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Special
Information on veterinary urine diagnostics
Besides
the information on VET10-Screen test strips (see backside), there is some
additional
information
especially related to veterinary diagnostics. The nutrition, habits of liquid
intake,
physical
activity of the animal and conditions of collection of the sample must be
considered
during
urinalysis of animals.
Volume:
The volume of
urine samples strongly depends on the animal which is examined.
Evaluations
based on a 24-hour collection of urine are more signifi cant than evaluations
based
on
a single sample.
Color:
The color
differs strongly depending on the animal and the concentration of the urine.
Normally
it has a yellow appearance. Strongly concentrated urine has got a more intense
color than low concentrated urine. Abnormal colorations may occur in case of
special medical
treatment
or nutrition, or at high concentrations of red blood cells.
Turbidity:
Fresh urine
normally is transparent for most animals, excepting for horses. Urine of
horses
shows a viscous and cloudy appearance. Turbidity may indicate blood, bacteria,
epithelia,
cells
or crystals. Refrigeration may cause the sedimentation of crystals or other
components,
which
produces a cloudy appearance after thawing. This normally has no signifi cance.
Odor:
Odor should
only be checked if fresh urine is available. Urine normally has got a specific
odor,
depending on the species which is examined. Penetrative odor indicates
ammonia, caused
e.
g. by bacteria, sweet odor indicates diabetes mellitus, smell from acetone
indicates ketonuria.
Odor
can also be influenced by medication and nutrition.
Blood:
The test
normally is negative for all animals.
Bilirubin:
The test
normally is negative for all animals. Dogs may have bilirubin in their urine
without
being ill.
Glucose:
The test
normally is negative for all animals.
Ketones:
The test
normally is negative for all animals. Ruminants sometimes may show
a
weak
positive test result.
Leucocytes:
The test
normally is negative for all animals.
Nitrite:
The test
normally is negative for all animals. Especially for carnivores, the test may
show
a limited sensitivity, because the necessary nitrate concentration is not
present in their
urine
in case of a non-vegetarian diet.
pH:
The pH is
strongly infl uenced by the nutrition. In general, the pH for vegetarians is
lying
higher
than the pH of carnivores.
Protein:
The test
normally is negative for all animals. Urine of cats or dogs may show
little
protein
concentrations. Due to the very high pH of vegetarians, false positive in
Protein caused
by
increased pH may be observed.
Specifi
c Gravity: The
specifi c gravity greatly varies in a broad range, depending on
the
species
and on the water intake of the individual animal.
Urobilinogen:
The test
normally is negative or slightly positive for animals.
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