Back

ACCURACY OF URINE DIP-STRIP TESTS FOR pH MEASUREMENT QUESTIONED  

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  

.


This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Human urine dip-strip tests have a strip for urine pH, however this test is inaccurate in dogs

In a paper published in a supplement to the Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian (Vol 21, No11 November 1999) Heuter KJ, Buffington T and Chew D.J. reported their findings of a study comparing dip-strip test results for pH (Chemstrip 7) with a pH meter. They found that the urine strip-test produced imprecise estimates of urine pH. For example, urine with a pH of 7 (as measured by a pH meter) could have a pH as low as 6.2 or as high as 8.2 on the dip-strip test.

They concluded that pH measurement by dip-strips should not be relied upon to make clinical decisions, for example relating to urolithiasis, unless the result is corroborated with a pH meter/refractometer. 

 

Last updated : October 2013