What to do if your dog is peeing blood

Bloody-looking urine is a common symptom in dogs with many potential causes. It’s important to seek veterinary care right away if your dog’s urine looks bloody because many causes of this symptom are medical emergencies. If you have a dog, read on to learn:

• What bloody-looking urine looks like in dogs
• Causes of a dog’s urine looking bloody
• How causes of bloody urine in dogs are diagnosed and treated
• If bloody urine in dogs is a medical emergency

Urinary tract diseases, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), bladder stones, and kidney stones, are common causes of bloody urine in dogs. However, emergencies such as ingesting a toxin, heatstroke, and venomous snake bites can also cause this symptom. Talk to a vet right away if your dog’s urine looks bloody, even if they have no other obvious symptoms.

Blood in your dog’s urine may give the urine an amber, brown, orange, pink, or red color depending on how concentrated the blood is. The color does not necessarily indicate how serious the underlying condition is. Bloody urine is a common symptom with many causes, ranging from relatively mild to immediately life-threatening. It may also be confused with blood coming from nearby areas of the body, such as the vagina or anus. Urine in dogs appears bloody when the urine contains:

• Whole red blood cells
• Compounds from the breakdown of blood cells
• Compounds from the breakdown of muscle

There isn’t always enough blood or material in the urine to be visible to the naked eye. As a result, a dog’s urine can look normal but still have blood, broken down muscle, or blood cell compounds in it.

Additional symptoms

Bloody-looking urine is a symptom with many potential causes. These causes may have other clinical signs, such as:

• Straining to urinate
• Frequent urination, possibly small amounts of urine
• Painful urination or vocalizing while urinating
• Abdominal pain
• Abnormal bleeding, for example in the saliva or stools
• Rapid breathing
• Pale gums
• Coughing

Some dogs with blood in their urine experience no other symptoms. A dog may have obviously discolored urine but otherwise seem healthy, or a vet may find blood in their urine when doing a urine test when it is not visible with the naked eye.

“Blood isn’t the only thing that can make a dog’s urine appear red,” explains Dr. Jo Myers, a veterinarian on the Vetster platform. “The presence of hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells, and myoglobin, a compound in muscle tissue, can also make urine appear bloody.” Urine that appears bloody is classified based on what’s giving the urine a reddish color:

• Hematuria if it’s blood
• Hemoglobinuria if it’s hemoglobin from blood cell breakdown
• Myoglobinuria if it’s myoglobin from muscle tissue breakdown

Each of these classifications has different potential underlying causes.

Hematuria in dogs

Hematuria, the presence of blood in urine, results from bleeding into the urinary tract. This can be caused by a urinary tract injury or something preventing blood from clotting normally. Urinary tract issues that may cause bloody urine include:

• Kidney or bladder stones
• Kidney disease or failure
• Urinary tract infection
• Kidney infection
• Prostatic disease
• Urinary tract cancer
• Abdominal injuries

Various conditions and toxins can interfere with blood clotting. Clotting disorders and toxins that lead to blood in the urine include:

• Thrombocytopenia (low platelet count)
• Ingestion of rodent poison

Hemoglobinuria in dogs

Hemoglobinuria is the presence of hemoglobin (a protein found inside red blood cells) in the urine. It occurs when red blood cells are destroyed and free hemoglobin from inside the cells is excreted through the urine. This is the result of medical conditions and toxins that lead to the breakdown of red blood cells. Causes of hemoglobinuria in dogs include:

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose
• Babesiosis (a parasitic disease)
• Onion toxicity
• Venomous snake bites
• Heatstroke
• Heartworm infection
• Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (when the immune system attacks red blood cells)

Finding free hemoglobin from damaged red blood cells indicates a different underlying condition than finding whole red blood cells in the urine.

Myoglobinuria in dogs

Myoglobinuria occurs when myoglobin (a protein found in muscles) is released into the bloodstream after muscle tissue has been damaged. Myoglobin is then filtered by the kidneys and expelled through the urine, giving it a bloody appearance. Causes of myoglobinuria in dogs include:

• Extreme exertion
• Heatstroke
• Muscle infection or damage
• Malignant hyperthermia

Myoglobin is not found in blood cells, and its presence indicates something wrong with a dog’s muscles.

There are a wide variety of potential causes of bloody-looking urine. The appearance of your dog’s urine is not enough to make an accurate diagnosis. Diagnostic testing is needed to determine what is making the urine appear bloody. Tests may include:

• Thorough physical exam and discussion of patient history
• Urinalysis and urine culture
• Routine blood tests
• Blood clotting profile
• Diagnostic imaging, such as X-rays and ultrasounds
• Genetic testing
• Surgery or biopsy

Urine tests tell a veterinarian if your dog is experiencing hematuria, hemoglobinuria, or myoglobinuria as well as identify other problems, such as the presence of bacteria or white blood cells. It’s important to know what the underlying condition is in order to determine an effective treatment plan.

Treatment options for dogs with bloody urine vary depending on the underlying cause. Treatment may include:

• Treatment of toxicosis
• Antibiotics for bacterial infections
• Flushing urinary stones and crystals from the urethra
• Antivenom for venomous snake bites
• Treatment of physical injuries
• Blood transfusions
• Management of other health conditions

The prognosis of a dog that is urinating blood depends on the severity of the underlying cause.

Is bloody urine in dogs an emergency?

Bloody-looking urine is not always an emergency but can indicate a serious medical issue. It’s impossible to know what is causing the symptom based on the color of the urine. It’s best to seek veterinary help if a dog’s urine appears bloody, even if there are no other obvious clinical signs. Seek emergency care right away if a dog has other symptoms, such as:

• Pale gums
• Difficulty breathing
• Bleeding from other areas of the body
• Lethargy, collapse, or seizures

These symptoms indicate a serious health issue that needs to be treated by a veterinarian right away. If you’re unsure if your pet is experiencing an emergency, an online veterinary professional can help triage your pet and give advice.

Talk to a veterinary professional for advice if your dog’s urine looks bloody. Look for other symptoms and consider if your dog has had access to any toxins. When in doubt, seek veterinary help. Many causes of bloody urine are severe and need treatment right away.

Do not attempt to diagnose or treat your dog’s symptoms at home. A definitive diagnosis from a veterinarian is needed for proper treatment. Don’t assume your dog has a urinary tract infection and give “leftover” antibiotics or human medications. There are many causes of bloody urine that are not bladder infections, and human medication and dosages are very different and can be dangerous for your dog.

Delaying treatment from a vet may make your dog’s illness worse and more challenging to treat successfully. If you need help determining if your dog’s symptoms are an emergency or are unsure if your dog’s urine is normal, an online vet through the Vetster platform can offer you advice quickly through a virtual vet appointment.

Is blood in dog urine an emergency?

Bloody-looking dog urine can indicate an emergency, such as toxin ingestion or heat stroke. It’s impossible to know how severe the underlying condition is just by looking at a dog’s urine, so it’s best to seek veterinary help quickly.

Why is my dog peeing blood?

There are a wide variety of reasons why a dog’s urine may appear bloody. Conditions that can lead to bloody-looking urine include urinary tract infections, acetaminophen poisoning, heat stroke, and kidney disease. It’s best to get veterinary attention right away if your dog’s urine looks bloody.

Can bloody urine in dogs go away on its own?

Bloody urine in dogs is unlikely to go away on its own because it’s usually caused by an underlying health issue that requires treatment. In addition, many health conditions that can cause bloody urine are emergencies, so it’s best to seek veterinary care right away.