How to plan the "urination line"

As an industry professional, you do everything to keep your clinic spotlessly clean. However, there is one particular situation that presents a unique challenge: the famous leg raise! Everyone knows that accidents happen, but whether the patient is large or small, urine of any kind is always extremely harmful to certain materials. In this article, we share our knowledge of why urine interacts so negatively with your floors, walls, and other areas. We will also give you tips, tricks and methods to protect your clinic from damage from animal urine. Because let's be honest, if you have to go, you have to go!

Urinary tract risks

Dog urine poses a significant threat because of its chemical makeup. Although all urine is mostly water (with inorganic salts and nitrogen-rich by-products such as uric acid and creatine), dog urine is much more concentrated. Did you know that urine can even burn stones? The chemicals in your pet's urine are much more damaging.

To make matters worse, urine can seep through wall and floor materials and get stuck out of the reach of your cleaning efforts. It penetrates the heart of porous surfaces by absorption, and this is where the real problem begins.

When urine breaks down and dries up, it becomes harder to see, let alone cleanse. When the remaining water evaporates, a high concentration of ammonia remains and a sulfur-containing chemical is created that creates unpleasant odors. This high concentration of ammonia is an important reason never to use cleaning agents that also contain ammonia on the affected areas. The smell will look familiar and make your pet believe this is a "safe" place to leave their mark. In addition, uric acid in dog urine has a crystalline structure that does not dissolve well in water. The crystals that remain after the liquid dries is the reason why cleaning with soap and water does not solve the problem. Traces of urine remain.

Problems like these prompted our architectural design team to come up with a useful design guide we call the "Pee Line," an imaginary line that we use to indicate the worst-case height for these elevators. It takes into account the places where urine can grow into dogs of any size, from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane. In our experience, the urine line is more than 1 meter above the floor and all surfaces underneath must be selected, installed and maintained to be durable and washable enough to withstand floor damage.

cleaning supplies

If a furry friend wants to urinate at an inconvenient time and place, we recommend using certain detergents. A water-based grout remover is ideal for keeping tile floors and natural stone stain-free and polished. It gets into those hard-to-reach crevices that are likely to trap urine and keep them free of mist. These products are ideal for cement and epoxy based grouts and will keep the tile shiny and clean.

Another option is a highly alkaline floor cleaner that will remove stubborn stains and protein buildup, especially on textured surfaces like epoxy floors. These products are safe to use and go the extra mile to prevent stains from ruining your surfaces.

Design solution

Now that we've covered the cleaning process, let's take a look at a few hardware options that have been shown to be reliable and withstand urine and fluid stains of all kinds.

As mentioned above, one of the most common problems with animal stains is soil. We recommend using a more durable material like epoxy, porcelain tile, or vinyl sheeting, especially in high traffic areas. In addition to choosing the right materials, it is equally important to properly seal and install the products. This reduces the rate of absorption and makes the floors more resistant to urine and other liquids, including detergents.

Remember that the concept of urine conduit protrudes above the floor, so it is also important to consider what applies to cabinets and other vertical surfaces. Plastic laminates are a good example of a cleanable material that most hospitals use for exam room cabinets. When laminates are properly cleaned and protected, no uric acid crystals are left behind, which could erode the material and loosen the edges and corners of surfaces. In high-traffic or humid areas, corner protectors made of metal or hard plastic can be attached to the edges to better protect the material and keep it in place so your room looks like new longer.

There are materials that should be avoided completely. Porous surfaces such as carpets can pick up and trap liquids in the fibers and allow them to spread under them, creating undesirable odors. Liquids move from humid regions to arid regions and, perhaps surprisingly, surfaces that appear to be as hard as concrete and brick contain pores that contain excess liquid. When these porous materials get wet on one end, the pores will fill with this liquid and spill all over the place. If possible, we recommend gluing on non-porous materials such as porcelain tiles, mineral materials or plastic laminate.

Take away

The world of veterinary design is changing and evolving day by day. We look forward to providing you with some suggestions to help you make the informed decision for your practice. Knowing the materials available and how they perform will make it easier for you to keep your clinic looking new, durable, and new for years!

Founded in 2000 by Rick Renschen, MD Architects operates a coast-to-coast national portfolio of animal care, welfare and commercial projects. The company is actively registered in 35 states and has a list of more than 180 animal care projects across the country.

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