Urinating Too Often?

My 3-year-old registered Paint gelding urinates up to three times in a three-to-four hour period.
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My 3-year-old registered Paint gelding urinates up to three times in a three-to-four hour period. My veterinarian has checked a blood profile and two urinalyses. The blood profile was normal and the first urinalysis showed elevated protein. The second urine sample was normal. If we are still concerned about a kidney problem, what other tests can we do? Is there something else we should look for?

A The normal urinalyses and blood work reported for your horse (other than the elevated protein value on the first sample) suggest that kidney function is adequate, urine concentrating ability is normal (as indicated by a urine specific gravity value greater than 1.012), and that there is no indication of infection (no increase in white cell count) or inflammation (no increase in red blood cells). This suggests that primary kidney disease is less likely. Urine protein analysis can yield a false positive due to the (normally) alkaline pH of horse urine, and the single positive value was probably not significant.

More useful information that would help characterize your observations would include the answers to the following:

  1. Is the increased frequency of urination associated with voiding a normal volume of urine in an appropriate amount of time?
  2. Does the horse seem to strain or appear painful during urination?

The voiding of small volumes of urine frequently (pollakiuria) can be associated with irritation of the urinary tract, which might result from problems such as blister beetle poisoning or bladder stones. Straining or pain associated with urination suggests partial obstruction or significant urinary tract inflammation, or can reflect injury to a body system other than the urinary system (i.e., gastrointestinal or musculoskeletal pain)

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