Hey all,
I haven't been around much lately, life is CRAZY! But, I have a dog problem, and I'm really hoping you gals might be able to help out. Heidi has been with us for 2 months now, all is well. The cats and her have FINALLY worked things out, and while aren't the best of friends....can tolerate each other well enough to be int eh same room together! (A huge relief). Anyway, I've been taking Heidi to Petsmart for their training classes. Just a basic course, basic commands, honestly, I'm mostly taking her for the socializing. About 5 days ago, I noticed a HUGE increase in her water intake. As well, she was peeing a whole lot more than usual. She would gulp down her bowl of water, then head to the nearest toilet for more. I noticed she also would make a funny gagging (almost like something was stuck in her throat) kinda cough. She began waking me up in the middle of the night to go pee. Well, after the third night, I was more than a little frustrated. Then I got a call from the trainer at Petsmart, telling me that a couple of the dogs in her class had kennel cough. Ah ha....I guess that explains the cough/thirst. So, yesterday I pack her off to a vet. And he gives me a prescription for the kennel cough. He also tells me that the increased thirst/urination is unrelated to the kennel cough and that I should have bloodwork done to rule out kidney problems, diabetes, etc. The cost of the bloodwork: $200 + taxes, in addition to the visit:$75 and the meds: $68. I'm not exactly rolling in money, nor was I smart enough to purchase pet insurance, so I decide to hold off on the bloodwork and see if she gets any better. Apparently she didn't get better, because last night, instead of waking me to go out for a pee...she just peed in her sleep. Right on her bed. I couldn't believe it! An incontinent 1 year old dog!!! So, back we go to the vet this morning for the bloodwork. ($207.00) He calls me back, everything was fine. But, he'll need a urine sample so he can do a complete urinalysis. I have to chase the dog around waiting for her to squat down for a pee, catch it in a clean dry bowl, syringe it into a clean syringe and pack it off to the vet office. Well, after an hour or so of chasing her around, I finally got a clean sample and dropped it off. ($75.00) The results of that came back NORMAL. So, he says the only other thing he can think of is that its hormone related, which apparently happens sometimes after spaying. I am NOT a vet, so I decide to go get the hormone replacement and try it. ($36.00) And, thats where things stand right now. What do you gals think? Was I just dicked out of almost $500 worth of vet care? Is this crazy? DBD? Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Mel
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Vet gave me Baytril when Harriet had a bladder infection.
I hope Heidi continues to improve and that the bladder infection turns out to be all that is wrong. You may have to keep an eye on her on an ongoing basis, though, as bladder infections (like ear infections) tend to recur -- some dogs just seem susceptible to them.
If it does turn out to be diabetes (crossing my fingers that it isn't), or you're uncertain, there's a great forum on [url]www.k9diabetes.com[/url]. Some of the dog lovers on there know everything there is to know about canine diabetes. My Harriet is diabetic and I'm just starting to learn, so I find that to be a great resource.
Glad to hear she is doing better. Here's hoping she continues to improve and gets back to her normal self.
Just an aside, when my last dog had Cushing's she was always thirsty and the toilet was her favourite water bowl. When they had to replace my floors, the toilet she liked had to come out for a day and I swear she sat by the window and stared at it sitting on the porch alllll day long and followed it in when it was being reset. I swear the way she acted was like it was her best friend and she was visibly happy to have it back in place. She was just obsessed with water.
The one problem with toilet drinkers is you can't monitor their intake very well. It took me a while to spotthat dog's over drinking so I'm glad Eb hasn't any interest in the toilet at all.
Ok, she's on day 3 of the antibioatics (which is Novo-Lexin...used to treat infections of the bladder, ears, etc) and I'm noticing a difference! I didn't give her the hormone therapy at all....decided to try the antibiotics first. Yesterday, she drank 3 bowls of water instead of the normal 6-7. And we kept all the bathroom doors shut so we could monitor just how much she drank. She also slept through the entire night without having to go pee! I'm gonna take a leap and allow myself to think she's getting better....and I'm also gonna consider this whole vet experience a positive thing. At least we know our dog doesn't have anything major wrong with her!!
Thanks again for all your help. I'll be in touch.
Mel
Not sure about the antibiotics. That might be something to look up and see what the type you have is used to treat. If it's something like prednisone (and that is overkill for kennel cough which is basically a cold) is what you have, the side effect of that can be thirst and hunger.
If dog's are like people I can tell you that hormones being out of whack can lead to 'overactive bladder' (as they like to say on the TV) but it doesn't make one thirsty.
Thanks for all the posts! I'm already doubting what the damn vet told me regarding the hormonal thing causing incontinence...I mean yes, its true that 20% of spayed females (according to google..lol) develop incontinence after spaying, that still doesn't account for the extreme thirst. I mean seriously....I fill up that water dish at least 6 times a day! Not to mention the toilet water she's drinking. (when I forget to put down the seat..lol) But, won't the antibiotics she's taking for the kennel cough also treat a possible bladder infection?
Yes, the problem your dog is having could be a few things. Meanwhile I can tell you what my vet would do. First he'd give the dog a shot of antibiotic and if the dog wasn't improving in the next day or so then the tests would start and he'd only go for one at a time starting with what might be most likely. Reality is a quick dose of antibiotic probably won't hurt, is fairly economical, and so if it doesn't change things you aren't out much and the dog hasn't gone through anything dire. It worked every time with my last dog. She'd be much better the next day and no blood tests required whether it was giardia, or bladder, or pancreatitis.
I really can't imagine giving a dog hormones without knowing for sure but then that is exactly how I feel about women doing it without knowing for sure either. That is just a mistake IMO. Maybe it was the accident while sleeping that makes him think that's the issue. I'm just guessing.
My last dog had a few bladder infections and it was striking how different the vets were given I had to take her to emerg for one of them. The emerg vet wanted to do all sorts of tests, x-rays, OMG it could be a kidney problem, or stones, or diabetes, break out the wallet! Didn't I want to be sure we covered all the bases?! didn't I love my dog?! I answered 'no, we don't need to know that other stuff right now' remembering the training my vet has always given me about tests when they aren't needed. Now that dog did have an infection and had blood in her urine but I went with 'let's try the antibiotics and see how we do before we do any extra tests' and sure enough they fixed her up and my wallet stayed intact.
I really don't know if bladder infections can come back reading normal or not. Maybe this is a really fresh one and isn't showing all the markers yet? Certainly extra thirst and urination is also a symptom of diabetes. It's also a sign of Cushing's but the chances of a year old dog having that are extremely slim so I wouldn't even worry about that one.
As for your costs, I know vets have different prices but if I were you I'd call around or ask other pet owners who they see and what they charge. Certainly some phone calls can get you the normal office charge and ask about another cost to compare like rabies shot or something. My vet charges $50 for the office visit but I have been quoted up to $150 at other vets so it does pay to shop around. My vet also does no tests unless it may change treatment. So, for instance you arrive with a dog with bladder problems, probably it's an infection which would be treated with antibiotics so skip test and go straight to antibiotics. If the dog isn't improved, then we go to tests, no harm, no foul, wallet stays intact. Other vets act like they can't do anything without some test to go with it. I think for most things that is over thinking it because a vet with years under their belts should know by experience when it comes to some of the common things. I also avoid vets that do a lot of advertising (the good ones don't need to advertise as far as I can tell) and those with really slick offices means someone is paying for that. A busy office with worn chairs always has me thinking this is one popular vet and probably for good reason.
As for the situation you are in, I'd be looking for another opinion if that peeing is still going on. If it is a bladder infection you know it's got to be uncomfortable and is only going to get worse. Try antibiotics first and worry about the other stuff if that doesn't work. If you can, get them in a shot as they seem to work faster that way.
Seems strange that the vet did not request to do a blood and urine test the first go-round. It really surprises me that there was no sign of diabetes. I don't know how attached you are to your vet but perhaps you want to get a second opinion on this. We had a cat that had those same symptoms and it was diabetes. Unfortunately that was not a great diagnosis. Dogs do get both types of diabetes. My reaction would be to try out another vet.
Hi, Mel -- We just went through the same thing with our seven-year-old dog and it turned out to be diabetes. The tests (for Cushings, diabetes, bladder infection, etc.) and meds cost me almost $1,200. She is now on twice daily shots of insulin.
When I took her in, they said it could be something as simple as a bladder infection (which she did, in fact, have, but it wasn't the underlying problem) or as serious as diabetes. I guess they really need to do the blood work to know what they're dealing with because so many ailments, both minor and serious, present with the same symptoms.
I hope she's feeling better soon and has no lingering ill effects!
The only thing I know for sure are that Vets are expensive. Other than that sorry no help but they really like to take tests at your expense.