How do I collect a urine sample?

Dogs

• Sample ideally should be the first urination of the day (in the morning first thing).

• To collect the sample – use a container such as a plastic takeaway tub or other shallow lipped dish/bowl (dispose of this container after use), wait for your pet to urinate and carefully place or hold the container under or beside your pet to catch the sample mid-flow.

• This should then be pipetted into a urine sample tube – both are provided when a pack is ordered. 

• Package the sample with either the absorbent pad provided or with a small amount of cotton wool to absorb any leakage during transit.

• Urine samples should be posted the same day whenever possible, if you cannot post the same day the sample must be stored in the fridge for posting the next day – if the sample is left for longer than 2 days without posting it must be disposed of and a new sample collected.

Cats

• Obtaining a urine sample from your cat can be challenging, it may not be possible to collect the first urination of the day.

• First obtain a clean litter tray (there must not be any litter residue, you may need to purchase a cheap tray for this purpose) 

• To collect the sample – place a layer Katkor plastic litter in the tray (this is provided when a pack is ordered, or you can order this from Amazon), ensure the cat you wish to obtain a sample from is the only cat with access to this tray – you may need to place other cats in a separate room to prevent contamination. Leave the cat in the room with the tray and check regularly.

• As soon as your cat has urinated in the tray, pipette the sample into the urine sample tube – both are provided when a pack is ordered. 

• Package the sample with either the absorbent pad provided or with a small amount of cotton wool to absorb any leakage during transit.

• Urine samples should be posted the same day whenever possible, if you cannot post the same day the sample must be stored in the fridge for posting the next day – if the sample is left for longer than 2 days without posting it must be disposed of and a new sample collected.