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Originally Posted by elle57  you see i am a bit concerned because he does not drink water, only when i add it to his food everyday. his urine looks a little too yellow for me, so i thought it was a good idea to check it. the vet wants 100.00 to check his urine without me bringing him in. then the vet said it would be better if i brought him in so he could do a urinary culture on him. i do not even know what that is, or how they do that, but i am sure that bill will be well over 200.00.
i looked at the link you sent me, and is it for humans or dogs? or does it matter ?
the petcheckup sent me the booklet to read and how to do it, i am new at this , so this is good. i will however , next time buy the ones you sent me to see.
thanks
elle |
Your vet was recommending taking a sterile urine sample with a needle. That way he can be sure it is free of debris and/or bacteria which can skew the results. Your vet will also examine the urine underneath the microscope for crystals which could indicate bladder stones.
A culture is done if a urinary tract infection is suspected. The bacteria can be grown in a petri dish so your vet would know what type of bacteria it is and what antibiotics to prescribe.
This is a really good explanation of a basic urinalysis. Using a dip stick is only one part of it. As you can see, the strips pictured are the ones I have. They are the same for humans and dogs. You just paid a huge mark up for fancy marketing to appeal to pet owners.
Urinalysis: Testing a Urine Sample
As I said, these strips are great to have on hand to monitor diabetes or check for a uti, but if you are concerned about your Yorkie's kidney function you really need to have him evaluated by your vet.