My dog's indoor pee accidents stopped. Is blood work still needed?

Blood in the urine is never normal, even if it only occurs intermittently. Likewise, it’s unusual for Tilly to experience so much inconsistency in her urination habits. Some young female dogs can have recessed or hooded vulvas, which can make them more prone to developing urinary tract infections. However, since Tilly’s urine has twice not shown evidence of infection, it sounds as though it’s time to look in a different direction. I would start by asking your vet if they can take x-rays of her abdomen to check for evidence of bladder stones. The crystals associated with bladder stones often show up on a urinalysis (I’m assuming that’s what was done with her urine samples), but not always. If the X-rays are clear, your next step may be an ultrasound of her bladder with a veterinary radiologist to check for any other abnormalities. Bladder tumors can also cause similar signs, although that would be highly unlikely given how young Tilly is. I hope this helps and that you can find some answers soon!

Poor Shelby. I personally would recommend a urinalysis and blood work to start, and an ultrasound if needed . You want to be able to differentiate where the blood is coming from. It could be coming from the kidneys or the urinary bladder. But so much information can be gathered from the urinalysis, such as any abnormal cells, bacteria, or crystals. Also you have to keep in mind that two types of urinary stones (Cystine and Urate) are not visible on an x-ray. I hope you get to the bottom of Shelby's condition soon!

He could have a urinary tract infection so he should be examined by a vet. Your vet can run a urinalysis to look for infection and other potential causes. He could also have urinary stones, prostate problem, tumor, etc. If he has an infection then he will need an antibiotic to treat.

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs are definitively compatible with a urinary tract infection/inflammation. Stress related (idiopathic type of inflammation) infection and presence of crystals are the most common causes of it. Another clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Ultrasound or x rays of the abdomen may be needed as there may be stones inside the bladder (which does not show up on urine analysis). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It becomes concerning when an older dog develops blood urine that is non-responsive to antibiotics. Having blood in the urine with out bacteria can mean a bladder stone or a bladder tumor. Tests I would consider next would be a urine culture, one belly X-ray to look for a bladder stone and full blood work. If the culture is negative and the X-ray doesn't show a stone then I would worry about a bladder tumor. An ultrasound of her bladder would help diagnose if she has a bladder tumor. Another option before doing more testing is to try a more powerful antibiotic for 3 weeks. But if the blood is still present with out the presence of bacteria then I would go forward. I hope this helps!

Frequent licking and blood in the urine are signs of an infection. However if it flared after the start of the antibiotics then I would pursue further testing. Did they do anytime sample tonxhexk for cells and crystals and see what bacteria what present? From there you need an X-ray or an ultrasound to make sure there are no bladder stones as this can require surgery or the problem will keep occurring without.

It's possible that Frida could have an underlying issue such as a bladder infection or bladder stones. If you haven't already, additional tests such as an ultrasound of the bladder or a urinalysis may clue you into the issue. If she's spayed, she may also have some incontinence issues as the muscles around the urethra may become weakened or unable to prevent leakage. If she checks out healthy, then looking into reverting back to an earlier stage of puppy potty training, or taking her out more often to give her a chance to fully empty her bladder may help.