Plating canine urine cultures in the veterinary clinic.

In-house canine urine culture screening cost-effectively rules out bacteriuria.

This study demonstrates a practical in-house technique for screening canine urine cultures in veterinary clinics. The procedure utilizes sterile urine collection via cystocentesis or catheterization, with samples streaked onto blood and MacConkey agar bipates using a 1-µL inoculating loop. Plates are incubated at 35-37°C for 16-24 hours in a biosafety level 2-compliant laboratory space. The technique serves as an economical screening tool, with 70-80% of canine urine cultures typically showing no growth. Negative in-house cultures effectively rule out bacteriuria, eliminating unnecessary reference laboratory submissions and reducing client costs. Positive plates can be submitted for definitive species identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, or refrigerated samples (≤48 hours) may be forwarded for culture and susceptibility analysis. This approach promotes antimicrobial stewardship through judicious antibiotic use, optimizes client resources by directing funds toward additional diagnostics and treatments, and improves access to veterinary care. In-house urine culture screening represents a cost-effective diagnostic strategy for canine urinary conditions.

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