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How to place a female urinary catheter | VETgirl Veterinary CE Videos

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE video, we demonstrate how to place a urinary catheter into a female dog. This should be performed under heavy sedation or anesthesia. The tail should be held out of the field. Sterile technique should be used, including a clipping a wide region and scrubbing gently but thoroughly. The vulva can also be flushed with dilute Nolvasan solution. Depending on clinician preference, the patient should be appropriately positioned. (VETgirl prefers placing the patient in sternal, with the hind limbs hanging over the edge of a table).

Using a lubricated sterile glove, the index finger (of the dominant hand) should be used to palpate the urethral papilla (tissue that surrounds the urethral orifice).1 Once this is palpated, the tip of the sterile urinary catheter should be inserted into the urethral orifice using guidance of the finger. The rest of the catheter should be protected from contamination by curling it into the palm of the hand.

Helpful hint: the urethral papilla is a firm, round small mass that you can palpate approximately 1.5-2″ from the vulvar opening (obviously dependent on the size of the dog).1 You can also use a speculum to help you identify the papilla, but VETgirl typically doesn’t use this (go with the feel).

Once you think you have placed the urinary catheter, you may get urine flow developing and flowing through your catheter; sometimes you have to pull out the stylet and aspirate the urine out. When in doubt, don’t insert the urinary catheter in too far, as you can rarely cause secondary complications. Once in place, make sure to connect the urinary catheter to a sterile urinary collection set. Then, inflate the Foley appropriately with the correct amount of saline (if using a Foley), and secure in place.

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