My dog has a UTI. How do I collect an accurate urine sample?

Question

Last night my 11 year old dog was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, and given amoxicillin; this morning her vet let me know that the sample was not collected in a way that would be accurate; I collected it in a bowl provided by the vet at the emergency clinic. Is there a proper way to collect the sample? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 11 years and 1 month old | 69.2 lbs

Amber Da Silva, DVM · Accepted Answer

I'm sorry to hear that Riley is not feeling well. The best way to collect a urine sample is called a cystocentesis. This is a simple procedure where a needle is placed into the bladder through the abdominal wall and the urine is drawn out into the syringe. This allows the urine to be collected in a sterile way so that if bacteria is seen on the urinalysis, you know that it came from the bladder and wasn't contamination from the outside. This is especially important if the veterinarian is recommending a urine culture. If you collect the urine into the bowl while she urinates then bacteria from the outside could be cultured and cause a false positive. I hope this helps and that Riley gets feeling better soon.

My dog has a UTI. How do I collect an accurate urine sample?

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