Detección de cristaluria en perros (Canis lupus familiaris) en un refugio en la ciudad de Ambato

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify the presence of crystalluria in dogs from the Patitas Nobles shelter, located in Ambato, and to analyze its relationship with biological, clinical, and urinary variables, such as crystal type, age, sex, urinary pH, and urine specific gravity. The study used a quantitative approach with a nonexperimental, cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design. The population consisted of 140 dogs, from which 103 individuals were selected according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each animal underwent a general clinical evaluation followed by physical, chemical, and microscopic urinalysis. The findings showed that 21.36% of the analyzed samples presented crystalluria, while 78.64% did not show urinary crystals. The most frequent crystals were struvite, followed by calcium oxalate, cystine, and urates. From a descriptive perspective, crystalluria was observed more frequently in senior dogs and females; however, these relationships should be interpreted cautiously and according to the statistical significance values obtained for each variable. Struvite crystals were mainly observed in neutral and alkaline pH, whereas calcium oxalate and urate crystals were more frequent in acidic or neutral conditions. In conclusion, this study shows a relevant frequency of crystalluria in the evaluated shelter dogs and provides local information useful for early diagnosis, preventive monitoring, nutritional management, and clinical decisionmaking in shelter canine populations.