Brown Urine in Dogs: Why Is My Dog’s Pee Dark/Brown?

Brown urine in dogs is an emergency.

One of the things I’ll never forget is Jasmine’s drug-induced hyperthermia horror and all that followed. It was the day we almost killed our dog. And it was the day almost killing our dog likely saved her life. If you’re interested, you can read the whole story here.

When Jasmine was released to home care, she couldn’t walk or get up on her own and could barely stand when helped. Things were supposed to improve by the following day, but they did not. With a lot of support, she barely made it out to potty, and the stream of urine that came out was brown. Back then, I had no idea what would make urine brown, but I knew it was a bad thing.

This had emergency written all over it

We were told things should improve, but they did not. And now Jasmine was peeing brown on top of it. Since this was Saturday morning, our only option was to rush her to an emergency hospital. There we were told that Jasmine had either liver failure, kidney failure, or both and that her intestine was likely perforated. They recommended euthanasia. All that for a bargain price of $750, not counting the proposed euthanasia.

Fortunately for Jasmine, at least half of that sounded wrong to me. So we sought a second opinion at a teaching hospital, and the diagnosis was mostly wrong, and Jasmine recovered.

What brought this memory back was a post on my support group featuring pee that looked just like Jasmine’s did then.

We sent her to the emergency but haven’t received an update on the pup. I hope she’s okay.

What would make pee dark?

Normal urine should be shades of yellow—light to dark yellow, depending on how hydrated the dog is. In other words, the more concentrated the pee is, the darker yellow it will be. While that is not an emergency, at the very least, it’s telling you that your dog is dehydrated, which is not good for them long-term. Consistently pale or dark urine does warrant further action, particularly when it comes with other concerning signs such as poor appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive thirst. …

All that is different from urine which is actually brown in color.

Just look at the photo above. Does that not look like an emergency to you? It does to me.

In Jasmine’s case, hyperthermia trashed her blood, liver, and muscles. It took a week in an ICU and a month total for her to recover fully.

What makes pee brown?

• the presence of a protein that is released by damaged muscle tissue [myoglobin]. This is called rhabdomyolysis and is most commonly seen after severe exertion (e.g., seizures), hyperthermia, or as a result of some snake bites.
• a high content of bilirubin, a byproduct of the breakdown of red blood cells secreted by the liver. A dog with a lot of bilirubin in the urine will also be jaundiced.
• liver disease or liver failure
• the presence of old blood in the urinary tract, be it from kidney or bladder infection, or stones in the kidneys or bladder
• cancer in the urinary tract

If your dog’s pee is brown in color, seek veterinary care immediately.

If you can bring a urine sample with you, this may be helpful.

Related articles:
Canine Hematuria: Blood in Urine. Why Is There Blood in My Dog’s Pee?

Further reading:
Why You Should Watch Your Dog Pee