Last week I barked about ‘Your Good Dog’s PH‘ & the week before I yapped about ‘UTIs & Good Dogs‘.  As pawmised this week I’m going to yap about urinalysis’ & next week we’ll yip about how to interpret the results.  For those who have been following me, you nose I recently had to take a urine sample into my good Vet clinic & have it analysized.  It did come back as aspected, I had an UTI which required a 10 day course of antibiotics which I have finished.

A urinalysis is a simple test.  It assess your good dog’s or cat’s urinary tract (kidneys & bladder) health & our glucose regulation & liver function.  For those of us 8 years & older, our Vet or health practioner will likely want to do a yearly urinalysis. Symptoms that would require a urinalysis would be increased water intake, increased frequency in peeing, signs of pain when urinating or visible blood in our urine.

How do you collect a urine sample?  Did you nose there are 3 ways to collect your furlegger’s sample.

1.  Free-catch is the method huMom has used to collect my samples.  This is done by holding a container; huMom usually has urine collection containers from the Vet clinic but in the past she has used a strerilized container in which she held under me to catch a mid-stream urine sample as I did my business outside.  She has used a cleaned litter box with a few paper strips for collecting one of the kitties samples.  Once they have finished their business she used a new syringe to collect the sample.  Free-catch samples could result in having dirt, fecal matter or fur in them which may alter the results.
2. Catheterization (in which a urinary catheter is sterilely placed through a furlegger’s urethra into the urinary bladder.  Thank dog I have not had to experience this.
3. Cystocentesis involves a small needle on a syringe which is directed through the skin of your good dog’s or cat’s abdomen directly into the urinary bladder by your good Vet or animal technician.  This method is the cleanest way to collect a sample as the potential for contaminates is removed.  Appawrently, this is similar to the use of a needle for bloodwork or vaccines even though it sounds pawsitively scary.

You may ask is timing impawtant?  Generally no, unless your Vet is assessing your good dog’s or cat’s ability to concentrate urine or if they are screening for Cushing’s disease & need to assess cortisol levels.  Then it is impawtant to collect first morning urine sample.  Timing is also impawtant in regards to how long it has sat before the Vet has had a chance to assess it.  A urine sample is best read within 30 minutes of collection otherwise certain factors (like crystals, bacteria & cells) could alter their composition (dissolve or multiply) over time.  HuMom always collects my 1st pee & puts the container in a ziploc bag & places it in the refrigerator.  Once I have had my breakfast we get the vehicle ready, take my sample from the refrigerator & place it in the cooler with ice packs for the 30 – 45 minute drive.

That’s alot to chew so I’ll yap more next week on how to interpret the results of your good dog’s or cat’s urinalysis.

Have a pawsome week, CEO Olivia, Dot & Jerry Underfoot 💜

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