What this means
Healthy urine is pale yellow and clear. Pink, red, brown or cola-coloured urine, blood clots, or pink marks on snow or wet grass show that something is wrong in the urinary tract.
Note when the blood appears: all the urine is coloured, or only the first or last drops. Write down how your dog urinates: whether it strains, whether it goes more often in small amounts, and whether it whimpers or licks its genitals.
Even if your dog seems well otherwise, blood in the urine has a cause that needs to be found. If you can, photograph the urine on a light surface, which will help the vet. A urine sample should be collected only in the way the clinic advises.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your dog.
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Bladder stones
Stones irritate the bladder wall and cause bleeding. Your dog may urinate often, strain or whimper with pain.
About the condition: Bladder stones -
Inflammation of the urinary tract
Inflammation irritates the bladder and the urine turns pink. Your dog may ask to go outside more often.
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A growth in the bladder
A growth can cause repeated blood in the urine and straining to pass it. The signs may return even after briefly easing.
About the condition: Bladder cancer -
Kidney disease
Damage to the kidneys can cause blood to appear in the urine. Your dog may also drink more or be lethargic.
About the condition: Kidney disease -
Cystinuria
This is a metabolic disorder in which an amino acid builds up in the urine and can form stones. These can make the urine bloody.
About the condition: Cystinuria
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- Whether the blood is through all the urine or only part of it
- Whether your dog strains or whimpers while urinating
- Whether it goes more often in small amounts
- Whether your dog drinks more than usual
- Whether your dog licks its genitals
- Whether appetite and energy are unchanged
When to book a routine visit
Book a visit the same or next day if you see blood in the urine, even if your dog seems well. If your dog cannot pass urine, is lethargic, is vomiting or seems to be in pain, go straight away.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Bladder stones Kidneys and bladder Bladder stones are hard clumps of minerals that form in the urine and slowly grow inside the bladder. They irritate the bladder wall, causing inflammation and pain, and if one gets stuck in the urethra it can block the urinary tract. A dog that cannot pass urine is in a life-threatening situation and needs a vet immediately.
- Bladder cancer Cancer Bladder cancer is a malignant tumour that grows in the wall of the bladder and can spread to the urethra or other organs. Its signs look like those of a urinary tract infection, so it is easy to mistake for a simpler problem. As it grows the tumour can get in the way of urinating, and a dog that cannot pass urine at all needs a vet immediately.
- Kidney disease Kidneys and bladder The kidneys filter the blood, remove waste from the body and help keep the balance of fluids and salts. When they are damaged suddenly, for example by poisoning or infection, or weaken gradually over a longer time, substances they should remove start to build up in the body. Long-term kidney changes can go unnoticed for a long time, because the healthy part of the kidneys takes over the work for a while.
- Cystinuria Kidneys and bladder Cystinuria is an inherited metabolic disorder in which the kidneys fail to reclaim an amino acid called cystine, so it passes into the urine. Cystine dissolves poorly in urine, so it can form crystals and stones in the kidneys or bladder. A stone can get stuck and block the urinary tract, and a dog that cannot pass urine needs a vet immediately.
- Babesiosis Parasites Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by microscopic parasites that settle in the red blood cells and destroy them. In Lithuania it is spread by the ornate dog tick, so it is worth every dog owner knowing about. It can become life-threatening within days, so the dog needs a vet immediately.
Body systems: Kidneys and bladder Cancer Parasites