I want the most accurate results for my girls urine test today so I want to make sure I do everything right. My drive to the vet is about 1 hour and I will prob have to collect about 45 min before we leave the house (so the sample will sit 2 hours). I put my sample in a zip lock bag and collect with a clean ladle.

How long can the sample sit? Should it be refrigerated for best results and brought in a chilled bag? My girl tested with phosphate crystals and I want to make sure I do not effect the results.

TIA

Hi Christina,

I would not refridgerate your sample. The cold can cause crystals at times resulting in a false positive.

I went thru this with a sample sitting in my car for a few hours during the winter.

You should be fine just leaving it at room temp. for 2 hours.

Should also catch the first urine of the morning (before food or water) in mid stream for most accurate results.

I'm going thru a bit of crystals (moderate) right now and hi PH. Have my girl on cranberry caps for 2 weeks and a sample will go back in later this week. I checked her PH and it is already down to normal. If the infection is minor the crancaps work great in lieu of antibiotics.

Good luck with your girls retest.

Midstream collection is NOT necessary and the first urine of the morning is more CONCENTRATED allowing things to be more readily seen and does not give more accurate results.

"Should also catch the first urine of the morning (before food or water) in mid stream for most accurate results"

According to my vet and another vet from another practice mid stream and first of a.m. is better.

So that is what I do

The way a urine sample should be collected depends on the test one in going to do on the urine. A culture, for instance, should be collected by your vet directly from the bladder with a needle. A specimen 2 hours old (especially not refrigerated) in no use for a culture.

Perhaps this is a question for the vet. Or you could just load up your dog with you... good luck.

what about getting a pure sample from your vet with the dog there or try collecting a sample in the parking lot of the vet's office...or have a closer vet do the culture.