What do I actually get?
You will receive One Step® Veterinary Urinalysis tests, specifically designed for testing the urine of animals, including cats and dogs. As urine is the end product of a filtering process that removes waste products and metabolic end products from your pet's blood, much can be learned about your pet's health by evaluating several aspects of the urine.
These tests will check 10 key parameters which will give an excellent indication of your pet's overall health and they are identical to the urine tests that your vet would use. It is important that you use specific animal urinalysis strips such as these rather than urinalysis tests that are designed for human use, because the parameters are different.
The test can check the following measures:
- pH: The pH level indicates the acidity of the urine. In healthy pets, urine pH should be in the 6.0 to 6.5 range.
- Specific gravity: This is a measure of your pet's urine concentration, which is a measure of kidney function.
- Protein: Protein isn't a normal component of urine, so a positive dipstick test for protein may indicate a bacterial infection, a problem with the kidneys, or blood in the urine.
- Sugar: Sugar is also not normally found in urine. Its presence signals the possibility of diabetes mellitus.
- Ketones: Ketones are by products produced by the cells of your pet's body when they aren't receiving adequate energy in the form of nutrients. Ketones in the urine are another red flag for diabetes.
- Bilirubin: Bilirubin in urine is a sign that red blood cells are being destroyed at a higher-than-normal rate. The condition exists in pets with liver disorders and autoimmune disease.
- Blood: The dipstick test will pick up the presence of red blood cells or other components of blood in urine. This finding should always lead to a microscopic evaluation of the urine to check for infection, inflammation, or bladder or kidney stones.
The strips also detect Urobilinogen, Nitrites and Leukocytes. However, these parameters are only relevant for certain animals.
If the urine test shows positive for any of the parameters then it is recommended that you make an appointment with your vet.
The time to expiry on this product will be at least 6 months.
