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Urine SampleIf you took a Scotty's urine to a vet to be checked, it would be sent to a laboratory. What might the lab technician be looking for? The technician would look for Protein, Acidity, presence or absence of blood, bile substances, ketones, sugar and concentration of the urine. Right away the technician could rule out diabetes mellitus if there was no sugar showing up in the urine. If the urine concentration (called Specific Gravity) is higher than normal this might indicate that the kidneys are working hard trying to conserve water in the dogs body there is little chance of kidney problems, dogs with kidney failure almost always have very un concentrated urine (very low Specific Gravity). Next the technician would take a small amount of urine and spin it in a centrifuge to cause the solid components of the urine to settle to the bottom of the test tube. This sediment is then examined under a microscope revealing types of white blood cell called neutrophiles, and a number of red blood cells and bacteria. From this urine sample a lot can be learned and it may be possible to diagnose a problem. Sometimes other tests will be required to confirm something, like a blood sample. This is brief look at the urine sample and may give you some idea to why a urine sample has been requested, this information does not try to diagnose any problems, but just to give in insight into sample testing. Should your Scotty be ill, you should take him/her to a vet as soon as possible, and not try and make any diagnosis yourself, an incorrect diagnoses could endanger the health of your dog.
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