Collecting urine from a dog for analysis: males and females

For safe and correct analysis collection you will need:

1. Medical examination gloves. They can be bought at a regular pharmacy.
2. Sterile container for urine. Sold in a veterinary or regular pharmacy.
3. Saline solution and a 20 ml syringe or syringe, we will use them for douching. You can buy it at a regular pharmacy.
4. If your dog is peeing outside, you may need a leash and other means to catch the urine. Suitable: a plastic bottle or a clean bowl, possibly an ultrasound condom and a bandage. If the dog pees at home, then a regular absorbent diaper will suffice.

Before collecting a urine test, it is recommended to douche the external genitalia to remove impurities that may affect the results of the urine test. In male dogs, douching of the penis is performed with saline solution (20-60 ml): the skin of the penis - the prepuce - is pulled forward, a syringe without a needle or a syringe is inserted and the solution is released with force. This manipulation is carried out several times until the flowing solution becomes transparent. Bitches are douched on the external genitalia in the same way, but a syringe without a needle or a douche is inserted into the vagina.

It is advisable to collect urine when the animal has a full bladder, for example, during a morning walk with feather urination or in the evening if a lot of time has passed since the morning walk. Since the dog really wants to pee, it will pay less attention to the owner’s unusual behavior.

Analysis can be collected:

• directly into a sterile urine container
• in a homemade scoop from a plastic bottle
• in a flat bowl
• For male dogs, urine can be collected using an ultrasound condom. To do this, you need to make 2 holes at the base, insert a ribbon into them, put it on the penis and tie the ribbons on the dog’s back.

If urine is collected in a condom, then you need to cut off the tip of the condom and pour it into a urine container. If the animal is not walked outside and the dog agrees to urinate on absorbent diapers, then to collect urine, turn the diaper over with the non-absorbent side up and then pour the urine into a container.

Until the urine test is delivered to the laboratory, it is best to store it in the refrigerator door.

You can take the test at our veterinary center before 21:00, the result will be ready the next day after 18:00.

Important!

1. A urine test is not very informative in animals receiving diuretics, steroids, etc.
2. You should not test your urine for protein and the ratio of protein to creatinine in the urine if the patient has inflammation in the bladder, because White blood cells and blood in the urine can cause an increase in protein, which will not give true information about the functioning of the kidneys.
3. A urine test for bacteriological culture is taken only by a veterinarian in a clinic setting.
4. Urinalysis does not exclude ultrasound of the urinary and other body systems, and does not replace biochemical and clinical blood tests, tests for infections, or x-ray diagnostics.

Please remember that a full diagnosis of the animal may be required to make an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and additional testing may be required by your veterinarian.

Why do you need to take a urine test on your dog?

If an animal refuses to eat, is inactive, is sad a lot and does not rejoice at the owner’s arrival, this should be a cause for serious concern. Otherwise, the disease may go too far.

A timely visit to a veterinarian for a preventive examination and carrying out all the necessary clinical tests will make it possible to eliminate the development of many serious diseases in dogs. The purpose of the study is to detect latent (implicit) sources of inflammation. A urine test can determine the presence of worms and other parasites, anemia, and evaluate the functioning of the kidneys, liver and pancreas.

Analysis of the studied material is especially relevant for dogs over 6 years old. In older animals, the resource of all systems and internal organs is already worn out, so it is advisable to conduct a professional examination of the dog every year.

It is possible to prevent major problems with your dog’s health only with the help of highly professional specialists from veterinary clinics. If laboratory tests are taken on time, the veterinarian will be able to monitor the animal’s condition and, if necessary, prescribe the correct treatment.

Preparing for skin scrapings

If your pet suffers from itching or hair loss (alopecia), he will most likely need a skin scraping, a tape test, or a trichoscopy (examination of fur or hair).

In order for the analysis to be as informative as possible, under no circumstances should you treat your skin or fur with any preparations. You should not even use plain water or surface antiseptic 3-5 days before visiting a specialist. In case of severe itching or significant swelling, only a doctor can help your pet.

We also strongly recommend that you do not shave or comb out the affected area of ​​skin, do not remove scabs from sores, and do not even trim the hair, because then the doctor may not see the pathogen cells that are important to him in the study.

What manifestations should concern owners?

• The dog often has the urge to urinate. You should be wary if your pet leaves puddles around the living space. In this case, you should not punish your pet because he is probably not able to control himself. Apparently, he developed a serious illness.
• If an animal's urine is cloudy, has a disgusting odor, is dark in color with blood or purulent spots, this most likely indicates problems in the kidneys. In the presence of such a disease, poor appetite and high temperature are noted.
• Sometimes the dog stops urinating or pees not in a stream, but in small droplets - this also signals poor kidney function.
• If your dog wants to eat or drink more often, but loses weight, he most likely has diabetes. The animal urinates frequently and its hind legs become numb.

In order for the veterinarian to help the animal, he will need urine for laboratory testing. The owner must be aware of how to properly collect material for research and what may be needed (what equipment).

Instruments required for urine collection:

• A glass/plastic container with a lid—in which the analysis is taken to the laboratory.
• A clean tray or other available equipment is suitable for collecting urine.
• If the dog refuses to go outside to pee or for some reason it is not possible to correctly take and collect an analysis from the animal, use a children’s urine collection bag.
• It is also possible to collect using a clean diaper with a waterproof coating.
• To prevent urine from getting on your hands, you should use protective gloves.

Before using containers, they should be washed and dried thoroughly. It is not recommended to use household detergents, as they can affect the chemical composition of urine. To disinfect containers, you can use soda, but after that it must be thoroughly rinsed under running water.

The best urine for analysis is the one that was collected in the morning, and animal urine is no exception in this case. It is best to collect material for analysis early in the morning, while the dog has a full urinary tract and has not yet eaten.

The collected biomaterial must be delivered to the veterinary clinic no later than two hours later, otherwise changes will occur in its composition and the results will be distorted. If you are unable to immediately collect the analysis, you do not need to repeat attempts during the same day. The procedure should be postponed until the next morning.

What will you need for this?

Before you begin the procedure itself, you need to prepare in advance:

• Latex gloves.
• A disposable container for collecting urine (sold in a pharmacy, costs about 15 rubles). It is not advisable to use glass jars or any food containers, even if they are thoroughly washed.
• If the pet relieves itself on the diaper, cellophane is laid on top and after urination, the resulting material is carefully collected with a syringe without a needle.
• If your dog uses a litter box at home, you must first wash it thoroughly and wipe it dry.
• Special urine collection bag for small children.
• A syringe filled with saline (volume 5-10 ml).

Algorithm for collecting urine

Many owners have no idea how to take urine according to the rules. It is almost impossible to force a dog to urinate in a jar. In reality, collecting canine tests is not difficult, the main thing is to have the skills.

Rules for collecting urine for male dogs

For a walk, you need to take a specially purchased disposable container.

• Dogs are quite suspicious, so try to make sure that the urine collection container does not catch their eye in advance. Otherwise, the animal will become afraid, and it will simply try to sneak away from its owner. To prevent this from happening, you should put a leash on the cop and go for a walk with her in the place to which she is most accustomed.
• You cannot let your dog walk far. Otherwise, as soon as the dog decides to pee, you will not have time to bring the container. There is no need to rush towards the animal, otherwise the dog will get scared and the attempt will be unsuccessful.
• In order not to miss the moment, it is necessary to constantly be behind the dog while walking. As soon as your pet lifts its back paw, you need to do everything possible to carefully collect the urine.

When you arrive home, wash your hands thoroughly and treat them with an antibacterial agent.

How to collect urine from bitches

A clean bottle of regular water will do here. It needs to be cut in a certain way. As soon as the bitch wants to urinate during a walk, you need to place a bottle under the stream along the cut line. You can use a flat container.

For tests you will need from 20 to 100 mm of urine.

There are other ways to collect urine:

• Using a plastic or metal catheter pre-lubricated with glycerin. During the manipulation, the bitch must stand. The animal's genitals must be washed clean. It is necessary to open the labia and insert a catheter into the urethra.
• Urine can be collected by puncture. The pet is injected with a neuroleptic, placed on its back, and the urinary tract is palpated. Then a needle is inserted into the urethra at an angle of 45 degrees and the urine is simply sucked out with a syringe.
• Catheterization technique. Immediately before the procedure, catheters are sterilized and lubricated with Vaseline or glycerin. The dog must be placed on its side and the catheter must be inserted with a rotational motion into the urethra. Urine is drawn into a syringe and poured into a sterile sealed jar.

If the owner does not know how to take a urine test from a dog, he should seek advice from a veterinarian. The composition of the analysis may be influenced by the following factors:

• climatic conditions (air humidity, temperature);
• physiological (type of food, presence of estrus, pregnancy);
• pathological (stress, infectious diseases, invasion).

Scientists conducted studies on clinically healthy dogs. As a result, they were able to calculate the indicators that are present in urine and reflect the balance of the functioning of all organs and systems of the animal body.

Urinalysis in a dog: norm in the table

Decoding

1. Protein. Sometimes protein may be found in the urine. This is not always a departure from the old norm. This happens with an unbalanced diet or with excessive stress on the body.
2. Glucose. The doctor will determine the animal's carbohydrate metabolism. Ideally, carbohydrates should be completely absorbed. But if there are too many of them, then a certain part of them will always be excreted in urine.
3. Bilirubin. Elements of bilirubin indicate liver disease.
4. Ketone bodies. The presence of ketone bodies coupled with elevated sugar is a sign of diabetes mellitus.

If you fast for a long time or if there is a large amount of fat in the animal’s food, the indicators may be normal.

Main symptoms of cystitis

Pet owners may not always detect the first symptoms of the disease. The inflammatory process develops rapidly, so the dog’s condition quickly deteriorates. Symptoms of cystitis include:

• frequent urination;
• the occurrence of false urges;
• the dog begins to whine when urinating;
• clots of pus or blood appear in the urine;
• painful sensations in the abdomen;
• loss of appetite, loss of strength;
• specific smell of urine;
• increase in body temperature.

In a male dog, you can easily identify signs of cystitis by observing the process of urination. If the dog is bothered by painful sensations, he will not be able to lift his paw and will squat when urinating.

Microscopic research methods

After some time, the urine settles and a sediment forms in it.

Organic sediments:

• The presence of red blood cells indicates a disease of the system of organs that form, accumulate and excrete urine.
• Leukocytes - the norm is 1 - 2. If the number of leukocytes exceeds these figures, we can safely talk about kidney pathology.
• Urine sediment always contains epithelial cells. This indicator is especially pronounced in females.
• A high percentage of the number of cylinders is a sign of abnormal kidney function.

Inorganic sediments:

• When the acidity of urine is higher than normal, it contains a lot of uric acid, potassium sulfate and calcium phosphate. This indicates possible tumors, pneumonia, uric acid diathesis, and fever.
• If an animal's urine is brick-colored, this is a confirmation of diseases such as glomerulonephritis, renal failure.
• Calcium oxalate is found in urine in small quantities. When the oxalate level is higher than normal, this is a manifestation of diabetes, pyelonephritis or calcium pathology. When a dog’s diet is dominated by plant-based foods, the presence of calcium carbonate in the urine is normal.
• Fatty acids indicate atrophic changes in the kidneys.

Bacteriological analysis

If from 1000 to 10,000 microbial bodies are detected in 1 ml of a female’s urine, this is normal. For males, these figures indicate inflammation of the genitourinary organs. This analysis is necessary to titrate the effect of antibiotics that will subsequently be used for treatment.

Neoplasms and crystals. If crystals of tyrosine or leucine are detected, one can safely indicate pathologies caused by leukemia. The presence of cholesterol indicates neoplasms in the kidneys or degenerative processes occurring there.

Analysis for the presence of fungi. At a certain analysis temperature, microscopic fungi grow. They should not be present in a normal analysis. But with prolonged use of antibiotics and in the presence of a disease such as diabetes, the painful microflora is activated.

Urine analysis for fungi can be carried out using test systems - these are special strips adapted for veterinary diagnostics and in laboratory conditions.

In some cases, the initial analysis done using the test system may deviate from the norm in one direction or another. In this case, there is no reason to panic. It is necessary to carry out repeated tests from a veterinarian who is licensed to perform the work. Any veterinarian can interpret a urine test.

Almost any dog's disease can be cured. It is important to monitor the dog’s health and, at the slightest suspicion, contact a specialized medical facility.

Clinical picture

A specific symptom of acute cystitis is urinary incontinence. Due to severe damage to the mucous layer and the spread of inflammation to the muscle layer, the bladder cannot fully perform its function and retain accumulated urine. As a result, the dog often asks to go to the toilet, and sometimes urine leaks out involuntarily. The same is observed during exacerbation of chronic inflammation.

In addition, pathology can be recognized by other signs:

• pain, due to which the dog whines while urinating, and males change their position when urinating (sit down, as lifting the limb becomes painful);
• urine is excreted in small portions;
• mucus, blood, and purulent inclusions may be found in the liquid;
• urine is cloudy and has a strong unpleasant odor;
• thirst;
• decreased appetite;
• feverish condition;
• tense abdominal wall.

The dog becomes indifferent to everything, but at the same time apathy can alternate with irritability and aggressiveness.

conclusions

In order for therapy to be successful, you need to have the correct research results on hand. With the help of urine analysis, not only the disease is detected, but also differential diagnosis is carried out. There should be no inaccuracies here, otherwise the doctor will prescribe the wrong treatment.

Indicators that are considered “norm” are averaged. You can’t discount the dog’s gender, age, individual characteristics, diet and medications used.

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