Dog Urine Concrete

I am going to answer a question that was posted for me a little while ago. It is to do with the white powder or residue left from dog urine on concrete. This white powder many times is visible on concrete and not visible in other situations. It could be present but not visible on carpet for example. If the residue is heavy you will see it on carpet also. The question left for me was this:

“There are many white stains on our concrete path from my dogs urine. Is this white reaction  from the concrete or a stomach problem.
thanks
paul”

The reaction is neither a stomach problem or a reaction to the concrete but a condition created from the urine. When urine leaves the body human or mammal it is slightly acid (or acidic on the ph scale). The urine begins to change as soon as it leaves the body. Uric acid in the dogs urine is broken down into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia is high alkaline on the ph scale. The reaction from the acidic urine and the ammonia creates alkaline salt crystals. This is the white residue left on the concrete from the dogs urine. A good acid pretreatment wash will neutralize the alkaline salt crystals (white residue). Once neutralized it wash’s off easily with water or another neutral cleaner. If the urine has penetrated deeply into the concrete you may want to use an enzyme digester or oxidation product to deal with any smell or other residue. But the acid cleaner will remove the alkaline salts (white residue) left from the dog urine on the concrete.