(Civvie) Kitty-cow's uro-strip results... UTI I think...

Leukocytes: Moderate (++) 125 or Large(+++) 500 It was hard to tell which one.
Nitrite: Neg
Uro-bilinogen: Neg
Protein: TRACE
PH: 8-8.5 Hard to tell which.
Blood: Neg
Specific Gravity: 1.000-1.005
Ketone: Neg
Bilirubin: Neg
Glucose: Neg

He has a history of crystals in his urine and chronic UTI but since switching to wet food he's been ok. Last week his Leukocytes were trace/small. He has since urinated on my couch so I tested again tonight and sure enough I think he has a UTI. BUT I'm not sure what his PH and Specific gravity mean along with the leukocytes or how they can effect the reading.
?

 

I can't answer about specific gravity yet but normal cat's pH should be slightly acidic: 6.0 - 6.5, being more alkaline can lead to crystals.

Normal Specific Gravity for cats: ≥1.020–1.040, lower can be indicative of UTI

Saying Leukocytes are WBC and should not show in urinalysis. Bladder or kidney infection.

http://cats.lovetoknow.com/cat-health-health-problems/understanding-cat-urinalysis

 

Looks like we'll be visiting the vet tomorrow. *sigh* Save a penny and spend a million more!
This day is almost over and I couldn't be happier! Car broke down... Now Kitty-cow needs a vet visit. My couch stinks. gahhhh

 

I googled the specific gravity and found that it could be diluted from him drinking more water than normal. Could this be from me giving him extra water in his wet food? Can I give him "too much water"?? I didn't think that I could but I'll ask the vet tomorrow.
Could it be that his dilute urine changed the PH of it too? If it was more concentrated would the PH be lower?
*side note* Can you tell I barely passed Chemistry in college? lol

 

I didn't even take chemistry in college (sorry Kris!). I have nothing to offer about the test results, but I'm so so so sorry to hear about your sofa!!!

 

Not the first time he's peed on it. He's a repeat offender! Not allowed in the bedroom alone, I keep waterproof covers on my furniture but of course the day I'm washing them all is the day he chooses to pee on it. UGH. It's been a while since he's peed where he shouldn't...
We've got a nice thunderstorm going on right now so I think I'm going to hit the hay. I love falling asleep listening to a thunderstorm!

 

Have a good sleep!

 

Found this and thought I should share for anyone following:
http://vetbook.org/wiki/cat/index.php?title=Urine_dip-stick_analysis

 

I'm curious, what kind of strips are you using? Are they specifically for cats?
I ask, because the regular strips you buy for humans will always show high Leukocytes when used for testing kitties. Also, my vet told me you cannot count on the strips to test for Specific Gravity, it's inaccurate in cats.
But I am sure he needs checked out if he urinated outside the box, it can be sign of UTI for sure.

 

They are human strips. Vet approved them for testing at home. His test was Trace-small last week. Now he's medium-high. Chuck had a UTI DX with the strips and just recently tested neg or barely Trace on them.
At this point I'm using them to monitor and follow up with the vet if readings are off. I have read they aren't too reliable but can be a starting point.

 

On the chemstrips (human strips) the panel with Leukocytes reading is not reliable with kitties and should be ignored. The specific gravity is lower than usual (1.02 or higher) and the PH is higher than it should be ( 5-6). Sometimes trace amounts of protein will show in the urine if the diet is high protein. If your vet has a urine refractometer machine you could take a sample in and have them run it through the machine. Although the chemstrips are a good indicator the refractometer measurement is more accurate.

ETA: "Usually" with a UTI there will be some blood show on the blood panel portion.

 

I am taking him in at 230. I'll try to get a sample to take with us.

 

Good luck, Steph! Life with critters can be so complicated - especially when you're a very conscientious parent.

 

For cats the leukocyte dipstick pad is false positive 99+% of the time and thus can be ignored

The dipstick pad for specific gravity can't be relied upon, at least for cats.
A true Specific Gravity of 1.000-1.005 would indicate severe kidney problems

 

He did test positive for a UTI. Vet gave him a shot of antibiotics. I can't remember the name. He's hard to pill and doesn't eat enough at once to get the whole pill in him at once. Specific gravity was a little in the high range and PH was back to normal.
She told me they use the same type of ten panel urine test strips there. They did say each sample can be very different and it's used to decide if they need to "spin" it and test further.
Kitty-cow has a history of chronic urinary tract infections and crystals. When I see him try to pee and not get any out I'm quick to take action because I can't afford a blockage.

 

Steph, so sorry to hear that Kitty-Cow has a UTI! Hopefully the shot will take care of it quickly!

 

I hope it resolves quickly.

 

Here's to a quick recovery

 

Thank you. He seems to have a huge appetite today. Wonder if the shot causes hunger or if he's already feeling a bit better and is trying to make up for lost time? He's back up to 18 pounds so we're cutting back his food again to get him to start losing again.

 

Do you feed low carb wet food to Kitty-cow, Steph? Teasel's brother was a little "fluffy" at his last checkup in early July 2016 so I switched him to the same diabetic diet as Teasel. He's down 2 pounds and looks good now. It was a very slow, safe weight loss.

 

Yeah, he gets Friskies pate. He is very picky with wet food. Won't touch 9Lives. Recently found out he loves FF classics- caught him eating Chuck's +7 snack! Piggy.
He was doing good and was down to 17.6 I think... his heaviest was 21 or 22 pounds. He LOVES the YA zero. He eats too much of that for a snack so I need to cut that out of his diet. Or feed that and no wet food. He stopped losing when he started getting some of that for a snack.
ETA: I added a pic of him on my Lantus thread.

 

I've said many times that I'm really lucky to have 3 chow-hounds who aren't the least bit picky. Makes life a lot easier.