Quick response from the lab
The right medicine at home
Bacteriological culture for dogs and cats
Does your animal have a persistent infection in the skin, ears or in a wound? We offer safe sampling for a bacteriological culture in the quiet corner of your home, at our clinic or via our receptions in order to provide exactly the right treatment.
The right medicine at home
Quick response from the lab
Bacteriological culture for dogs and cats
Related terms
Bacterial infection dog, ear infection culture dog, sensitivity testing veterinarian price, bite wound cat abscess, swab wound dog.
What is a bacteriological culture?
A bacteriological culture is a laboratory analysis where we take a sample from, for example, a wound, skin or urine. The sample is sent to a lab to be ”cultured”, which identifies exactly which bacteria is causing the problem. We also do a resistance test to see which medication works best.
Bacteriological culture for dogs
In dogs, culture is often used for recurring ear infections, stubborn wet eczema (hot spots) or difficult-to-heal wounds where the usual standard treatment no longer has the desired effect.
Bacteriological culture for cats
Cats often suffer from deep bite wounds after fights. A culture helps us find the right treatment for these infections, which otherwise form very painful and hidden abscesses under the skin.
Care guide: How to choose the right form of care for infection
Since we offer our services through home visits, at our veterinary clinics (Arken Zoo) and at our animal clinic in Östermalm, you can always get help easily. Here is a guide to make your choice easier when your animal suffers from an infection.
Home visit
A home visit is perfect when your pet has a painful wound or ear infection. Transporting your pet can be painful, and examining a swollen ear requires patience and a calm environment. At home, we can gently take swabs for culture and provide quick pain relief without the stress of a clinic waiting room.
Veterinary clinic
Our clinics connected to Arken Zoo (in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Uppsala) are very convenient for those of you who can quickly leave home with your animal and need help with simple sampling from superficial wounds, ear checks or submitting urine samples for culture.
Animal clinic
Our clinic in Östermalm is the safest choice if the infection is deep or difficult to assess. Unlike a home visit, we have the equipment to safely anesthetize the animal if a deep abscess urgently needs to be opened, drained and flushed out, or to take sterile urine samples directly from the bladder using ultrasound.
What can Vetathome do when you need a bacteriological culture at home?
Painful wounds or infections often make the animal stressed and difficult to handle in a calm environment. We offer flexible options. We come to your home for a quiet moment for sampling, or welcome you to our clinic in Östermalm or our receptions at Arken Zoo.
Identify
During the visit, we perform a thorough clinical examination of the infected area. We carefully take samples with sterile cotton swabs, scrapings or urine samples depending on the symptoms, to send for culture.
Treat
While we wait for the culture result, we will start pain relief or local cleaning routines. When the result comes, we will create a specific treatment plan with the right antibiotics. If surgery is required (for an abscess, for example), we will perform it at our clinic or refer you further.
Prevent
We give you practical advice on wound care, daily hygiene and how you can strengthen your animal's skin barrier or urinary tract health to minimize the risk of the infection returning.
This is how the sampling process for a bacteriological culture is done step by step
1. Booking
You book an appointment and choose whether we should meet at your home, at our clinic or at an Arken Zoo reception.
2. Arrival
We greet the animal calmly to build trust before investigating the offending area.
3. Investigation
We examine the affected area, such as the wound or ears, carefully so as not to cause unnecessary pain.
4. Action
We gently swab the area with a sterile cotton swab, which is quick and usually painless, or collect urine.
5. Plan and referral
The sample is sent to a lab. Within 3–5 days we will call with an answer and an e-prescription for the correct medication.
Do you have more questions?
Contact our customer service and we will help you further.
When is a home visit not enough?
We perform safe sampling for culture and administer medication on site. However, some infections are so deep and serious that they require surgery under anesthesia, which we cannot perform during home visits, but then clinic care is needed.
When clinic or animal hospital is better
- The animal has a severely impaired general condition, a high fever and is apathetic.
- The animal has large, deep abscesses that urgently need to be opened and drained under anesthesia.
- You suspect that a foreign object (such as a stick) is stuck deep inside the wound.
- The bitch has purulent discharge and fever (signs of uterine inflammation that requires emergency surgery).
Symptoms and early signs of bacterial infection in dogs
The most common sign that something is wrong is when you notice an angry redness or a wound that doesn't heal. These infections can occur anywhere on the animal's body, from paws and skin folds to deep inside the ear canals or urinary tract. Sometimes you only see a small irritation on the surface, but it can also happen that the bacteria spread and cause deep inflammation in several layers of the skin at the same time.
What does it look like and how does it feel? The size of the infected area can vary greatly, from small red dots to large, oozing sores or swollen boils. When you feel the area, the skin often feels abnormally warm, tense or feverish. In some cases, the tissue may feel hard and thickened under your fingers, while in other cases it appears soft and fluid-filled with marked tenderness at the slightest pressure.
Early signs: In the early stages, the infection is rarely deeply painful and the animal usually does not react when you look carefully. However, it is important to know that over time the area can become both extremely tender and warm, especially if the bacteria grow rapidly or form a trapped abscess. If the infection is allowed to develop, the skin can become very red and swollen. In later stages, it may start to smell bad and ooze yellow or green pus.
When spreading: If the bacteria spread and affect the animal's general condition, you may notice other symptoms. These may include swollen lymph nodes near the affected area, but also more diffuse signs such as fatigue, fever, loss of appetite or lameness. If the animal is in pain, it may show this by persistently licking or scratching the area, whining when moved, or pulling away and hiding when touched.
If you find angry redness or a wound that is oozing, even if the animal seems otherwise alert, a culture should always be done and assessed by a veterinarian.
Bacterial infections in cats – important differences
Cats are agile predators that hide their pain to the last detail. Hidden suffering from an infection is often noticeable by the cat becoming very quiet, hiding under the bed or hissing even when gently touched. By far the most common cause of bacterial infections in cats is bite wounds from other cats. These wounds may look like tiny, harmless pinpricks on the surface, but they effectively trap extremely aggressive bacteria deep down. This quickly forms large and painful abscesses. If your cat suddenly limps severely, feels very hot (fever) or stops eating altogether, it is a time-critical condition that requires prompt care.
When should I contact a veterinarian for cultivation – and when is it an emergency?
If a wound does not heal, the skin is red or the animal is clearly in pain, you should trust your gut feeling as you know your animal best. For recurring ear infections, superficial skin infections or mild urinary tract problems, a planned home visit, a visit to our clinics or our clinic for a safe sample collection is perfectly sufficient. The red flags that require immediate emergency medical care at the specifikt clinic are if the animal develops a high fever, becomes completely lethargic or if an abscess bursts and exposes deep, internal tissues. Quality of life always comes first – a lingering, painful infection drastically reduces the animal's happiness.
Diagnosis – how do you know what's wrong?
Curing an infection requires a systematic investigation to find the right medication.
- Clinical examination of wounds and skin: We are doing a thorough check of the affected area.
- Medical history and observations: We review the history and your observations about how long the symptoms have been going on.
- Bacteriological culture and analysis: We send the sample to a lab to identify the bacteria and test which antibiotic works.
-
Referral for advanced diagnostics if necessary:
If more advanced diagnostics or treatment is needed that we cannot perform at home, we will easily refer you to our clinic in Östermalm.
Treating bacterial infections in dogs at home
We strive to use as few antibiotics as possible to reduce resistance. During the home visit, we use palliative measures, such as pain relief or antibacterial shampoo, while waiting for the lab results. When the culture results come in, we tailor a plan and send an e-prescription for the right antibiotic, if the culture shows that it is required.
The time afterwards – healing and follow-up
During the healing period, a collar (funnel) is almost always absolutely necessary. The dog's mouth is full of bacteria and a single lick on the wound can dramatically worsen the infection. You will need to wash the area daily according to our instructions, and make sure the dog gets enough peace and rest.
Treating bacterial infections in cats at home
Cats often hate being handled when they are in pain, and a car trip in a cramped transport cage can make them panic. Being examined and tested at home is therefore often more gentle for a cat. We adapt the pain relief very carefully, as cats are sensitive to certain medications. Once the culture results are in, we prescribe exactly the right antibiotics. If your cat completely refuses to swallow pills, we will help find liquid alternatives to minimize stress for you and your four-legged family member.
Prognosis and expectations for a bacteriological culture
The prognosis is greatly influenced by the type of bacteria and whether it has developed resistance, but with a culture at the base we create the best possible conditions for recovery. By identifying exactly the right medicine, even stubborn infections can be cured effectively.
- The right choice of antibiotics – using a preparation that the bacteria is sensitive to provides the fastest healing.
- Completed treatment – giving the medication exactly as planned is crucial to avoiding relapse.
- Underlying causes – the prognosis is best if we also find and address the underlying problem, such as an allergy.
The prognosis for dogs
When the right antibiotics and topical treatment are used after a culture result, the prognosis in dogs is excellent. Even persistent and recurring infections usually heal quickly and well.
The prognosis for cat
Cats with bite wounds and superficial abscesses usually heal very well and quickly once the wound has been drained and a properly targeted course of antibiotics has been started.
Quality of life always comes first
Our primary goal is always for your friend to be completely pain-free. If the recurring infection is due to an underlying, incurable disease (such as advanced cancer) that has knocked out the immune system, we will have an honest and warm dialogue with you. Sometimes the last, most loving step is to let the animal fall asleep peacefully at home.
Pictures of infected wounds – so you can examine them yourself at home
Online pictures of infections can look incredibly scary and every wound is unique. While waiting for the vet visit, you can carefully do a self-examination:
- Heat and swelling: Does the skin around the wound feel noticeably warmer than the rest of the body? Is it hard, tense, or soft, fluid-filled?
- Tenderness: Does the animal react with squeaks, aggression, or pulls away when you approach the area?
- Odor and secretions: Does the area smell bad or unnaturally sweet? Is the wound oozing yellow or green pus?
Prevention – can you reduce the risk of infections?
Bacteria are naturally found everywhere in the animal's environment, but you can help the immune system keep them away through simple and good routines in everyday life:
- Wound care directly: Always wash small wounds and tick bites thoroughly with saline immediately when they occur.
- Prevent licking: Always use a collar if the animal has a wound, to prevent oral bacteria from entering the wound.
- Ear hygiene: Dry your ears carefully with ear cleaner after bathing, as moisture creates a breeding ground for bacteria.
Cost, insurance and compensation
We help you with direct settlement with your insurance company to make the process smooth. The cost of the home visit itself is fixed, but the laboratory fee for the bacteriological culture is always added and is based on which external lab is used.
Basic Examination & Sampling
The first visit where we carefully examine the infection, wound or ears and gently swab the area to collect the bacterial sample.
Usually covered by insurance
Yes, diagnostics and cultures are covered in most cases by your veterinary insurance, provided that the animal shows symptoms of illness (that it is not for preventive purposes).
To think about
The test results normally take 3–5 working days. If necessary, we will provide pain relief during the waiting period. Avoid washing the wound just before our visit so that we can get the most accurate test possible.
Price from:
2 150/kr
Veterinary consultation
2,150 SEK
Nurse consultation
950kr
Veterinary consultation evening/weekend
2,350 SEK
Bacteriological culture (laboratory fee)
Price according to quote
30+ years
experience
200k+
Visit
Where can I book the test?
You can choose between having us come to your home for a safe home visit, or you can visit our clinic in Östermalm or our clinics at Arken Zoo (Kungens Kurva, Odenplan, Orminge, Askim, Boländerna).
How long does it take to get a response to the culture?
It normally takes 3 to 5 working days. This is because the bacteria must physically grow in the laboratory before they can be identified correctly.
How much does a bacteriological culture cost?
A veterinary consultation costs from SEK 2,150 on weekdays. In addition to this, there is the laboratory cost for the culture itself, which varies depending on the scope of the analysis.
Why can't you just get antibiotics straight away without a test?
This is to ensure that the medicine actually kills the infection and to prevent life-threatening antibiotic resistance. Giving the wrong kind can make the infection much worse in the long run.
Can you take a urine sample for culture at home?
Yes, we can help collect a spontaneous urine sample at home.
Does taking the sample hurt the animal?
We do our utmost to make the sampling process as painless as possible. We use a soft, sterile cotton swab to collect fluid or bacteria from the skin surface.
Does my insurance cover a bacteriological culture?
In most cases, diagnostics and cultures are covered by your veterinary insurance, provided that the animal has shown symptoms of illness and the visit is not for preventive purposes.
Can you open and drain a large abscess at home?
No, we do not perform large abscesses that require surgical drainage and pain relief in combination with anesthesia in a home environment, but in that case we will refer you to a clinic.
Should I wash the wound thoroughly before you come?
No, preferably not. It is best if you avoid washing the wound just before we arrive, as we want to capture a representative image of exactly the bacteria causing the problem.
Will I receive a prescription for antibiotics at the first visit?
Sometimes we wait for the test results to make the exact right diagnosis, but if the animal is in a lot of pain or has a severe infection, we will administer pain relief and broad-spectrum treatment while waiting for the culture results.
Frequently asked questions and answers
Here you can read some of the most common questions and answers that we often receive from our customers.
Personal animal care in safe environments – Home visits, clinic & reception
We cooperate with all insurance companies
VetAtHome offers both clinic visits, home visits and visits to our veterinary practices – what is best depends on your animal's needs and what feels most convenient for you. We work with all insurance companies, making it easy to get help regardless of your insurance coverage.
