A wee problem

My vet has asked me to collect a urine sample from my female dog. I wasn't really taking in what was being asked of me when I took the sample bottle from him so didn't ask him how I was actually going to achieve this!
Has anyone got any tips on how best to do this? Misty is quite a shy dog and might be a little intimidated by me following her around with the bottle!
Cameron Roberts, Shrewsbury

I'm a fan of the baking tray method myself. Follow the unsuspecting dog around and as soon as the flow starts insert the corner of the tray - you don't need to collect too too fill the bottle! Anyone got any tips for collecting a sample from a male dog, too - while we're at it! Beverley, Editor

Over the years, I have suggested all manner of collection devices deriving from the kitchen. One problem can be inadvertent contamination, especially if the receptacle previously held sugar which can linger. The presence of sugar in the urine is a common finding in diabetes mellitus and therefore a false positive is to be avoided at all costs.
There is a really clever plastic collection device called a Uripet which is so successful that it is easy to collect too much urine! Being plastic, it is not cold like a metal container which can make a bitch jump up from bopping! A universal container attaches onto the end and acts as a useful handle with which to slip the Uripet between your bitch’s hindlimbs as she squats. Seeing the urine flood into the universal container is very satisfying and virtually effortless! Then you simply detach the universal container, and screw on the lid securely. Fill in your details and the name of your dog on the label provided and attach to the universal container.
A uripet can also be used for male dogs because having the universal container attached does result in a useful handle. Otherwise, I generally recommend a long-handled saucepan. In theory, it should be easier to catch a sample from a male since they repeatedly cock their legs against all manner of objects, but they can just as readily move off as they see you approach with collection device in hand!
Do ensure that any homemade device is spotlessly clean, and likewise any container into which the urine sample is decanted. Label clearly. Also, do bear in mind that a sample of the first urine passed in the day is generally the most useful because it is often the most concentrated after a night asleep and therefore not drinking as much as during the day. It will therefore give the best guide to the kidneys’ concentrating ability, for example.
When I ask an owner to collect an early morning urine sample, my mind conjures up this image of the owner trotting around the garden in dressing gown and slippers behind his/her dog, and watched by the next-door-neighbour!
Alison Logan, vet