This article features a published study, along with a video and resources, on a practical in-house method Tufts at Tech used for years. It offers animal owners a lower cost option and a proven way to rule out bacteriuria.
The seven-minute video demonstrates step-by-step how to plate, incubate and interpret canine urine cultures to screen for bacteriuria. It covers safety procedures, necessary equipment, and an accompanying written guide with images of commonly seen organisms, such as E. coli.
Source: Tufts University, June 4, 2026. Link. JAVMA, February 27, 2026. Link. The tutorial video follows a previous study conducted at Tufts at Tech validating this technique, also published in JAVMA. The prior study demonstrated that culturing urine samples in-house is a valid and inexpensive way to rule out bacteriuria. Using this method will hopefully reduce antibiotic use and resistant bacteria.
The idea behind in-house culturing is that it’s simple, it’s inexpensive for clients, and you can rule out a lot of cases that don’t need that additional susceptibility testing the lab provides. A negative in-house culture has just as much value as the send-out test.” – Jennifer Grady, DVM, DABVP.
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