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What can a dog's urinalysis reveal about pancreas or digestion?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Staffordshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 1 year and 2 months old | 74 lbs

My dog was tested for a uti, because he doesn't drink much water. He also has some digestive issues, I add water to his food so I see he is hydrated. Could the urinalysis tell me if he had an issue with his pancreas because it does tell you if your dog has diabetes or not? He doesn't have diabetes and my vet told me that his only issue with the results were dehydrated. So would the urinalysis be able to give me answers regarding his digestive system or any other organs?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

Veterinarian

Published on May 28th, 2018

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! No, the urinalysis would not be able to give you information regarding the direct function of the digestive system or pancreas specifically. A diagnosis of diabetes is made when there is high blood glucose and glucose in the urine. A urinalysis primarily measures kidney function and liver function and also screens for crystals or other types of sediment in the urine, bacteria, blood, and white blood cells that could indicate an infection or other urinary tract issue. A urinalysis can also tell you how concentrated the urine is which is used to help assess hydration status. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Maria DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    A urinalysis will tell you a few things. It will say if the urine is not concentrated which if it is not would indicate blood work is needed to check kidney function. This could be he is drinking a lot or he has decrease function. It will tell you if there is a urinary tract infection, but if the urine is dilute sometimes you will not always see bacteria in the urine and a urine culture is needed. It will tell you if there is glucose in the urine which can either mean diabetes or it could be from stress. It can tell you if there are ketones in the urine, which is only of real value if there is glucose in the urine. It cannot tell you if there is a pancreas issue. A urinalysis cannot tell you much about the digestive system. If dehydration is a concern you can always add some wet food into their diet also. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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