Bogins, C., Beale, C. 2019. Conscious urine sampling and quantification from indwelling catheterization of female Yucatan swine. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(3) (September), 44-46.

In addition to routine diagnostic testing of urine for health status, data from urine collection is often necessary to support various nutritional, metabolic, biochemical, and physiologic studies. Collection methods can be stressful to the animal (manual restraint), may require sedation (cystocentesis in larger animals), or may become contaminated (metabolism cages or free-catch samples). For this study, we needed to quantify total urine output and collect serial urine samples from pigs. Indwelling Foley catheters are commonly used in human and pet medicine, so we decided to try and adapt this method in domestic lab swine. In this case method example, Foley catheters were placed in 8 anesthetized 50-60 kg female Yucatan minipigs (Sus scrofa). The combination of using modified stay sutures, a custom jacket to hold the urinary collection bag, and training these pigs for ease of handling allowed us to successfully obtain conscious, serial, quantifiable urine samples with minimal stress to the animals and handlers. This method resulted in a reduced number of animals per study by increasing the number of samples obtained per animal. Additionally, this method eliminated the stress, along with the potentially frustrating and smelly side effects, involved in serial sedation or free catch sampling methods.

Year
2019
Animal Type
Setting