My dog is acting strange after a bladder urine sample. Is this normal?

For a urinalysis, we usually draw urine directly from the bladder by inserting a needle through the abdomen. It's difficult to see exactly where this bruising is, but it appears to be where the needle would have been inserted and is likely the reason for the bruising. The needle can cause some damage and leaking of local blood vessels, which will give this bruise appearance. If Wolfgang is otherwise acting normal, then I would not be concerned about this. If Wolfgang seems to be acting sick, or the bruising appears to be getting larger, then I would be more concerned and recommend a visit to the emergency vet. I hope that helps and Wolfgang gets better soon.

Your vet might be worried about a urinary tract infection and may want to get a sterile sample to send out for a culture through a procedure called a cystocentesis. In this procedure a very small needle is advanced into the bladder, sometimes using ultrasound guidance. It is a very common procedure in veterinary medicine. Diabetic animals often have 'quiet' urinary tract infections that are not obvious on a typical urinalysis and a urine culture to look for bacteria is often more helpful. A urine culture also helps determine what antibiotic the bacteria are susceptible to. Performing a culture on a 'free catch' sample that you would bring in might not be helpful since contaminant bacteria from the lower urinary tract can be in the sample.

Surprising, most dogs and cats do not react when the needle is inserted. The pets are typically rolled on their backs and pressure is applied to the bladder to isolate it. I think the pets are focusing more on this than the needle. The bladder should be located just under the skin (just like a vein in your arm). It is expected to be quick for most pets (30 seconds or less). The bigger the bladder, the easier it is. My clinic opens at 7 am so I will have clients waiting for me at 7 am and will not have let their pets go to the bathroom since the night before. This makes things easy and fast in general. Talk with your vet about your options.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Wyatt. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian today or an emergency hospital if his veterinarian is not available. He may be painful from the surgery still, but most dogs do not have trouble urinating after a neuter. He needs to be evaluated and will possibly need a urine sample tested. I hope this information helps!

I strongly recommend a full health check, urine test and possibly an ultrasound scan of the bladder to rule out infection, inflammation or bladder stones which may be causing discomfort, partial blockage of the bladder neck and pain. The earlier these conditions are diagnosed the easier they are to resolve

Yes, this can be normal. Some dogs are very sensitive to being stuck with needles, and honestly little dogs can be a bit of a drama queen! They act like things are much worse than they are. The best example I can think of is trying to give a pug a nail trim. They scream like they are dying! It's good he is back to normal, and I would continue with Buddy's surgery. Best of luck.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Whether or not I would be worried would depend on how the urine sample was collected. Did the vet use a needle and go directly into the bladder to get the sample (cystocentesis) or was it done as a "free catch" sample where you or a member of the vet team walked Kiwi and caught the urine in a container. If you are unsure of how the sample was obtained then you should call your vet to ask. It really does not sound to me like anything to be concerned about at this time but I do not have access to all her records and I have not examined her myself so I cannot really say for sure. If you can get more information as to how the sample was collected you are welcome to post again or ask for a private consultation with me or one of the other veterinarians. Hope this helps. Best wishes!