# Blood in Urine, Tumor?



## Pfeffernuss (Nov 17, 2010)

So I'm just looking for advice here, this weekend I noticed Pfeffer's urine was dark colored, it seemed to have improved but last night i noticed a definite darker hue and brought her into the vet this morning. The vet was hesitant to put her on antibiotics but did so at my insisting, she thinks it's most likely a uterine tumor (the dipstick showed lots of blood). We were unable to get a clean urine sample because the poor girl went all over herself when they put her out. She was on a food with too high protein for about 2 months, could this have caused kidney damage in that quickly of time or an infection? The vet is saying a uterine tumor is far more likely than a uti or a protein issue even if she was on the food, for now she's on antibiotics to see if it gets better. Thoughts on this situation anybody? She's still eating and drinking, though not as much, active at night but not wheeling hardly at all. I just feel nervous about the vet cutting her open without checking the protein thing first (what's the treatment for a diet previously too high in protein, the food got tossed asap). If we're just catching the uterine thing with darker urine as the first symptom what are her chances it's spread and what's the recovery process? Hoping for a bump from Nancy here or anybody who's gone through the scary blood in pee issues.

Any advice would be great thanks guys!


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

Did they stick a needle into her bladder and to take a sample?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Without doing a fine needle draw it is impossible to tell if the blood is urine or uterine. 

Although impossible to tell, the fact that she pee'd once she was gassed makes me wonder if it is possibly urinary and that she was holding her urine because with a urinary infection it hurts to pee. Once gassed, she let go. 

A high protein food can cause renal failure but I don't think bloody urine is a symptom of renal failure. How high was the protein? I've only dealt with renal failure once that I know of and it hit fast. He was lethargic, didn't want to eat on his own but still drank. I would bet your girls problem is not renal failure. 

If this is uterine, removal is the only chance she has of recovery and the sooner it is removed the better. Not only does early removal lessen the risk that it's spread but also, as they continue to bleed the blood loss weakens them and makes surgery more risky. Whether it has spread is impossible to tell without something like an MRI, but the vet can do a bit of a look around during the surgery to see if there is anything obvious. Often a uterine infection is the first sign of uterine cancer so if this does happen to be just a uterine infection, getting it out now will be the end of it. 

If you do choose surgery, go for laser if possible. Although it usually costs a bit more, the surgery time is greatly reduced, less blood loss and faster healing. She won't be able to have her wheel for about a week and she should have pain meds after for a few days. You'll want to make certain she stays warm, watch to ensure she doesn't mess with her stitches, and putting her food and water dishes closer to her bed helps. 

One way to look at it, if you do have her spayed and it ends up that it was a urinary infection, at least the risk of her ever developing a reproductive cancer is eliminated. Often people spay as a preventative since our girls are so prone to uterine cancer.


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## Pfeffernuss (Nov 17, 2010)

Thank you for the quick responses! They tried the needle into her bladder but were unable to get a sample, at my request she's on antibiotics anyway until surgery. When they put her in the little cage the knock small animals out in she got nervous and pooped/peed, so I'm not sure if I can really blame the gas or the anger nerves (she's a revenge voider). I'd go in and have them do another one again but it seems like a bad idea to have her gassed again so close to the surgery. The fact that she's still up and functional albeit a little less than normal and far more cranky leads the vet to believe it is definitely something with the uterus. The blood dipstick was at the highest marker on the urine they managed to test from the cage. Her urine has been normal, dark and then last night a light pink hue, it seems to vary but is not always telling that she had blood in there.

I opted to have the surgery anyway, hopefully if it is a uterine tumor it's been caught quickly. I've posted on here a few times too about maddening bouts of quill loss and that could be benefited by the surgery anyway, it's a win win and I need to find out if the poor girl has a tumor or not. The vet will be doing a laser surgery, and no stitches thankfully and a speedier recovery. I don't know if my little ball of anger will every forgive me for the trauma though.

The vet got me to agree that it is not a protein issue, she's been on the protein food for about 2 months (42%) and the food is about 1/3 of her food and 2/3 natural balance limited ingredient which I mix it with in the bowl each night so it probably wasn't as much exposure as my nervous mind freaked out about. My biggest fear was that I unwittingly caused her renal problems like the step mom from sixth sense poisoning the kids. Thankfully it seems I'm not the worst mom and her issue wasn't the protein. She was on a small amount to make her gain weight but I'll have to look into other foods higher in fat but not in protein.

Thanks for the advice Nancy! How many girls have you had go through the spaying process? I've been having some health issues of my own so I probably wasn't very attentive the past 2 weeks and when I finally did notice the darker pee I freaked out.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

When you say her urine is dark, you mean dark red right? Or do you mean dark yellow as in concentrated urine? 

I'll tell you about my Kei. Kei started having sporadic pink tinged urine. It was assumed bladder infection and she was put on antibiotic. This was before my vet started doing the fine needle draws. The antibiotic seemed to work for a while but then she started having random pink tinged urine again. Sometimes the urine was yellow and all that was pink was the edges of the urine pool on the paper towel. Sometimes it would be a yellow pool on the paper towel with what looked like one drop of blood in the middle. Long storey short, she was on two types of antibiotic and still the random pink. Her urine was tested both at the vets and sent out and no bacteria or blood so we had her spayed and a perfectly normal uterus was removed. Next day after the spay, the pink urine was back. It ended up being a low grade infection that wasn't enough for the testing to grow anything. We put her on Hill's CD which is a urinary health food and she ate one can and the pink was gone and never returned. After that, my vet started doing the fine needle draw on every girl that showed blood. Kenya's came out red and looked like almost pure blood. She had kidney stones. Lily's came out pink, she had crystals and infection. Emma's came out clear and was spayed and she had endometriosis. After Kei, whenever one of my girls showed blood, I'd start them immediately on Hill's CD just in case it ended up being bladder. The food changes the ph of the urine and makes it less hospitable for infection to grow. 

Kei was just a year old when she was spayed, Emma over 4. Both came through it well although obvious they were sore for a few days. Kei enjoyed being babied afterward. Emma was anxious for her wheel. Both were done with laser.


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## Pfeffernuss (Nov 17, 2010)

The urine has been a yellow, with an almost rose tint to it? Clear, and then last night a light pink color. Today at the vet's office the hue wasn't noticeable but it still tested very positive for blood. I'll try her on the hill's cd too, I figured a kidney health food would be better during this whole ordeal.

Any recommendations for when I'm watching her over the weekend? I stopped sprinkling the flax/fish oil on her food and she's jut on the dry natural balance for now. She'll be getting plenty of cool water along with her antibiotics. I'll leave the wheel, I don't think she could do any damage at the moment despite whatever is wrong with her? I'm keeping the room extra warm and will after the surgery too. I know the wheel needs to go after the surgery and I'll remove her tube to her upstairs.

The pee has been really inconsistent in terms of color, more of a rose/yellow tint and then light light pink if anything. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery one way or another.


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