Dogowner “almost had a heart attack” after noticing pet’s pee is red…only to find out it had eaten beetroot

A DOGOWNER “almost had a heart attack” after he noticed his beloved pet’s pee was red – only to later find out it had eaten beetroot.

Ian Johnson had taken his 11-month-old puppy Karma on a walk after work on Monday but felt his heart drop when he noticed her urine was a deep red.

The 29-year-old said he tried to remain calm as he rushed his pooch back home, afraid that she may have gotten into a bottle of chemicals or medication.

However, maintenance man Ian then noticed that a few beetroots had suspiciously gone missing via a hole in the bottom of his grocery bag – having been eaten by Karma and subsequently turning her pee red.

Images show a puddle of Karma’s urine on the gravel, which is a dark red colour reminiscent of wine.

A separate photo shows the offending beetroot, which Karma had munched, resulting in the harmless side effect beeturia – which causes the consumer’s urine to turn red or pink in colour.

Ian shared the images to Facebook on Monday with the caption: “I seriously just about had a heart attack. I got home from work and took my pup out, and her pee was blood red.

“So, trying my best not to panic, I run around the house looking for a bottle of medication or cleaning chemicals or anything that might cause bloody urine that she could have gotten into.

“I puppy-proof my house though so I was really stumped.

“Then, I noticed there were a few beets missing out of this bag of veggies on my counter and thought maybe that was it so I Googled it and sure enough beets cause red urine in dogs!”

The post has since received over 3,400 likes and more than 300 comments from users who reacted in hilarity.

One Facebook user wrote: “They cause blackish stool as well in anyone who consumes them. Even though we know these things, I’ve still had friends call me in a panic describing their stool.

“My first question is always ‘Did you eat beets?’ I ‘mom’ a lot of my friends so I get a
lot of fun questions.”

Another wrote: “I have legit scared the bejeezus out of myself peeing red after eating beets.”

A third user said: “Yep, freaks you out the first time but only fresh beets do that not canned.”

Another commented: “It’s probably good for them. That’s hilarious. I doubt I could get my dog to eat beets unless I wrapped it in bacon.”

A fifth user wrote: “They sure stress us don’t they.”

Speaking today Ian, from Arizona, USA said: “I know how puppies can be, so I’m very diligent in making sure the house is puppy-proofed and there’s nothing she could get into within her reach.

“Regardless of that, I still ordered a security camera to put in my house so I can watch her, but unfortunately it won’t be here for another two days.

“So yesterday I came home from work, and when I come home she gets really excited and pees a little bit sometimes.

“I noticed the spots were red-ish in color, so I thought to myself ‘maybe it’s just the lighting & the hardwood making it look like that’ because I just installed some colorful decorative LED lights.

“So I take her out to pee and sure enough it looks like straight-up blood coming out of her.

“I could feel my body losing color as I was getting lightheaded and my heart started pounding. My dog is my family, so of course I would foot the vet bill, but it would destroy me financially.

“But losing her would have a far worse impact on me than that.

“I adopted her a few months ago from the Maricopa County West Animal Shelter. She was picked up as a stray and had been there for a few months already.

“I realized that if we did go to the vet, they’d need as much information from me as possible to diagnose her.

“So, trying my absolute best not to panic whilst pouring sweat, I run around the house looking for a chewed up bottle of medication or cleaning solution, or anything that would give me a clue.

“As I was scanning the kitchen going over every possible scenario, I noticed that a grocery bag full of veggies on the counter had a small chew hole on the bottom and upon closer I noticed the beets were gone.

“Now I’ve never eaten a beet before, or even know anyone that likes them, so I had no idea about the red pee thing.

“But, I did know that they produced dark blood-red juice, so on a whim I decided to just Google and see, and sure enough I got my answer.

“I can’t even explain to you the amount of relief I felt knowing that all the worst case scenarios I had playing through my head at a million miles per second were all just my imagination getting ahead of me.

“I definitely learned a few lessons that day.”