Increased thirst and urination.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Jay...so sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

Whenever I see crystals in a dog's urine I always want to repeat the test to make sure that it is accurate. How fresh was the sample? If it was more than an hour or so old, sometimes crystals will form on their own and not mean anything.

Also, crystals are not usually a cause of increased thirst and urination. They can cause irritation and difficulty urinating, but shouldn't cause an increase in thirst.

Do you know what the specific gravity of Max's urine was? It would be a number like 1.035. This tells me whether there is potential for kidney issues.

If there are still crystals then the vet will likely want to culture the urine to see if there is a hidden infection as this is the most common reason for crystals in the urine. But I would be surprised if this was the case.

I have had a number of cases where dogs have mysterious increase in thirst and urination and I can't figure out why. If the urine tests turn out normal then I likely wouldn't be too worried.

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

The tests in the vet's office are very accurate. I would only send to the lab if I was really feeling there was infection (i.e. if there still were crystals or if Max had clinical signs of an infection.). It doesn't sound like further tests are warranted.

If the specific gravity is good as well then this makes me very "unworried" if that is a word. :)