Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with recurring dark urine linked to fragile red blood cells
By LeGrange, S N et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1995·Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Erythrocyte fragility and chronic intermittent pigmenturia in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old spayed female Shetland Sheepdog had repeated episodes of discolored urine that looked like blood, but treatments for a urinary tract infection didn’t help. The episodes seemed to happen during stressful times or after too much activity. Tests showed that while her urine tested positive for blood, there were no red blood cells present, indicating a condition called hemoglobinuria. Further testing revealed that her red blood cells were more fragile than normal, which was causing the urine discoloration. The dog’s condition improved once the underlying issue was identified, suggesting that testing for red blood cell fragility can be important in similar cases.
People also search for: dog discolored urine · Shetland Sheepdog hemoglobinuria · dog urine blood treatment
Abstract
A 2-year-old spayed female Shetland Sheepdog had recurrent episodes of discolored urine. Treatments administered for presumed urinary tract infection did not prevent recurrence. Episodes of pigmenturia appeared to correlate with stressful situations or excessive activity. Examination of urine sediment consistently revealed that RBC were not evident, despite a positive result for blood on urinalysis. This was suggestive of hemoglobinuria, and diagnostic testing was instituted to determine the underlying cause. Results of alkaline and osmotic fragility tests were useful in determining that an increase in erythrocyte fragility was the underlying cause of the recurrent pigmenturia. Erythrocyte fragility testing should be considered in animals that do not respond to appropriate treatments for pigmenturia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7768705/