Went in for a urine test today

[Kipcha]

Alright, I panic at the drop of the hat with my buns, but Ty is starting to scare me.

So we suspected Ty may have a UTI and I brought him in to the vet today to have the vet take a look at him. She said that everything seemed alright (No signs of sludge in his bladder, putting on weight since his stroke, etc) but she wanted to get a urine sample just to be safe. She explained that they take it by putting a needle through their stomach and taking the sample directly from the bladder, which completely freaked me out and I nearly left then but the vet assured me that she had done this before and it was standard procedure to get as clean of a sample as possible.

Reluctantly, I let him go in the back room and he came back out 10 minutes later, a little disgruntled and attacking his blanket, but seemingly okay. The vet sent us home to wait for results tomorrow.

Well, now he's acting... Off. The visit happened about 3 hours ago and Ty is just sitting in the corner of his cage, not feeling overly responsive and just acting tired, which is weird for him since he's normally begging for cuddles. He is pooping but I haven't seen any pee (Which I assume would be normal if they emptied his bladder for the sample...?). I did try tempting him with a few treats and he ate some baby carrot, but went right back to skulking in the corner after.

Admittedly, I have insane thoughts going through my head. What if something went wrong in the back? What if the needle pierced something else? What if it tore his bladder and now urine is leaking into his system? Is that possible?

Is that how urine samples are normally taken? Is he just sore? Is he just annoyed with me?

Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[plasticbunny]

Urinary tract infection (UTI)

• Bacteria can infect the urinary tract (kidneys and/or bladder), just as they can many other organ systems. The best way to diagnose this particular ailment is via cystocentesis: inserting a sterile needle into the bladder and extracting a sterile sample into a syringe. This is then sent to a laboratory for Culture and Sensitivity Testing. This will reveal (1) what species of bacteria is causing the infection and (2) which rabbit-save antibiotics (with good urinary tract penetration) will kill them.
  Unfortunately, urinary tract infections are sometimes caused by "fastidious anaerobes": bacteria that die upon the slightest exposure to oxygen. If this is the case, then the culture and sensitivity test will come back negative. However, your vet may be able to determine if a UTI is likely by examining the urine under the microscope for signs of blood and white blood cells in the urine. If there is a good chance that your bunny has a UTI, even if the culture comes back negative, your vet might wish to put her on a course of antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, which is effective against many anaerobes and also concentrates well in the urinary tract. Your vet is the best person to advise you on the proper course of action in case of a UTI.
  

 

[Kipcha]

Ty was still acting off this morning and still hasn't peed (I don't think he's been drinking) but I've had him out running around and he's still bouncing around the house like normal, jumping up and down stairs and just having a jolly time, had a few poops too.

Should I call the vet ASAP or should I just wait until she calls with the results? She's supposed to call today and let me know what turns up in them...

Thank you very much Erin, it eases my mind to know that it was actually proper protocol. I just thought inserting a needle through his stomach into his bladder sounded so... Drastic!

 

[MiniLopHop]

Amanda, I have had this done to my cats before. As stated above, it's really the only way to get a "clean" sample. How hard would it be to get a bun to pee in a cup and keep it sterile? I can barely do it for my own check-up.

It sounds to me like Ty was just offended. Let the doctor know your concerns when they call, but try to remain calm. I know, easier said than done.

 

[Kipcha]

Thank you Brandy, I think I'm just overly concerned because Ty has a history of going off food for a few days when he's depressed or upset, but he seems to be getting over it now. Especially after his stroke now, that really freaked me out. I personally think he does this kind of stuff just to get more attention, as if he doesn't get any now!

He wasn't really wanting to drink so I put down a bowl of Apple Pedialyte and he started guzzling it as soon as it hit the floor! Thank gosh, I have to go to work in half an hour and I would have just been worrying like crazy if I had not seen it!