Testing Urine Glucose & Ketones
How to Measure Urine Glucose and Ketones
Depending on your veterinarian’s advice, you may be testing samples of your dog’s urine 1–3 times per day:
- Early in the morning, just before the (first) insulin injection and meal
- Late in the afternoon, just before the (second) insulin injection and meal
- Late at night (just before bedtime)
If monitoring once daily, ideally the measurements should be made at the same time every day.
Tools
A clean container
Urine dipsticks
These may be supplied by your veterinary team
A place to record results
Pet Diabetes Tracker mobile app or Diabetes Diary
How to Collect a Urine Sample
- Take your dog out for a walk on a leash so that your dog is close to you when it urinates
- As your dog urinates, catch a small sample of your dog’s urine by slowly sliding a clean, dry container (dish, bowl, or small pan) under your dog’s urine stream. If needed, there are long-handled devices available commercially to help urine sample collection from dogs
Using Urine Dipsticks
Step 1
Read the instructions to ensure that you conduct the test correctly
Step 2
Immerse one test strip in urine to ensure the test pads are wet thoroughly
Step 3
Remove the test strip and tap gently to remove any excess urine
Step 4
Read the result at the time specified in the instructions
Step 5
Hold the dipstick against the color chart and compare the colors
Step 6
Record the test results, when the sample was taken and when the most recent insulin dose was given