From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-04-21 14:31:00 UTC
Subject: Re: clear urine
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Susan D." <ferretsarecool@h...>
wrote:
> Hi,
> I just searched the archives and didn't see anything on this.
>
> What would make a ferret's urine clear, so clear it looks like
water
> puddles? The ferret is otherwise healthy, eating normally and has
normal
> poops. I don't know what makes the urine "yellow" and if that
missing
> yellowness is a sign of anything.
Clear urine is not necessarily a problem - in fact, it rarely is.
The color or the density of the yellow in urine is a result of the
hydration status of the ferret at any one point in time. It's
verymuch like your own urine - if you have had a lot of water to
drink, your urine will be very dilute, almost clear, and ther will be
a lot of it - your body is releasing a lot water. If you haven't had
a lot of water, and it is a hot day, then your kidneys will conserve
water, and the urine that you pass will be be dark yellow - very
concentrated.
In most cases, a ferret's dilute urine simply reflects an abundance
of fluid in the body that can be released. There are, however, some
conditions that may result in excessive release of fluid - chronic
renal disease (in which the kidney cannot conserve urine), chronic
steroid use - (steroids inhibit the chemicals that assist the kidney
in conserving fluid), and diabetes mellitus (excess sugar in the
urine results in "drawing" fluid out of the body). (There are some
others, but these are rare enough in ferrets to be eminently
forgettable.
The bottom line is - if you are concerned - a routine bloodwork and
urinarlysis will easily tell if there is really a problem, or if
clear urine is appropriate in your ferret for this particular moment
in time.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
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