UTI test strips & petri dish culturing at home for suspected urinary tract infection

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fallblossom

fallblossom

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
175
Location
North America
Has anyone used at home UTI test strips on their rat's urine? Would it work to determine if infection is present or not? How about culturing rat urine in a petri dish (using the correct media) for inoculation? Would any of the two methods help in determining a urinary tract infection in a rat? I realize part of the puzzle would be knowing how to identify bacterial colonies in a petri dish.

My rat's urine has foul odor. I've tried treating him with a number of antibiotics and nothing is working. It would help to know which bacteria my rat may be colonized with. However he may not have a UTI but may have kidney issues, diabetes, or some other issue.

Suggesting a vet visit will not help. I can not afford one currently and do not have extra funds for a payment plan. Some of the vets in my area don't do urinalysis on rats and prescribe antibiotics which I probably have at home.
 
Had a thought, any chance he could be getting too much protein in his diet? Regardless, you might try putting him on lower protein as it can help genitourinary system issues in general. You might also offer frequent treats of cranberry juice. It helps raise the urine's pH and can make it harder for bacteria to live.
 
Sheldon said:
Had a thought, any chance he could be getting too much protein in his diet? Regardless, you might try putting him on lower protein as it can help genitourinary system issues in general. You might also offer frequent treats of cranberry juice. It helps raise the urine's pH and can make it harder for bacteria to live.
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My rats are given Harlan Teklad Rodent Diet 2014 (14% protein) along with fresh produce and other treats. Is this protein content to high for this particular rat? My rats drink filtered water changed daily.

I've looked into giving my rat D-mannose which is isolated from cranberries and blueberries to prevent bacteria from attaching themselves to bladders. D-mannose is a sugar and the bacteria could end up liking it! There is also cranberry extract which I am considering but do not know the dose.
 
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No that protein is fine, I just think maybe make half of his diet a bunch of veggies and it could be easier on him. His fur looks very unkempt. Is he not grooming himself? Or just too old to? It may just be because he is feeling yuck.
 
Ha ha ha. My rat is a long haired rat (aka Harley rat). He doesn't have an undercoat. His fur is long, whispy and softer than my female rats! His fur smells so good and is cottony soft and lovely to rub up and down my face!:lol:
 
Out of curiosity I called my vet today who has seen some of my rats (they have all passed on) before to see how much a work up would be. The total cost would be $600 and the following shows how it is broken down: $45 for a consultation, $140 for urinalysis, $289 for a radiograph (radiograph set-up $73, interpretation $38, sedation & reversal $132, one plate $45), $50 for medication. The $525 fee would become $600 with our taxes.

It looks like growing my own bacteria colonies will be the way to go!
 
It occurred to me in these past few days that this thread was written in vain. Here's why. If a microbiology student or lab technician chimed in here and gave me the how-to's of how to culture at home and it became a new thing for the masses to try there would be no microbiology labs needed as much anymore which means a HUGE MONEY MAKING INDUSTRY would be no more. I do realize safety is a concern as errors can be made and who the heck would want to draw their own blood?

I get it now and should have gotten it before. However if a person digs deeply enough into something they want badly enough - anything is possible. Keep in mind that in life we can be that character in the book The Little Engine That Could.

Have I figured it all out? You can decide. I am not telling.
 
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Wow. I can't believe how expensive it would be to treat a bladder infection. That is crazy!
Do you have any meds on hand? I know a lot of people buy it online.
What veggies do you feed your rats, perhaps that could be the culprit. I heard that asparagus can make urine smell.
What are his other symptoms? He should be lethargic, loss of appetite, pain with bladder infections. Some rats start to walk with splayed legs, tummy close to the floor.
 
jorats said:
Wow. I can't believe how expensive it would be to treat a bladder infection. That is crazy!
Do you have any meds on hand? I know a lot of people buy it online.
What veggies do you feed your rats, perhaps that could be the culprit. I heard that asparagus can make urine smell.
What are his other symptoms? He should be lethargic, loss of appetite, pain with bladder infections. Some rats start to walk with splayed legs, tummy close to the floor.
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My rat has been given different meds. They are as follows:
- Clavamox
- Baytril
- Septra
- Baytril-Doxy which he is on now because he was making mico flare up noises.

Some folks have suggested I try ciprofloxacin which I do not have on hand. A nurse told me they use septra and erythromycin for patients who have UTI's at the hospital. I do have erythromycin but my thinking is it won't work either!

I took a sample of my rat's urine by collecting .2cc's. The urine was a bit cloudy, medium yellow, and foul. A vet told me my rat couldn't possibly have any bacteria in his urine because of the antibiotics I've given him. If this is true, then what other problem could it be? Could it be diabetes or kidney disease? If it is one of these issues, would the urine smell foul?

Below is what my rat's urine looked like:
 
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Are there any other symptoms beside urine colour and smell?
What does he eat? Does he have gassy veggies like brussel sprouts or cabbage?
On and off I've seen dark urine and nothing came of it. Dark urine could indicate less water intake and that could also cause urine to have a foul smell. Try offering foods high in water like watermelon or any kind of melons, cucumbers and such.
 
jorats said:
Are there any other symptoms beside urine colour and smell?
What does he eat? Does he have gassy veggies like brussel sprouts or cabbage?
On and off I've seen dark urine and nothing came of it. Dark urine could indicate less water intake and that could also cause urine to have a foul smell. Try offering foods high in water like watermelon or any kind of melons, cucumbers and such.
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My rat doesn't eat gassy food. He is on a diet of Harlan Teklad 2014 and gets fresh produce each day such as green peas, cooked carrots, banana (not every day), apples, watermelon, pumpkin seeds, etc.

Harley's urine is not dark. It is cloudy smells so strong and disgusting. This week I am going to test his urine on a 10 parameter urine test strip to see what may be ailing him.

I wish I had a centrifuge so I could spin his urine down to culture it on an agar plate. Maybe I'll get one!

Since I've tried different antibiotics that fight different types of bacteria I am thinking something else is going on. Harley is not an active rat and is rigid when picked up. He hasn't bitten me in weeks which is a good thing!
 
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Guess what? The small amount of folks following this post are NOT going to believe what type of perfume I just put on my wrist. It was Harley's urine! Why did I do that? Well, I sucked up some urine in a syringe just now to check the clarity and smell and then couldn't detect a foul odor and decided to spread it on my wrist to see if his pee still has the power to knock me out. It smells - normal. It looks - normal. I cannot believe it. I can't. I hope whatever is ailing him isn't just taking a day off to trick me.

Harley has been on Baytril-Doxycycline combination. Who knows, maybe he had/has mycoplasma in his urinary tract which we all know both meds are good for. I will test his urine once per day for the next week using the perfume way! Bahahaha. Hey, he's my rat and he pees on me all of the time. I even kiss his lips (most of us know rats eat their own poop?) and have survived.

Now only if his myco noises will go away. :watchful:
 
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