Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vaginal swab test helps diagnose urinary tract cancer in female dogs
By Kao, Sunny et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2022·University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Vaginal swab cytology as a diagnostic tool for neoplasia of the lower urinary tract in 5 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Five female dogs with suspected urinary tract tumors were diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma (a type of bladder cancer) using vaginal swab cytology, a method that involves taking a sample from the vagina. These dogs had previously inconclusive results from urine tests, but the vaginal swab provided clear evidence of the cancer. The procedure was well-tolerated by all the dogs with minimal restraint needed. This method is promising as a simple and cost-effective way to diagnose bladder cancer in female dogs.
People also search for: dog bladder cancer symptoms · vaginal swab for dog cancer diagnosis · transitional cell carcinoma in dogs
Abstract
Urothelial carcinoma (UC), or transitional cell carcinoma, is the most common canine urothelial malignancy in dogs. Females are predisposed and provide a challenge for diagnostic tumor sampling. The objectives of this study were to investigate the use and tolerability of vaginal swab cytology for UC diagnosis. Five dogs were identified with non-diagnostic urine sediment cytology and UC diagnosed on vaginal cytology with confirmation by another means. All patients tolerated the vaginal swab with minimal restraint. This study confirms the potential of vaginal swab cytology as a simple, inexpensive, and well-tolerated means for lower urinary tract UC diagnosis in female dogs. Key clinical message: Vaginal swab cytology is a non-invasive, low-cost method of obtaining a sample for cytological assessment for UC.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36467378/