Veterinary Urine Crystals

Crystals can also form in urine after it has been collected especially if there is a long delay before the urinalysis is done.

Veterinary urine crystals.

We plan to add a lot more so stay tuned. Salts resulting from normal and abnormal metabolic processes and some medications may precipitate in urine and form crystals if the concentration of the salts is sufficiently high and the urine is of appropriate ph. This is the final stage of a complete urinalysis. Struvite crystals are commonly seen in canine and feline urine.

Clinical signs of urinary crystals include trouble urinating blood in the urine and lethargy. The big question you ll be asking if a urinalysis detects this condition. Crystals in the urine do not always indicate disease. Normal leukocytes and erythrocytes by species urine sediment examination e g.

It can confirm suspected findings from earlier stages of the analysis as well as facilitate visual inspection of structures in the sample e g. A sign of trouble. Needle shaped crystals may be composed of tyrosine calcium sulfate sodium urate ampicillin tri iodated contrast agents other findings in urine sediment can include fat droplets sperm bacteria fungal spores or hyphae these are contaminants you see them if urine is kept too long and parasites. Some crystals form when a pet is given certain types of medications.

Struvite crystalluria in dogs is not a problem unless there is a concurrent bacterial urinary tract infection with a urease producing microbe. What causes crystals in dog urine. Ammonium magnesium and phosphate for struvite. Most crystals can be found in healthy animals.

Crystals cells and cytology. The only way to know if your dog has crystals in their urine is for a vet to perform a urinalysis. Crystalluria indicates that the urine is supersaturated with the compounds that comprise the crystals e g. Casts cells or crystals.

Crystals in dog urine. Some salts precipitate in an alkaline ph while others precipitate in an acidic ph. If your pet s urine ph is too acidic or alkaline that imbalance between acidic urine and alkaline urine can also cause crystals to form. Crystals can be seen in the urine of clinically healthy animals or in animals with no evidence of urinary disease such as obstruction and or urolithiasis.