed that they were quite solid and clumped together. They weren't big (maybe needle-point sized). Could he possibly have a bladder infection?
Thank you!

Answer
Hi Danie,

Thank you for writing to me about your dog's bladder condition.  I have to strongly urge you to take your dog to your vet as soon as you can.  The fact that you can actually see stones/crystals in the urine and that there is a brown color(likely blood), indicates a bad bladder infection.  The reason it is so crucial to rush her to the vet is that there can be a blockage and the bladder can burst.  

Urinary Calculi

Urinary Calculi are macroscopic concretions in the urine and can be found anywhere in the urinary tract but are most commonly found in the bladder. There are several different types of calculi with struvite and oxylate.

There are many reasons for the formation of stones:

1) supersaturation of the urine with minerals, due to:

- increased amounts of mineral in the urine
- urine pH which allows the minerals to precipitate out
- other factors which cause crystallization-such as high Calcium levels in the blood

2) upper urinary tract infection (UTI)

3) sometimes calculi occur secondarily to other metabolic problems.

Here are some signs of a bladder infection:

-straining to urinate,
-blood in urine,
-increased frequency
-cloudy and foul smelling urine .
-passing of small stones are passed.

Diagnosis can be made by palpation of the stones, radiographs and/or ultrasound.

It is crucial that you get your dog to a vet immediately.  I can't stress this enough.  From the probable blood in the urine and the fact that the stones are exiting, I would venture to guess that the infection is advanced.

In the meantime, if you can get to a health food store this evening, give your dog cranberry capsules, four capsules every 2 hrs.  This is only until your vet can see your dog, hopefully by tomorrow.

Wishing you and your dog the very best,
Shelley Davis


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