Strange question about urine

I'm not sure what would be normal.  But, I can say that Willow is extremely high strung and pees very, very little all at once--even on the first out of the day.  It's almost like she is worried she'll miss something or something/someone will sneak up on her in in the middle.  She will pee a little, move on, pee a little more--almost like marking and not actually peeing because she has to go.  But, she does it all the time.  It drives us crazy when we are in a rush.

And, like Kenya she didn't have nearly the problems others have with holding it during even very high Prednisone doses.  I think in five months she had one accident and that was during sleep. 

 This is really interesting to me.  I never connected this to her other problems. 

 Of course, it's just anecdotal, but my Sequoyah, who is hypothyroid, is the dog with the least urine output here.  In any case, normal fluid intake (for dogs and cats) is between 20 to 70 ml/kg per day and normal output should be between 20 and 45 ml/kg per day.  I'd be interested in what you find out.

Thanks!  Any info or anecdotal evidence is interesting, since I have nothing to compare it to other than my boys.

Kenya's neurosis has reached new heights (or depths) and I would like to make a case to the vet for stronger medication so I'm looking at every possible angle.  I know there are risks, side effects, long term effects, etc but to be frank when it's a quality of life issue I have no problem shaving a few year's off the dog's life in favor of them having a *good* life.  I used to be able to "break through" her neurotic behaviors (just saying her name, or hey, or down/platz) but now there is no control. 

I wonder how much if it is conditioned based on the environment (always spinning at *this* door, always having a fit when *this* happens, always running from *this* person, etc) so I am trying to talk my sister into taking her to her house while we are on vacation to see if there is any change for the better.  If I take her to my parents or to the cottage, she acts more normal.  I feel like she is so stressed/anxious that now she will always have those behaviors and physiological responses in our home unless she is basically sedated or removed from the environment long enough to break that cycle.  It's hard to explain and no one ever believes me because all they see is a healthy, active dog that is well behaved and really smart but I know my dog and I know she's basically lost control of herself and this is no way to live.  We've tried so many different things with vets, training, behaviorist...and some things have greatly improved since I got her (she's not as "spooky" any more, she has a much higher threshold of what things startle her) but other things have gotten worse (her ability to recover, once that threshold is reached, and the neurotic behaviors which continually escalate and change).

That's interesting about the urine.  No doubt related to her neurotic state.  Does she do the same if she's by herself as opposed to with the others? 

I'm assuming you had blood and urine testing done.  If I were you I'd explore a more natural approach for treatment.  Acupuncture of herbal medicine.  Especially if she's going to be taking these for the rest of her life.  This alone could probably add years to the life and would probably work much better than western medicines.  Just a thought.

I need something that works in her brain.  None of the natural/herbal stuff works.  We read up on melatonin and were sure that was the answer but no...even a dose that would knock me out for days (2-4 times the amount that I take and I weigh more than twice as much as the dog) has no effect.  Prozac, Elavil...nothing.  I am convinced that the neurological aspect needs to be address in order to see any change in the physiological symptoms (mood, anxiety, behaviors).  Whatever triggers these responses needs to be blocked.  It's like my DH who has seizures, we could give him lots of remedies to ease the anxiety of having seizures and to feel better after he has a seizure (a grand mal seizure basically reboots his whole system and he has to sleep it off for a day, feels really sick and exhausted), or we can give him medications that actually prevent the seizure from happening.  Until the neurological aspect is addressed, there is nothing that will relieve the level of stress (because there is nothing causing it but the dog's own brain).

My Maggie is an anxious dog and while I think she probably pees more normal amounts, she's very particular about where she pees - she basically has a routine she goes through each time she's let out to potty.  She also doesn't ask to go out as frequently as the other dogs (like only if she hasn't been let out in over 10 hours for some reason).

Have you had a *full* blood panel including thyroid done on Kenya?  That would be my starting point if you haven't, and then I'd consider your options once you have those results.

One thing you might try in the meantime (it really helps Maggie when she's super anxious or over reactive about something) is a TTouch wrap.  The same principle is what guides the Anxiety Wrap and Thundershirt products.

 I've noticed that it takes girls less time to pee than boys, in general, due to their anatomy. Only squatting for a second or two at a time is weird, though.

I agree with you, though. If it takes off weeks, months, or even years, but makes her life happy and comfortable.... do it! I hope you find something that works for her. 

The possible drug I was interested in has some heavy long term consequences.  I'm going to try melatonin again but at a higher dose.  It would be interested to block her from certain areas of the house where she exhibits certain behaviors but with our lack of space even with everything open I'm not sure how.  My sister agreed to watch Kenya at her home for 11 days while we are gone.  Maybe being pampered in a new environment (all young girls, all animal lovers) will be good for her.  She usually does fine in boarding but Nikon picks on her when he can tell she is stressed (kinda weird, but like if I'm vacuuming and she runs to another room he jumps on her), so the boys are going to the boarding farm where they can run and bark at sheep and llamas all day.  It's funny when I leave them there they look abandoned and when I go to pick them up, they are all lying outside watching the livestock and don't even get up to see me.

Liesje

My sister agreed to watch Kenya at her home for 11 days while we are gone.  Maybe being pampered in a new environment (all young girls, all animal lovers) will be good for her.