Minor Medical Care – Urinary Package

Because signs of urinary disease often look the same regardless of the cause, successful treatment involves properly identifying the cause of your pet’s urinary tract condition.

by Dr. Julie Sheil, VetIQ Veterinarian

Minor Medical Care – Urinary Package

Urinary tract disease in dogs and cats can develop due to a variety of causes including urinary tract infection, urinary crystals, bladder stones, and kidney failure. In cats, a condition called idiopathic cystitis can also result in urinary tract signs and is usually triggered by a stressful event (e.g. moving, new pet in the household, home remodeling). Hormonal diseases such as diabetes can also cause urinary tract signs.

Because signs of urinary disease often look the same regardless of the cause, successful treatment involves properly identifying the cause of your pet’s urinary tract condition. This requires a methodical approach using appropriate, and sometimes repeated, testing. It is also important to note that your pet’s urinary condition can be due to more than one cause at any given time. For example, pets with urinary tract infections can also have concurrent underlying kidney failure or bladder stones. If all underlying causes are not properly managed, the urinary disease will continue. Successful treatment is a team effort between you, the pet parent, and your PetVet veterinarian.

Signs your pet may have urinary tract disease include:

  • Inability to pass urine: This is a medical emergency. Go to an emergency veterinary hospital right away.
  • Urinating more often than usual (e.g. asking to go out more often than usual or, for cats, going to the litterbox more often)
  • Urinating a larger amount than usual (e.g. urinating a large volume each time or, for cats, the litterbox is saturated or the clumps of litter are larger than usual)
  • Urinating inside the house (dogs)
  • Urinating outside the litterbox (cats)
  • Blood in the urine (e.g. seeing either bright red streaks or drops of blood, pink or brownish tint to the urine)
  • Urine has a different odor or bad smell
  • Drinking more than usual (e.g. having to fill the water dish more often, drinking out of the toilet or sink)
  • Licking or chewing at the prepuce (males) or vulva (females)

Pet parents should seek medical evaluation for their pet at the first sign of urinary tract disease. Attempting to self-treat your pet is not recommended and may result in prolonged suffering as pets with urinary disease are often very uncomfortable if not painful. Incorrect treatment with inappropriate or potentially harmful over-the-counter products is not only a waste of money but will result in prolonged illness for your pet.

PetVet Minor Medical Care – Urinary Package includes:

  • A physical examination
  • An in-house urine dipstick test to screen for the presence of blood, sugar (diabetes), protein, pH, bilirubin
  • An in-house urine specific gravity test to screen for kidney function
  • A complete urinalysis performed at our referral laboratory, including confirmation of in-house test results, microscopic inspection of the urine to screen for urinary crystals and evidence of bacterial infection, and additional screening tests to assess kidney function
  • Discussion of any additional tests or therapies as needed for long-term management

PetVet Minor Medical Care – Urinary Package does not include:

  • Cost of prescription drugs (e.g. antibiotics, pain relievers)
  • Cost of follow-up examination and testing to confirm resolution of urinary tract disease
  • Cost of additional tests or ongoing therapies as needed for long-term management

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