Q. My 11-year-old dog has never had any health problems. What could be some possible causes of blood in his urine?
A. It just takes a little detective work to narrow down the cause of blood in the urine.
If your dog is a female, a urinary tract infection is most likely. Since it sounds like your dog is male, that is probably not the problem. If you had a Dalmatian or Schnauzer, I would suspect bladder stones because both of these breeds are prone to them. Since you have an older dog, I would be somewhat worried about the possibility of a bladder tumor.
The first step is to take your dog to the veterinarian for a thorough physical exam and urinalysis. Because of the possibility of bladder stones, at least one X-ray is a good idea. If he seems to be acting sick, not eating or vomiting, a blood panel is needed.
Your vet should be able to quickly narrow down the list of possibilities based on your dog’s sex, breed, age, and physical exam and urinalysis findings.
Occasionally, more advanced diagnostic tests such as an abdominal ultrasound are required to evaluate the bladder.