URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN DOGS AND CATS
Urinary tract infections are very common in dogs and cats. The diagnosis is made by finding white blood cells and/or bacteria in the urine. These infections usually require a MINIMUM of ten days of treatment with antibiotics. Unfortunately, many of the bacteria that cause these infections have developed resistance to the antibiotics. It is common for your veterinarian to have to treat the infection for longer than ten days, or to have to switch to a different medication. It is also common for there to be underlying causes of urinary tract infections such as mineral crystals or bladder stones, polyps, or food allergies. Sometimes these are difficult to detect until the infection is under control.
For these reasons it is VERY IMPORTANT to check a urine specimen again, BEFORE YOU RUN OUT OF ANTIBIOTICS. That way if there is still infection present you will not stop the medication too soon. If the infection has improved but crystals or blood are still present, further testing or treatment may be needed.
COLLECTING A SAMPLE
FOR CATS:
Empty the litter pan completely and clean it with soap and water, rinse well and dry. Or you can empty the pan and put a clean pan liner inside. Then sprinkle Nosorb granules (available from your veterinarian), uncooked popcorn, Styrofoam peanuts or clean, well-washed aquarium gravel in the pan. All these items will give your cat something to scratch around in but won't soak up the urine. Once you have a sample, pour it back into a clean container or urine specimen cup, cover and refrigerate. You can pour the Nosorb back in too, or you can rinse it in a strainer and dry it for future use when more samples are needed.
FOR DOGS:
Only a few teaspoons of urine are necessary for testing. Take your dog outside on a leash and use the specimen cup to collect the sample. You may find it easier to collect a sample from a female dog in a more shallow container, such as a Tupperware lid or shallow dish of aluminum foil.
