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My dog's urinalysis shows a pH of 8.5. Should I be concerned?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 3 years and 6 months old | 46 lbs

Hello, my dog’s wellness blood work and urinalysis results just came back. He has a pH of 8.5 on his urinalysis. Is this something to be concerned about?

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1 Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 27th, 2018

Actually your dog's urinalysis looks very good. There are various reasons for a dog's urine to become alkaline (pH greater than If the urine has been retained in the bladder for too long, it becomes stale. Also, if the urine has been standing too long, ie was not fresh. Contamination with detergent from a collecting bottle that was not rinsed well. Contaminated with ammonia Conditions that can cause alkaline urine: Urinary tract infection with urease-positive bacteria - most common cause (likely not in your case) Persistent vomiting - due to loss of gastric acid. (is your dog vomiting a lot?) Respiratory alkalosis and some other conditions which are rare. If your dog is taking medications, it can cause alkaline urine: e.g. acetazolamide, thiazide diuretics, potassium citrate, sodium acetate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium lactate And finally, Special diets formulated to produce an alkaline urine eg Hill's Precription Diet Canine u/d Alkaline urine can cause kidney and bladder stones. I suggest you have your vet check the pH of your dogs urine again, this time with fresh urine won shortly before testing.

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