Bladder and Urinary Tract Procedures
A urinalysis or urine test is a critical diagnostic tool in your vet’s arsenal. Your vet may recommend a urinalysis if your pet is urinating inside your home, has blood in the urine, is sick, or as part of their normal wellness exam. If your pet is not sick, doing a urinalysis is a great way for your vet to get a ‘baseline’ of what is considered healthy for your pet. This helps identify when your pet’s tests may be outside of their normal range and may point to a problem.
When running a urinalysis your doctor will check a wide range of chemicals naturally found in your pet’s body and check the amount found. If there is a higher than normal amount, that may point to a problem. We are dedicated to offering you and your pets our quality veterinarian services and preventative veterinary care. Schedule an appointment at our pet hospital in Grayslake, Illinois.
What Our Vets Look For
Some of the key information our vets are looking for is as follows:
- Glucose – Higher or lower than normal amounts of glucose can point to diabetes, kidney disease, and other problems.
- Protein – High protein levels can point to an infection or inflammation or kidney disease
- Bilirubin or bile pigments – Higher levels of this can be a sign of red blood cell destruction or liver failure.
- Blood – Blood in your pet’s urine can be a sign of kidney or bladder stones, urinary tract infections and other issues with the urinary system or the rest of the body
- Changes in the urine pH – This can be a sign of a kidney infection, kidney disease or systemic metabolic disease
- Ketones – Much like people, high ketones can be a sign of diabetes in pets.
Schedule an Appointment Today
If you are interested in scheduling a urinalysis for your pet, or wish to include it as part of their routine wellness checkup, please contact us at (847) 548-2626.
