Ok, I just have time for a quick post - I'll check back in a couple hours & hopefully someone will be able to answer.

I just got back from Sekwaf's first vet visit. We ran fecals & a UA.

Dr. Kate said he looked really healthy, she didn't find anything abnormal; however, there are struvite crystals in his urine.

She said that with a dog, this is a sign of an early UTI, but with a North American possum, it is something perfectly normal. Her reference book didn't say anything about the occurrence of these crystals in sugar gliders.

She has emailed Dr. Tristan, and has asked that I ask around - when either of us gets some info, we'll get back with eachother & take appropriate action.

Does any of you know about or have experience with struvite crystals in gliders???

Generally they are bladder stones caused by calcium formation. These are "the" crystals we tell people to have their vet check for.

I am pretty sure both Roo and Petey had them when they had UTI's (I know they had crystals, think that was the name she said, but will check). Oliver did not have crystals, though, when he had a UTI. I will call my vet tomorrow and ask.

Hmmm, I wonder if these are the same crystals? Well, we'll know by tomorrow one way or the other.

I sure hope he isn't getting a UTI, I don't know how that would have happened, he's had all new or clean stuff since he's been here. I wonder if the stress of the move & intros could be a factor...

Well, no more intros for now...

Gina, to my knowledge, the crystals are not contagious.



How Do Struvite Stones Form (in dogs)


Reducing struvite in the urine (in cats)


As more water is consumed, the urine is less concentrated, and crystals are less likely to form. So push the fluids!

Also with dogs, bacterial bladder infections can cause the urine to become more alkaline and cause chemical reactions that cause struvite crystals to form.

Available Treatments: (again, in dogs)

My vet also said some animals are more prone to UTI's because of how their organs are formed. I will call today on the crystals, but almost positive that is what they said they were.

It's not struvite stones, he's not old enough for stones to have formed. She let me look at the crystals through the microscope & they are little rectangles - kinda pretty if you don't know what you're looking at. She said that in dogs, if they have the crystals for long periods without treatment, they can lead to stones. But she said she didn't know about gliders.

I have been curious about his water consumption, and I was actually thinking about adding a bowl (in addition to his bottle) today because I never hear the ball in his bottle going. I checked it & it works - and I have seen him there...once...but adding a dish is easy.

She said there is definatly NO infection present, so if the crystals are not normal, then we have caught this very early - so we would treat with antibiotics & he should not even get symptoms.

In Roo's case, she had a lot of the crystals and my vet said if she gets another UTI, she wants to do an ultrasound to check for stones.

Mary, did your vet let you look at the slide? I'm curious now because Sekwaf's slide only had 2 crystals, so I'm wondering how many Roo had in comparison...

The last time, no, as they were really busy and she looked after we had left (they treated her for giardia, then added the Amoxy after). But she said she was 'loaded' with crystals and white cells in the sample they had, as well as loads of blood (you could see it was very discolored, almost had an orange tint to it). I did see Petey's, and I was told he had a moderate amount (looked like a lot to me, but then I had never seen them before). They got the sample from Petey via needle directly from his bladder, as he was blocked up.

She will be going in in the next week or two for a recheck on everything (she is off her meds now). She is doing great but want to make sure after what happened last time.

I'm so glad to hear Roo is feeling better, hopefully this time you got it all!

Well it sounds like maybe Sekwaf has got the beginning of something. It's probably safer for me to just go ahead with the antibiotics.

Dr. Kate said specifically that there was no blood or infection, so that makes me feel a little better, but even though there were only 2 crystals on the slide, I'd rather not have any.

She is going to call me when she hears back from Dr. Tristan, but if I don't hear from her by about 1pm, I'll probably call her back...

She was dropping bright red blood for almost 48 hours after she started her meds. Its scary to see. Thanks, she is doing great, eating like a little piggie...lol I wouldn't rush to the antibiotics right now, Gina. I would have them recheck the urine in a few weeks, see if the number goes up. It is possible he got a little dehydrated and hence a few crystals could pop up. Praying for the little guy. Again, a good reason to check UA's on a regular basis, even if no symtoms are present.

Well, I'm still waiting to hear from Kate - I called after lunch, but she was with a patient...she's supposed to call me back. Hopefully she will have talked to Dr. Tristan.

One thing I was wondering is that he peed on the steel table in her office & it probably sat there for 15 minutes before they sucked it up in a syringe & took it off to run the test. Would a cleaner that they may have used on the table change the pee?

Ok, I just heard from Kate - she has still not heard from Dr. Tristan, but she does not think we should jump to antibiotics just yet since there were no other signs of a UTI, or anything else for that matter.

So, we're going to wait to hear from Dr. Tristan for now...

Not in regards to the crystals or even if an infection was present. I agree on not doing the meds, but keep an eye on him. You may want to try to get some little vials to try and get samples at home that you could drop off (mine have no problem going on me at home, but it is always tougher to get a specimen at the vets, for some reason...lol) I have my vet give me the little test tubes with the rubber stoppers, then you can get it and drop it off in the morning. Just an idea, might make things easier (once they start going you can fit it right underneath and get a clean sample that hasn't touched you).

Hmmm, neat idea - I bet thats a lot easier than trying to suck it up in a syringe!

Sekwaf is actually very polite - I think he's only peed on me once or twice. Monster, on the other hand, will pee on me at least once every time I get her out!

(you could also use the little disposable muffin tins, as you can 'bend' them to pour the contents into another container, if you can't get the glass vials.) Oh, way too much 'urine sample collecting' experience in this family....lol

lol.......

Struvite crystals and stones are made of magnesium ammonium phosphate. They are only formed in an alkaline environment.

Urine typically is slightly on the acidic end of the pH scale, as the body uses urine to rid the excess acids created in metabolism. That is why more stones are oxalate, and contain calcium, as those stones are formed in an acidic environment. Struvite does not contain calcium.

Bacteria such as Proteus contain ureases, which are enzymes that cleave the urea (end product of protein metabolism and a major waste product excreted in pee) in urine. This eventually leads to a significant elevation in urine pH into the alkaline end of the spectrum. At high enough pH (pretty alkaline), struvite can form. It is difficult to get the pH that high without an infection. So struvite should always makes one suspicious of infection. I have not always had urine cultures grow bacteria in the face of struvute stones and crystals despite pretty strong evidence of infection.

Your veterinarian is on top of things and will direct you. Struvite crystals certainly would make many want to cover with antibiotics, try to acidify urine with diet changes, push fluids, and monitor closely. In my opinion, struvite = infection despite negative cultures. Struvite isn't made without high pH, and that pH doesn't occur naturally.

We had a glider with struvite crystals. They cleared with 7 days of Baytril and never recurred. He presented with vomiting as his only symptom. Good luck.

SCHLEP Its SOOO good to see you around!! Seems like you have been gone forever.

Gina, Tristan probably hasnt got back with her because he pulled emergency shift last night and tonight....

Thank you Schlep! I will relay to my vet...I wonder why the wildlife rehab people told her that struvite was normal in North American possums??

I'm not sure, but perhaps they have a different ph, therefore making it 'normal' for them???

Is a glider's pH different than a human's? Oh Denise???????????

Ok, I heard back from Dr. Kate - she heard from Dr. Tristan. Dr. Tristan did not know specifically if sugar gliders normally have struvite crystals in their urine BUT, he had a study on brushtail and ringtail possums done in 2007 that shows it is normal for them to have anywhere from 1-3+ crystals of various types in their urine, one of those types being struvite.

Since Brushtail and Ringtail possums are much more closely related to gliders that dogs, cats, or humans - for now, I am going to base my decisions on this study. Dr. Tristan is going to look for the struvite in the next group of gliders he sees, and maybe we'll see a pattern. If any of you will be running UAs in the near future, have your vet take a peek for struvite & let me know what you see.

If anyone would like to read this study, PM me your email addy & I will forward it on - it actually has some good info in it...

I have a call into my vet. Roo will be going back for a recheck, and her UTI should be all cleared, so we will see if there are any crystals then. Sending you a pm, would like to see the study.

Gina, I'm sorry not to have caught this before now. The life of an "actress" leaves very little time for blogging. But I'm here now.

From my experiences in reference to pH, a glider's "normal" range is 4 to 5. If it gets up to 6 or 7, then antibiotics is needed. My vet has prescribed Clavimox for those occasions because it has an "extra" ingredient to help bring the pH level down. Now the bad news is that my regular vet is on medical leave until after the first of January, so having your vet call him for a consult can't happen. To compound matters, we've never taken a specimen & put it under a microscope to look for the presence of crystals...we'd use the litmus strip, check the pH AND protein levels---if they were elevated, then a bottle of Clavimox would come home with me.

Now if your vet needs to know the AMOUNTS to prescribe, then I'm sure my records could be pulled & notes reviewed, etc etc. I'll send you a PM with the info to call my vet's office so you'll at least HAVE it if you need it.

Thanks Denise - where can I get the litmus strips? I'm getting ready to go to lunch and I'd like to pick some up so I can check him now & possibly monitor him over the weekend...

I got my supply from my vet's office...and it's a little more complicated than just bringing home 8 or 10 strips & using them "as needed".

There are several tests on 1 strip and the key factor is that they're "color coded". After a strip is run thru the sample, you wait 60 seconds then compare the colors on the strip against the colors on the bottle. As an example, if you're testing glucose levels (because I only remember the color range for THAT particular test): the lower glucose colors are teal, then they go to gold, then brown. If you don't have the bottle with you, then the litmus strip is USELESS.

My suggestion to you is to ask your vet (in person or by phone) if they have a bottle of DiaScreen strips that they'd loan you over the weekend. (it doesn't matter if its 7, 8, or 10...the number indicates how many tests can be done on the 1 strip & they ALL will include pH, protein & presence of blood---which will help determine if these crystals are a "problem in the making" or not)

Wish I wasn't so DOGGONE FAR AWAY...I'd fly by your house & let you borrow mine!

Well, I went to the Walgreens & they had the strips to test for glucose or ketones or both, but nothing at all for pH. And I know my vet doesn't have them because I was talking to her about the strips this morning & she never mentioned that she had them...

I will call around & check specifically for the DiaScreen strips...

Isn't diascreen strips something you could get from the diabetic area of most pharmacies? I know that diabetics use the glucose strips but I know they use one that checks the ph of the urine as well I just don't know what it is called.

Well, I don't know - it could be that this particular Walgreens just didn't have them. They did have the Diastix, but those only test glucose. Then they had another brand that tested glucose and ketones, but not pH. There were no empty space on the shelf where pH strip may have gone

That's why I thought I'd just get out the old phone book & just start calling around to pharmacies.

Yeah, that is what I thought. My sisters cat was diabetic and she had to use those for her cat. She got them at the pharmacy, I am pretty sure, too.

DiaScreen 10

http://www.amazon.com/DiaScreen-10-Reagent-Strips-10SG/dp/B00095NWR4

http://www.medsupplier.com/Products/Hypoguard-DiaScreen-10-Urine-Test-Strips__0438-D11000.aspx

http://www.wilburnmedical.com/index.php?iid=76463

DiaScreen 7

http://www.medsupplier.com/Products/Hypoguard-DiaScreen-7-Urine-Test-Strips__0438-D11700.aspx

Thanks T - I'm going to try to find them locally here tonight or tomorrow - if I can't, then I'll order online. At least I know exactly what I'm looking for now!

This is very interesting! Some new for me to learn!

There are a few commonalities:

1) All the mammals make urea as they metabolize protein.
2) Proteus (and other bacteria) are everywhere, so all species will see some of those that cleave urea.
3) Proteus and other bacteria that possess urease enzymes and cause higher pH (alkaline) tend to occur in increased frequency in those who have been on antibiotics a lot.
4) In the presence of those bacteria, urea is cleaved and eventually can raise the pH (become more alkaline).
5) (By the way, blood pH is weakly alkaline at around 7.4, and the body rids enough acids that tend to make urine pH drop into the weakly acidic range.) Urine pH can move up and down with diet, metabolic problems, etc., but normally the urine will hover at close to 6, which is in the weakly acidic range (7 being neutral). It can get more acidic and weakly alkaline for various reasons.
6) Normal metabolism and diet delivers a certain acid load to the kidney to expel in the bladder, which is why it is routinely weakly acidic. High enough pH (or strongly enough alkaline levels) to make struvite isn't common (some might say possible) in daily, normal activity.
7) In the ill population, there are several reasons why the acid load goes up, and urine pH will drop even lower as the body rids one of the acid.
8) The next leap of logic - people are usually checking urine and finding struvite crystals and stones when they think their glider is sick.
9) Add all that up, and if I think my glider might be sick, I check the urine, and see struvite, and knowing the envirment that leads to struvite - I'd treat 'em.

The kidney is primarily responsible for conserving water and excreting many products that are not very soluble. That is, they would rather not be dissolved in the urine, and form crytals or precipitate out as some solid hunk of junk in the pee. The various reasons why the urine environment changes can lead to seeing crystals, amorphous urates, stones, etc. Low pH (acid) favors some calcium stones. Some stones and crystals, calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate, uric acid, cysteine, and other stones can occur without infection. Struvite usually means infection, as it is usually formed in pH's not common without urease enzymes present from bacteria. I'd at least serious consider it.

Diagnosis and treatment is often playing hunches, making educated guesses, and especially letting statistics guide decisions. Once the probability is tipping the odds in favor of one course of action, one needs to be respect the info. You don't put in a weak-hitting pitcher in the baseball game to pinch hit when you need a run, you grab the guy with the best batting average. He might strike out, but play the percentages.

Teresa: Thank you for doing the internet research! The Hypoguard DiaScreen items are EXACTLY what I use...the "7" gets the job done quite well. My back-up vet says they don't rely on the "urine gravity" aspect of the test, it's just an "indicator" that more testing is required.

Monster: if you manage to find those ANYWHERE locally...please let me know! I've been trying myself & have failed miserably! I'm of the impression that online is going to be the BEST route to take.

Silverwolf & Pappy: the DiaStix are a SINGLE test that are for GLUCOSE ONLY. Yes, they're available from your local pharmacy counter....for diabetic people. And surprisingly enough, it can be used on animals as well!

Schlep: I am QUITE IMPRESSED with your research! Thank you! What I guess I need to emphasize here is this one point: These test strips are ONLY A GUIDE that a problem exists with gliders....I am 100% in agreement that it's not a GUARANTEE that "if you see this, then you need to react like this". Things like what a glider consumes WILL have an influence on test results....feeding watermelon will increase glucose levels on a SHORT TERM basis, but those glucose levels decrease as the body digests the watermelon. It's the same concept with getting a giardia test: just doing it ONE TIME isn't necessarily a guarantee that your glider DOESN'T have it. The little beasty disease can lay dormant for up to 3 months before it "comes to life" and can be detected!

Any time I go to a gathering with my test strips, and there's a glider whose levels read "unusual"....I make the suggestion to their owner RIGHT THEN & THERE that they need to take their baby in for an exam! The one thing I'm sure we're ALL in agreement with here is that WE NEED TO LEARN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SUGAR GLIDERS IN EVERY ASPECT AND EVERY REGARD! What we, as owners, can do to help in the gathering of data will help not only today's veterinarians but be the foundation of accurate diagnostics in the future! There is still so much to learn....in so many areas....it's almost mind boggling to look at the "whole picture".

Schlep, I have no doubt in your expertise in mammals, and if I had a mammal, that baby would be on antibiotics as we speak. But I question the differences between mammals and marsupials in this area (as well as many others).

Monster,
I was always under the impression that gliders WERE mammals. College Biology was a while ago, but my recollection was that the Class Mammalia includes the Subclass Theria, and that the Subclass Theria includes the Infraclasses Placentalia and Marsupialia. I have some old books somewhere packed from moving. I'll look it up sometime. But in any case, I'm pretty sure gliders are mammals. So, I think you do have a mammal there. But you have a point that marsupial mammals and placental mammals have differences. Given the lack of data on our marsupial cousins, we tend to fall back on the info we know from the placental side. My error.

One thought is that the pH at which a solute precipitates out of solution and forms crystals is independent of species. That is simple chemistry. It also occurs in the test tube.

The urease enzymes that cleave urea come from the bacteria, not the host animal, so that is independent of the species the Proteus or bacterium is visiting - glider, dog, or whatever.

I'm not trying to be argumentative - trust your intuition and veterinarian. Both are very good. I was just trying to point out that we check pee when worried, and when we find something, it's hard not to react. All the crystals except struvite can occur in the absence of infection. That one is suspicious.

An interesting study - at the next SGGA do a U/A on all the attendees pee (gliders - not people.) See how many have struvite. (I would guarantee you that none of the people will have struvite absent infection.)

Another fun study - have all people on GC submit their gliders' U/A results. Best to get the entire lab printout from the veterinarian. At minimum ask them to submit struvite yes/no, antibiotics within 1 month yes/no, and glider health status 1-2 months later. It would be hard to have the info and results blinded to the collector of the data, so bias could occur. At the end, it would be intriguing to see if the survival rates between the treated and non-treated groups were statistically different. This would be a retrospective study, and the conclusions of those can be tricky.

A prospective study, although much more reliable, would be harder to pull off. Any takers? I'll bet very few veterinarians in the USA have access to such info, and the GC membership could collectively add to the literature.

With Roo having just got through her third UTI since June, I think I should get some of those strips myself to keep an eye on her ph levels. She will be going in to have a recheck in a week, and will discuss this discussion with her. I'd like to hear her feelings on it all.

If struvite is impossible absent infection, then how do you explain the study that Dr. Tristan supplied my vet that shows struvite (in small amounts) to be common in brushtail & ringtail possums? Did all of the possums in that study have an infection? That seems highly unlikely...

Monster,
I think you are taking my comments to mean more than I stated. My first post reflected: Key words "difficult" and "suspicious."

In later posts I tried to address the association between infection and that particular crystal formation and why they tend to occur together. In a subsequent post may have been written poorly enough on my part to make my point misunderstood. I'm not saying it is impossible to have one without the other, I said it is suspicious and when looking for abnormalities in a sick critter, pay attention to that one. The other crystals are common without infection. In people we see a very strong association between infection and struvite. That is why I also suggested getting better data from the GC members to help learn more about gliders.

My reference relating to people is this: people have bladders and the contents of the bladder should be sterile and infection free. I was also taught that struvite formation in people requires infection due to struvite needing a pH consistently well outside of the range the kidney puts out.

Since gliders have a cloaca, they have colonization of bacteria in the urine collecting vessel making bacterial presence more prevalent. Perhaps that affects them differently. One should try to find out. There have been several posts on crystals over the years, and no more definitve answers than when we had our first struvite positive urine in 2002. The post on Struvite caught my attention and I responded because 1) Mario had them, and he is the only glider we had that lived less than 5 years (what a sweetheart he was!) and 2) I know a fair amount about urine crystals and wanted to help. Just because Mario had them doesn't mean that was the cause of his demise, but it was the only illness that any of our gliders ever had and the only time any of them ever got antibiotics. And follow-up U/A's were repeatedly negative for struvite crystals after treatment. I guess it still haunts me, although he passed over three years ago.

I always felt that the more we know the better. And new data will always challenge what we think we "know" and improve our understanding. I constantly have to improve my mental models to get better. We need to start somewhere, and I only wanted to throw out my comments to stimulate thought. I worry that people do many ineffective things and don't get to the heart of the issue. What are people doing with the results of litmus paper to test urine pH? What treatment plans are being enacted with those results? What different plan is put in play for a result of 4? or 6? or 8? Is that effectively treating illness and helping?

It feels like I touched a nerve somewhere without intending harm. If so, sorry. Back into hiding...

Schlep - no nerve touched, I am just a frustrated Mommy, trying to figure out which path is going to help my baby.

On one hand, I have 2 vets - one is fairly new to suggies, but very good & open to learning. The other is a very trusted suggie vet who owns suggies himself. Neither of them knows if struvite is normal in suggies or not. But, we have this recent study on 2 very closely related species. Much more closely related than people or other animals we have data on. This study seems to indicate that struvite is, in fact, normal in small quantities in these two closely related species.

Then, I have the data on people and other animals, which tells me that struvite can be an indicator of infection.

Being a person of no medical background, I have to make an educated decision based on the information presented to me and the advice of my vet. The information given to me tells me that, more likely than not, it is normal to have small amounts of struvite in different types of possums. My vet has advised me against putting him on antibiotics. However, she does want me to keep a close eye on him and push fluids, which I think is perfectly reasonable.

I am very interested in the Diascreen strips. I think it would be interesting (and expensive) to monitor my own colonies for a given period of time (maybe a year or more), and see if there were others willing to do the same. At the very least, I would know the normal ranges for my own gliders, so if someone were sick, it would be apparent to me even if they were showing no symptoms.

I am interested in the strips too and have been out searching for them on the net. I have found a couple brands can Denise or T pleasse advise on these?
http://www.pulmolab.com/laboratory/lab_supp/urinalysis/permaxim.html
http://www.biousa.com/ur10sg1010pa.html
http://www.medexsupply.com/products/pid-19450/RapidResponse10Parameter10SGUr.htm
Test Country
http://www.egeneralmedical.com/urine-rea...leukoctyes.html
http://www.imed.com/shop/detail.cfm?sku=k1039&rfr=FRG&zmam=1000941&zmas=21&zmac=102&zmap=k1039

Sorry to be a pain just wanting to get some of these around our house too. sounds like a great investment.
Anyone want to tell me just how they work, how to use for dummies version please.

I've not used them yet so I can't offer advice on brand. Denise will have to help with that one.

Well can you help me with the how to use for dummies part. Can take it to pm so as not to hi-jack Gina's thread. Or here if Gina is interested.

I'm a lab tech. Do you need some sort of disposable pipette to drop the urine on the squares you want to check? My Pokie can pee a river, but it's not enough to be able to dip the stick in like we do with human patients.

Trigger- they are real easy to use. In the hospital we dip the stick in a container of urine, then read the stick at the times specified. There is a color guide on the side of the jar. I'd be glad to help if you have any questions.

I keep some of these around. They are great for screening for diabetes, liver disease, and infections.

My real question on them is are they read just as a neg/pos result or colors = certain ranges?
If certain ranges how would we find out what is the right range for gliders ?

There are ranges for most of the squares. Would normal values be in the Merck's vet Manual? Some of the tests should always be negative, for example leukocytes (white cells),blood,and ketones. It's possible glucose would be positive if they had eaten something sweet before you tested them.

http://www.biousa.com/ur10sg1010pa.html

This link has a FANTASTIC price - I looked the brand up on Amazon & they have really good consumer reviews.

Trigger - when Denise has done demos with the glucose strips, she has sort of swirled the strip in the puddle of pee, then waited for the results.

What I would like to do is get these home, then maybe do one on each of my gliders once a month so that I know what is "normal" for MY gliders - a baseline. If I have any outliers, I can go to the vet for a UA & a 'deeper' look, so to speak...

Thanks, yep that's just what Denise was telling me in pm and I am going to get them and start testing each once per month unless I feel something is off with a glider and will test then too.
I think these are a great idea. Any advance warning I can get that one of my babies may be ill is worth it. A few dollars could end up saving a glider.

Cool - do you mind sharing your results?

I have just ordered my strips - you show me yours & I'll show you mine

I don't mind at sharing at all. I think the more info we have available for gliders the better.
I would love to see others test and share so we could compare results.

I'm delighted almost beyond words to see so many of you showing interest in this! The things that we need to keep in mind throughout the gathering of this data is:

* the age of the glider that we're gathering the info from;

* the diet that's being given to said glider (including treats!); and

* being as ACCURATE as humanly possible!

These things MAY be factors that'll make little differences in the results we get. Who knows what kind of surprises we'll discover.

Oh, and to answer your question, Janet, on how to COLLECT the pee sample: One thing that I've learned from all the testing I've done through time is that a glider LOVES to pee when they're first brought outside their cages in the evening. Setting them on a scale tray usually furnishes the desired results, so cleaning the tray with a baby wipe prior to "playtime" will be your starting point. (Check what the wipe ITSELF does to your test strips too!) All you need is enough pee to dampen all (7 or 8) the spots on the litmus strip. A healthy, well-hydrated glider will furnish MORE than enough to get the job done.

And trust me, Gina: Getting YOUR OWN strips ($25.00 for 100) is a WHOLE LOT cheaper than having the vet do it ($6.00 per TEST at my vet's office). With 22 gliders under my roof, I hear how PAINFUL on the budget it can be to have the vet do it for me....no math wizard required here!

I am going to order these strips and will see what my guys come up. I have had UTI's in Petey, Roo (3 times since June), and Oliver. Petey and Roo also were wormed (as Roo passed a live roundworm) and Petey also had an infection in his anal glands. Roo also was suspected of having Giardia (with this last UTI, Petey had no symptoms, but was treated as well for Giardia to be safe). She will go back in one more week to have a recheck.

Denise is there a best time to test?
Should there be a certain time lapse between eating or having treats that would give a truer reading?

Thanks,Denise! That is a whole lot easier than what I have tried. I think these strips are great because if something like bilirubin does come up positive, your vet can order the specific blood work for liver problems. Blood is just too precious to our little friends to take for a whole battery of tests. Same thing with the glucose and ketone squares for diabetes.

The most accurate reading would probably be obtained before they've had their evening meal...or any treats. I think what would be most important is to do the testing at the SAME TIME of day under the SAME CONDITIONS (for instance: when they first wake up in the evening, before they have their supper).

Denise I was discussing using these strips on another board and we are wondering if there is a difference in the human and pet specific strips.
Here is a link to the pet strips http://www.quickmedical.com/teco_diagnostics/vet-ten-urine-reagent-test-strips.html

Huge difference in price! Gina's link is much less expensive. I've ordered a thing of 100, testing once a month will give me 4 months worth of tests.

Me thinks the difference is that its another way they get you to spend more for the same thing - anyone ever buy doggy diapers?

http://www.vet.uga.edu/VPP/clerk/Sine/index.php

The normal ranges might be slightly different for pH and specific gravity for vet sticks versus human dipsticks. Everything else looks the same to me,except for the price.

Thank you - that is a very interesting read!

I don't intend on following the bottle for normal ranges - I am going to consult with my vet and watch what results I get with my suggies to set my own baseline.

I was interested to learn that the longer the pee sits out at room temp, the more alkaline it becomes.

Just throwing something out there. It is believed struvite sometimes occurs because of sudden stress.
This study of brushtails and ringtails possums that is being referred to was dealing with handling and relocating wild possums. The struvite recorded may be because of the stress which would have been extremely high. Wildlife carers lose many animals due to stress as this is very common with Australian native wildlife. Anyway something to ponder.

Thank you Marz, any additional info is helpful!

I will have to look back over the study tonight & see how long this relocation took to complete.

Sekwaf had been in my home less than 2 weeks when the struvite was found - so I'm wondering if 'sudden stress due to relocation' could be an explanation.

Dr. Kate did say that another client of hers, who is a wildlife rehaber, told her that a little bit of struvite is normal in possums (again, wondering if the above is why)...

Sekwaf has been eating & drinking well - no strange smell to his urine or poop (I mean no stranger than usual ) And his activity level is normal. When I get the strips in, I am interested to see what his looks like in comparison to my other fuzzies.

Hey guys - just wanted to let you know I got my strips in today!

Going to play a bit tomorrow...

My cat had these and he was put on s/d for a month and now he's on c/d to maintain...it's hills science diet...pretty pricey

Tomato juice is fantastic for breaking down stones in cats. breeders of Burmese cats use this technique as a preventative as well as a treatment for the symptoms of stones.