Urinalysis

A complete urinalysis includes assessment of both the physical and chemical properties of urine. It requires minimal specialized equipment and be routinely performed by trained individuals in general veterinary practice. With proper sample handling and appropriate testing, urinalysis can provide vital information about the urinary tract and can also be an indicator of disease states in the liver, peripheral blood or endocrine system.

Urinalysis is one of the most useful diagnostic tools available to the practitioner. The specimen is readily available, provides extensive information about the animal’s health, and routine urinalysis tests are cheap to perform. The majority of these tests can be performed in-house; not only is this more economical, but it avoids any artefactual changes which can occur with delayed urine processing and hinder interpretation of the results. This chapter looks at sampling: collection and storage, normal urine, macroscopic examination, specific gravity, chemical analysis, wet sediment examination, urine cytology, urolith analysis, water deprivation testing, tests for glomerular pathology, tests for tubular pathology, urinary tests for adrenal disease, detection of systemic infectious diseases, detection of toxic substances, miscellaneous tests and urinalysis in animals less than 6 months old. Also included are case examples and a quiz question.