I thought I needed to research the best possible way to
collect a urine sample, since this is going to soon
become something I will do once a month in order to
verify Our Basenjis are Fanconi free. This method
described by Kathy and Julie Jones is one of the better
ones I have read. Hopefully soon this practice will be
something we can all remember as something we USED
to have to do.
Oh, Please let the answers come soon! I would love to
delete this page.....
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SUGAR STRIPPING YOUR BASENJI
by
J & K Jones Jasiri & Sukari Basenjis
Sugar stripping your dog takes less time then you may think and it's really pretty easy.
First you must obtain the test strips. The best place to purchase test strips is a
pharmacy. Be absolutely sure that the product you buy is for detecting glucose in
urine - not blood.
There are several different brands of test strips available, one is not necessarily
better than the other. The test strips will expire long before you can use them up, so
you might lean toward a less expensive brand. Also, be aware that once you open the
package, the test strips are only good for 3 to 6 months (depending on the brand).
We suggest that you use them for no more than 5 months, even if the package states
that they are good for 6 months. Old test strips can give false test results.
Now, to collect the urine. Although you can test by holding the test strip in the stream
of urine, we suggest that you collect the urine and then dip the test strip in it. Most
basenjis don't like to be disturbed while "doing their business", so it can often be
difficult to strip them while they are urinating. It especially hard to strip bitches this
way because they are almost touching the ground when they urinate.
We made a great device by bending a coat hanger. We attach a standard size
sandwich bag to the hanger and just slip it under the dog. It works great, even with
the bitches, because the bag has a large opening, but can lay flat and still collect
urine. And you can hold it under the males even if they lift their leg.
Here's what you do:
Take a coat hanger and straighten it out, leaving the curved end for a handle. Then
bend the other end into a loop (about 3 or 4 inches), twisting it a couple of times to
secure the loop. Make sure that the end of the hanger sticks out a little after you twist
it.
Next take a standard size sandwich bag, Zip Lock bags work especially good, and
poke the end of the hanger through the bag in an area near the top of the bag. Then
take the opening of the bag and fold it over the rim of the loop (like you would a trash
can liner in a trash can). If you don't poke the hanger through the bag, the weight of
the urine may cause it to slip off the hanger. If your baggie won't fit around the loop,
simply adjust the loop - but try to keep it as big as possible.
When you're ready to do the strip test, you should to put your dog on a leash,
because when you come at a basenji with this funny looking bag thing, they usually
run!
It's not really important what time of day you strip your dog, but the morning is usually
easiest because they really have to go. Because basenjis are suspicious by nature, if
you try to put the bag under them before they started going, they will usually jump
away and then refuse to go. For this reason, wait until they have started to go before
putting the bag under them.
Once you have the urine, just dip the test strip into it, wait the appropriate number of
seconds and compare the test strip to the color chart on the bottle. If there is no
indication of color change, just dump the urine, throw away the bag and repeat the
process in a month.
If there is any indication of color change - dip a second strip into the urine and see if
you get the same results. If the second test indicates a change, you will need to make
an appointment with your Vet to have a urine test and a blood test done. The urine
test is to confirm the result of the test strip (there have been cases of false positives),
the blood test is to determine if there is glucose in the blood, which would indicate
diabetes.
It is a good idea to keep a written record of the dates that you have tested your dog,
even if the test was negative.