Can A Dog And Cat Urine Test Be Taken Casually? Sampling And Storage Of Samples Are As Important As Results

A urinalysis is a logical and practical laboratory procedure capable of performing the process of assessing disease. Urine is a body fluid whose appearance and composition reflect the activity of a variety of functional and metabolic diseases. A urine test, like a complete blood count, can provide information about the integrity of many body systems. Therefore, urinalysis is important not only for animals suspected of urologic disease, but also for those animals that may have endocrine, hepatic, and hemolytic diseases, as well as various toxicities. Urinalysis is an inexpensive test that is also easily performed in a clinical setting.

A complete urinalysis includes gross evaluation, specific gravity determination, microscopic evaluation of urinary sediment, etc. Urinalysis is considered a "screening" test because abnormal results may be followed by another test or interpreted in conjunction with serum chemistry results. However, many people think that urinalysis is a very low test or unnecessary, so it is very casual when sampling. After the animal urinates, it can be sucked with a straw and stored at will. In fact, sampling has a great impact on the results of urinalysis. Therefore, the sampling and storage of urine analysis cannot be carried out at will, and there are still many points that need to be paid attention to. The collection and storage of urine are equally important.

The kidneys of dogs and cats are a pair of organs responsible for fluid balance, acid-base balance, electrolyte balance and waste excretion. The activity of thousands of nephrons contributes to kidney function. The composition of nephrons includes glomeruli, proximal tubules, distal tubules, and collecting ducts that flow into the renal medulla, and urine production is a combination of glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion. The function of the kidneys is to preserve water in dehydrated dogs and cats and to expel excess water from the animal's body. The kidneys rely on the concentrating ability of nephrons to preserve water. Dilute urine is formed by the constant reabsorption of solutes in urine, so even dilute kidneys have functional nephrons.

Urinalysis is one of the most commonly used diagnostic methods in clinical examinations. This method is fast, economical, non-invasive and can detect abnormalities. Urine tests such as renal impairment and diabetes before biochemical tests can reveal clues. However, incorrect sampling methods and storage methods have a very significant impact on the results of urine tests. Something as simple as some mundane medication can seriously affect the pH of the urine, changing the color change on the test strip. To get the most information out of a urine sample, we should be aware that common artificial variations in sampling techniques and sample storage can lead to misdiagnosis.

A complete urinalysis includes gross evaluation, specific gravity determination, microscopic evaluation of urinary sediment, etc. Urinalysis is considered a "screening" test because abnormal results may be followed by another test or interpreted in conjunction with serum chemistry results. However, many people think that urinalysis is a very low test or unnecessary, so it is very casual when sampling. After the animal urinates, it can be sucked with a straw and stored at will. In fact, sampling has a great impact on the results of urinalysis. Therefore, the sampling and storage of urine analysis cannot be carried out at will, and there are still many points that need to be paid attention to. The collection and storage of urine are equally important.

The kidneys of dogs and cats are a pair of organs responsible for fluid balance, acid-base balance, electrolyte balance and waste excretion. The activity of thousands of nephrons contributes to kidney function. The composition of nephrons includes glomeruli, proximal tubules, distal tubules, and collecting ducts that flow into the renal medulla, and urine production is a combination of glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion. The function of the kidneys is to preserve water in dehydrated dogs and cats and to expel excess water from the animal's body. The kidneys rely on the concentrating ability of nephrons to preserve water. Dilute urine is formed by the constant reabsorption of solutes in urine, so even dilute kidneys have functional nephrons.

Urinalysis is one of the most commonly used diagnostic methods in clinical examinations. This method is fast, economical, non-invasive and can detect abnormalities. Urine tests such as renal impairment and diabetes before biochemical tests can reveal clues. However, incorrect sampling methods and storage methods have a very significant impact on the results of urine tests. Something as simple as some mundane medication can seriously affect the pH of the urine, changing the color change on the test strip. To get the most information out of a urine sample, we should be aware that common artificial variations in sampling techniques and sample storage can lead to misdiagnosis.

Blood and fat may be present at the time of bladder puncture to collect the sample.

When collecting samples through catheterization, we may cause traumatic bleeding of the animal's urethra. At this time, the urine may be bloody, which will lead to a wrong judgment of hematuria.

How the sample is stored is just as important as the method of collection, the longer the sample is collected, the less accurate the results will be. Obviously, the sooner the sample is tested after sampling, the better; but if the sample has to be stored for a period of time, it is useful to know that the specific gravity (SG) of urine and most biochemical parameters are stable for 6-12 hours. It is important that the sample is brought back to room temperature prior to testing, as too cold urine can slow down the reaction of the reagent pads on the test strip, leading to false negative results.

Ideally, we should perform sediment testing on "as fresh a sample as possible," as prolonged refrigeration or storage can reduce the viability of some microbes and also allow some crystals to form. Sediment testing must be performed on fresh samples, or if the samples have been refrigerated, they must be returned to room temperature before testing.

Most test strips for urine testing are designed for human use, while test strips for SG, nitrite, urobilinogen, and leukocytes can be misleading by giving false high or low results. These should be ignored if possible. We can also confirm SG with a refractometer, and a sediment examination should be done to check for leukocytes. Urine that is highly jaundiced or contains high levels of blood cells will physically obscure most of the reagent pads on the test strip, resulting in false positives for protein and false negatives for glucose. When taking a urine test, the best way to do this is to pipette the urine onto each kit, then gently lay the urine on its side to prevent cross-kit contamination.

I hope everyone realizes that how you sample and store your samples in dog and cat urinalysis is just as important as the results you get, and that a mishandled sample can give us false results and maybe even a false diagnosis.