Urinalysis Info

[Guest caiteag]

Can someone please explain to me what "gravity" means in relation to greyhound urine and what good numbers are for gravity specifically in greyhounds?

[Burpdog]

I believe how the urine is concentrated. The specific gravity is the same as other dogs. Many things can contribute to a one time test--drinking lots of water before going etc. Usually don't worry about a one time reading.

 

Is there a UTI?

[Guest caiteag]

I believe how the urine is concentrated. The specific gravity is the same as other dogs. Many things can contribute to a one time test--drinking lots of water before going etc. Usually don't worry about a one time reading.

 

Is there a UTI?

 

We don't know yet... she wants me to collect the urine first thing on Tuesday morning (the next morning shift that my vet is in the office for) and bring it in. The one thing she specifically mentioned wanting to see was the gravity. She also mentioned checking kidney function if the gravity was off.

[Batmom]

I don't know the numbers offhand, but Burpdog has the right of it. Specific gravity is a measure of urine concentration. By getting a first-of-the-morning sample -- when the dog has not had access to water overnight -- your vet can get an idea of whether the kidneys are ABLE to concentrate urine.

 

If the kidneys are able to concentrate urine, then any urinary/drinking issues you're having are likely NOT related to kidney impairment. For example, dogs with psychogenic excess drinking (and excess urinating) CAN concentrate their urine -- the problem is in their head, not their kidneys.

[Guest caiteag]

I don't know the numbers offhand, but Burpdog has the right of it. Specific gravity is a measure of urine concentration. By getting a first-of-the-morning sample -- when the dog has not had access to water overnight -- your vet can get an idea of whether the kidneys are ABLE to concentrate urine.

 

If the kidneys are able to concentrate urine, then any urinary/drinking issues you're having are likely NOT related to kidney impairment. For example, dogs with psychogenic excess drinking (and excess urinating) CAN concentrate their urine -- the problem is in their head, not their kidneys.

 

Gotcha. So now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that his kidneys are doing their job properly.

[greyhead]

Can someone please explain to me what "gravity" means in relation to greyhound urine and what good numbers are for gravity specifically in greyhounds?

 

We just got one of our grey's urine tested yesterday, as it happens. Vet said normal kidneys, which is what we're looking at, produce urine with a specific gravity of 1.035 or higher. (She didn't say that this number is greyhound-specific, but I know she checks all his results against greyhound norms, so I'm sure this # is applicable to greyhounds.) Our guy's # yesterday was 1.021, but that was okay for the time of day (afternoon). Testing urine from the first catch of the day gives a more accurate picture of how well the kidneys are concentrating waste products in the urine. So we will repeat the test soon with a first catch.

 

Hope this tells you something you wanted to know.

[Guest caiteag]

We just got one of our grey's urine tested yesterday, as it happens. Vet said normal kidneys, which is what we're looking at, produce urine with a specific gravity of 1.035 or higher. (She didn't say that this number is greyhound-specific, but I know she checks all his results against greyhound norms, so I'm sure this # is applicable to greyhounds.) Our guy's # yesterday was 1.021, but that was okay for the time of day (afternoon). Testing urine from the first catch of the day gives a more accurate picture of how well the kidneys are concentrating waste products in the urine. So we will repeat the test soon with a first catch.

 

Hope this tells you something you wanted to know.

 

Yes.. thank you. Good luck with your repeat test.

[ahicks51]

In this context, specific gravity measures salt. If you add salt to water, it gets denser; distilled water has a density of (about) 1.000. Ocean water is typically around 1.027, thanks to added salt, but it varies greatly. The Dead Sea has a specific gravity of 1.166, thanks to large quantities of salt.

 

Other solutes, like sugars, can increase specific gravity of solutions. With urine samples, it's important to measure the salt concentration, as others have already noted, to make sure the ol' kidneys are working right.