Finding The Cats Bladder
Slip your dominant hand under the cats belly and slightly closer to the rear than right below the ribs. Place your other hand along the animals side so you can gently hold and/or lift the cat. When the animal has settled into position, feel the abdomen, slightly higher than the leg sockets. Beneath the spine is the colon and then beneath that is the bladder.
The bladder has a distinct shape and feeling. It feels smooth and self-contained, much like a water balloon. So, what you are feeling for is a water balloon inside a warm, furry skin sack. You do not have to squeeze immediately. Give yourself a moment to move your fingers around the bladder. Become familiar with its size and shape.
Help I Cant Get A Urine Sample
If all else fails, your vet can collect the sample for you. This is either done with a urinary catheter, or via a needle and syringe. The latter technique is essential if infection is suspected and we wish to culture the bacteria for identification.
One option is to make a regular appointment and prevent your pet urinating for 4 hours beforehand so they have a large bladder. Many times, your vet can collect the sample right there and you can take your pet home again.
Other times, we may need to hospitalise your pet while we wait for the bladder to fill. As a last resort, especially in stressed animals, we may recommend a sedation for urine collection.
Regardless of how we do it, urine provides valuable, and often life-changing information. Its always worth the effort to get!
Have something to add? Comments are welcome below and will appear within 24 hours.By Andrew Spanner BVSc MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. These articles are from a series regularly posted on email and .
How To Test For Diabetes In Cats
Bringing your pet cat home after a diabetes diagnosis can be traumatic but ultimately rewarding both for you and the cat. But, I promise that if you master these steps, cat peeing will become just another bonding and helpful moment in your day. Better still, Fluffy will be happy at home with your loving care.
Regular testing requires a little more thought and a supply of the right equipment. See our full guide for regularly checking glucose levels if your cat has diabetes.
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Collecting Urine Samples At Home
You may find yourself in a position where you need to collect a urine sample at home from your cat. This may be a sample that youll be testing yourself, or a sample you need to take to your vet for more in-depth analysis.
If you plan on collecting a urine sample to bring to your vet, ask them for collection supplies. Chances are you can get yourself a collection tube, and a syringe and/or pipette for free. Some vets will even provide non-absorbent litter at no charge.
How Much Urine Is Needed
Basic urinalysis can be performed on as little as two mLs of urine . That will allow a dipstick reading for blood, pH, protein, glucose, ketones, bilirubin, plus a urine concentration. The cost of this test is listed here.
We prefer you to collect as much as you can to allow for repeat testing, or to submit it to a laboratory.
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Why Examine The Urine Sediment
Urine sediment is the material that sediments out or settles into the bottom of the tube when a urine sample is spun in a centrifuge.
The most common things found in urine sediment are red blood cells, white blood cells, crystals, bacteria, and tissue cells from different parts of the urinary system. Small amounts of mucus and miscellaneous debris are often found in free-catch samples. Rarely, parasite eggs are found in urine.
Red Blood Cells. Small numbers of red blood cells are often found in urine collected by cystocentesis or catheterization, but large numbers of red blood cells usually indicate bleeding. This may be caused by conditions such as bladder stones, infection, coagulation problems, trauma, cancer, etc.
White Blood Cells. Small numbers of white blood cells in a free-catch sample may not be significant, but in general, an increased number of white blood cells indicates inflammation somewhere in the urinary system. Inflammation is often secondary to bacterial infection.
Bacteria. The presence of both bacteria and inflammatory cells in the sediment indicates there is likely bacterial infection somewhere in the urinary system. Ideally, the urine should be sent to the laboratory for culture and sensitivity testing to find out what types of bacteria are present and which antibiotic should be used to treat the infection.
How To Make A Cat Pee
Unfortunately, cats generally donât pee on command. They prefer to use the bathroom in private and will often hold their urine for a long time. Some pet owners have success with following their cat to the litterbox and holding a small, clean container between their legs to catch the urine stream. This may be easier to do with indoor cats who urinate outside the litterbox because the shape of many litterboxes makes it hard to avoid disturbing the cat . If the kitty has a favorite bathroom rug he likes to pee on, following him to the bathroom, patiently waiting for him to pee, then catchi the urine as he goes on the rug may work fairly well. Because cats stand pretty low to the ground, it may be easier to use a shallow container to avoid disturbing the cat while he is peeing.
Another option is to use a very clean litterbox with no litter in it. Put the box in the usual litterbox spot and wait. If the cat objects to peeing in an empty litterbox, tearing a few small strips of clean paper or using a very small amount of clean litter can be effective. Nonabsorbent cat litter could also be used in some situations. Make sure this is okay with the veterinarian first- you donât want to put you and your cat through all this trouble if the sample needs to be cleaner than that.
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Choosing A Location For Expressing A Cats Bladder
The location where you express the cat varies with the temperament of the cat and your situation. You can express:
- Onto a towel, piddle pad or litter box on the floor
- From a counter into a sink or toilet, or onto a towel or piddle pad
It is important to find the position most comfortable for both you and the cat. If you are stressed or worried, the cat will sense it and may react by tensing up, blocking the internal flow of urine or by squirming so much that handling the cat is impossible.
Dont worry about urine getting on your surroundings. It happens. Better to get the urine out of the cat than to worry about the environment, which you can easily clean and sanitize afterward. Focus on the cat and keep your intentions positive and confident.
It is normal for some cats to vocalize during the process. Try not to let the cats voice unnerve you. If the volume and intensity escalate enough to indicate pain or a high stress level, stop and set the cat down. You can approach and refresh your friendship with the cat later in the day and try again.
This process is one that the cat needs to get used to as well. The cat will learn to identify you as the person who helps her empty her bladder. The cat may never enjoy it, but if you can visualize that you are working with rather than working against each other, the process will go much more smoothly. Consider it teamwork, even if the cat doesnt seem to agree with the idea.
How To Collect Your Cat’s Urine Sample From Home If Preventing Pre
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How Is The Chemical Analysis Of The Urine Performed
The chemical analysis of urine is performed using a dipstick, which is a small strip of plastic that holds a series of individual test pads. Each test pad measures a different chemical component and changes color to indicate the amount of that substance in the urine. The dipstick is dipped into the urine, and after a short waiting period, the color of the test pads is compared to a chart that translates the intensity of the color to an actual measurement.
What Is Specific Gravity And How Does It Help Detect Disease
It may help to think of urine specific gravity as the density of the urine. A healthy kidney should produce dense urine, while watery urine may signal underlying disease.
One of the kidney’s jobs is to maintain the body’s water level within relatively narrow limits. If there is an excess of water in the body, then the kidneys allow the excess water to pass out in the urine, and the urine becomes more watery or dilute. If there is a shortage of water in the body , then the kidneys reduce the amount of water lost in urine, and the pet passes more concentrated urine.
Normal animals may pass dilute urine from time to time during the day, and a single dilute urine sample is not necessarily a cause for concern. If a pet continues to pass dilute urine, then there could be underlying kidney or metabolic disease and further investigation is recommended.
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When To Opt For A Clinic Sample
If your pet prefers privacy when urinating and wont cooperate, or if your veterinarian needs a sterile sample, its best to take your pet to the clinic. At-home samples arent sterile, because the urine can be contaminated with bacteria as it travels through the urethra and the genital area. Collection cups often have bacteria as well.
If your veterinarian suspects a kidney infection or urinary tract infection, she may want to culture the urine to identify the bacteria involved and the most effective antibiotic to use. In these cases, its better to get a sample directly from the bladder via cystocentesis, a relatively painless procedure than involves inserting a needle through the abdominal wall into the bladder. Less commonly, your veterinarian may get a sample by threading a catheter up your pets urethra into the bladder.
The urine sample can help your veterinarian diagnose your pets problem and get him on the road to recovery.
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What Is Urine Ph And Why Is It Measured
Urine pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline the urine is. The pH can change with diet, but can also signal the presence of infection or metabolic disease. Normal urine in cats and dogs ranges from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. Extremes in urine pH beyond this range are more likely to be associated with disease.
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How Much Urine Is Needed For A Cat Urine Sample
In most cases, a few milliliters of urine will be sufficient aim for at least 5mls, and that should be plenty.
Various tests are performed as part of urinalysis: A dipstick to measure the pH and levels of different substances within the urine, a specific gravity which measures how concentrated the urine is and microscopy, which involves looking for bacteria or crystals under a microscope.
Vets can usually make a small amount of urine go a long way. If a larger sample is needed, then your vet will tell you.
How To Collect A Urine Sample
Collecting a urine sample from your pet isnt as tricky as you might think
Your cats urine can tell a vet lots of things about its health, so occasionally we might ask you to bring a sample in for us to test. While you may think that collecting cat urine sounds difficult, it can be quite straightforward. Simply follow the advice on this page and youll be able to collect a sample in no time.
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What Is A Urinalysis
Urinalysis is a routine test that reports the physical and chemical properties of urine. It is used mainly to assess the health of the kidneys and urinary system, but it can also reveal problems in other organ systems, and is important for diagnosing metabolic disease such as diabetes mellitus. It is a valuable test in both healthy and sick animals and should be included in any comprehensive evaluation of a pet’s health.
Collecting Urine From Your Dog
Your dog will urinate generally after waking in the morning or after feeding in the evening. Exercise and walks are another good time to be watchful for urination.
Firstly take a thoroughly washed, flat plastic container such as a margarine container, a meat tray or an old frying pan to use for collection. Wait until your dog begins to urinate, and slowly and gently place the container under the stream. Try not to be abrupt or too quick as that can frighten him/her. About a tablespoon of the sample is all you need for testing.
For canines who regard their privacy highly and are hesitant to stay still, keep them indoors for an extended period. When let out they will urinate for an extra long time allowing you to manoeuvre into position for adequate collection.
Once the urine is collected pour it into a clean screw top jar and get it to the vet clinic within 1 hour, or put in the refrigerator for a maximum of 12 hours. This is very important if you are not able to take the sample into the clinic immediately.
If all this fails, keep your dog inside for a few hours before bringing them to the clinic. Do not let them out of the car. Come and see us first so a friendly nurse and a suitable collection container can be ready. Your pet will be encouraged to urinate with all the nice smells they encounter around the clinic.
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How To Get A Urine Sample
Most urine tests are run in house and only require a small amount of urine . Some samples may need to be sent to an external laboratory and in these cases a larger sample will be required.
How To Get A Urine Sample From Your Pet
For October and November we are focusing on endocrine diseases. These diseases are caused by the body producing too much or too little of a certain hormone and are found in humans as well as animals and have many signs in common.
Common hormonal diseases seen in cats are hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus . They are mainly seen in older cats.
Common symptoms of these diseases are weight loss, increased appetite, thirst and urination.
Common hormonal diseases seen in dogs are Cushing’s disease , diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism . There are other conditions too but they are far less common. Again in these diseases we may see increased appetite, increased thirst and urination. We may see weight changes and changes in hair coat.
All these diseases are diagnosed by using a combination of blood tests and urine samples along with the clinical signs that the animal is displaying. It is therefore important for us to be able to examine a urine sample. Here is some advice on how to collect a urine sample from your animal at home.
Dogs
Sample pots can be obtained from all branches of Larkmead Vets and there are special collection kits especially designed for bitches which will make urine collection easier. Alternatively it may be easier to slide a small flat tray or Tupperware container under to collect the urine. Please make sure it is cleaned well and rinsed with hot water before collection as any residues may give false readings.
Cats
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