Lacey has a back issue. Positive thoughts and prayers, please.

Yes, it helps to have some explanations for her discomfort -- and she's got quite a mix of rather painful things going on!  Fingers crossed that clearing the UTI, relieving the constipation and adding the analgesic brings her some significant improvement.  Poor little thing!  Give her some very gentle pats from me!

Freedom

2.  There is blood in her urine, so she has a UTI, will start antibiotics for that.

Well that's way better than renal problems!!

Freedom

2.  She is constipated, but this could be due to the back pain, that she does not want to arch her back.  Need to add some canned pumpkin to her food.

If she's been on muscle relaxers THAT will cause constipation big time (boy oh boy -- I can write the book on this after the month I have had sheesh1) Essentially muscle relaxers relax ALL muscles -- not *just* the hurt ones. So it causes the intestines to not "spasm" (which is how the intestines move food along from one end to the other) -- it can slow the process down so much it nearly stops it. Since you've stopped the muscle relaxers it will eventually ease, but it all depends on how bound up she is. Poor wee thing ... and of course she can't 'strain' to go because she hurts too badly -- In honesty, I'd call the vet and see if you can give her a stool softener of some sort -- because her back hurts so badly it ramps up any constipation issues because it hurts to hunch over. Most of the pain relievers are ALSO constipating -- I honestly think you're likely beyond just pumpkin helping her. Pumpkin can go two ways -- it can relieve diarrhea or it can relieve constipation -- but given her situation I'd hate to see you inadvertently worsen it. As the vet if she can have any sort of stool softener. It's no wonder she's felt so bad -- in a senor a UTI can take on a whole new thing -- it doesn't just burn to pee -- but it can just cause them to feel yuck all over. The GOOD part is this is all fix-able. So now I can't get logged into Exploers here at work and I don't have the "code" here to break stuff into paragraphs on Google Chrome. Sorry.

 Lacey is home and, being as she had no sedation, anesthesia, etc, she is a happy girl to be home!

 

Correction: NOT a collapsed disk, my error.  The gap between 2 vertebrae is narrowed.  This 'could' be a collapsed disk.  It could also be a pulled muscle!  Or it could be she was tense, as she was awake, no sedation -- vet does not think it is that as she has pain on physical exam.   Can be managed with meds until swelling goes down and it will heal itself, hooray!

 

Callie, that info is very helpful, as I also forgot that I do have to continue the muscle relaxant.  I'll give the pumpkin a try and phone the vet about it all tomorrow with my update.  BECAUSE . . being LACEY, she does not EAT pumpkin (it is a veggie ha haa!)

If you want/need the acu doc's info that Sinbad goes to, just send me an email. She does house calls on the mainland. I'm glad you've got some answers!

Freedom

  BECAUSE . . being LACEY, she does not EAT pumpkin (it is a veggie ha haa!)

[br/] [br/] Because I home cook, it's all just one pretty smooth mass. You couldn't tell a pumpkin from a green bean if you tried!! So when you're trying to 'add' to kibble it can get weird unless you do the same thing and just puree the whole shebang together (meat, veg, etc.). Remember Prissy and the half carrots/half pea "ring" she left me. That's where I learned to mix it all up with no bumps, clumps or discernable "things". LOL[br/] [br/] I have spent the last MONTH on relaxants. And I keep trying to wean off them but then the horrific muscle spasms start if I get even 5 minutes "too tired". Let me say - I HATE muscle relaxants. I hate what they do to ME, I hate that they are so danged addictive. [br/] [br/] You might want to try prunes -- take a couple of pitted prunes (Sunkist has a really nice "Noir Prunes" that are preservative free that you get right at the grocery store). Puree that with a couple of jars of baby food meat and a tablespoon of pumpkin -- literally blend it all together -- and try that[br/] [br/] And I'd add just a bit of water to that and put it in a baby medicine syringe -- then just gently take her chin in your one hand and with the other put the tip of the medicine syringe behind the canine tooth and squirt gently -- give her enough slack to work her jaw so she can swallow. [br/] [br/] Since it's this type of thing -- DO try the essential oils. You don't have to massage her if you don't want -- just the oil at night and in the morning will TRULY help relieve pain SO much. Usually both wintergreen and peppermint essential oils are carried by most any health store. And honeslty -- if you will PM me your snail mail address I truly can send you some white flower oil -- it is THE best of anything to reduce bone pain. Ask the vet -- they shouldn't have any problem with it. And it will help SO much to heal while she sleeps.

Freedom

  BECAUSE . . being LACEY, she does not EAT pumpkin (it is a veggie ha haa!)

[/br/] [/br/] Because I home cook, it's all just one pretty smooth mass. You couldn't tell a pumpkin from a green bean if you tried!! So when you're trying to 'add' to kibble it can get weird unless you do the same thing and just puree the whole shebang together (meat, veg, etc.). Remember Prissy and the half carrots/half pea "ring" she left me. That's where I learned to mix it all up with no bumps, clumps or discernable "things". LOL[/br/] [/br/] I have spent the last MONTH on relaxants. And I keep trying to wean off them but then the horrific muscle spasms start if I get even 5 minutes "too tired". Let me say - I HATE muscle relaxants. I hate what they do to ME, I hate that they are so danged addictive. [/br/] [/br/] You might want to try prunes -- take a couple of pitted prunes (Sunkist has a really nice "Noir Prunes" that are preservative free that you get right at the grocery store). Puree that with a couple of jars of baby food meat and a tablespoon of pumpkin -- literally blend it all together -- and try that[/br/] [/br/] And I'd add just a bit of water to that and put it in a baby medicine syringe -- then just gently take her chin in your one hand and with the other put the tip of the medicine syringe behind the canine tooth and squirt gently -- give her enough slack to work her jaw so she can swallow. [/br/] [/br/] Since it's this type of thing -- DO try the essential oils. You don't have to massage her if you don't want -- just the oil at night and in the morning will TRULY help relieve pain SO much. Usually both wintergreen and peppermint essential oils are carried by most any health store. And honeslty -- if you will PM me your snail mail address I truly can send you some white flower oil -- it is THE best of anything to reduce bone pain. Ask the vet -- they shouldn't have any problem with it. And it will help SO much to heal while she sleeps. if gobbledygook appears in brackets I'm trying to break this danged thing into paragraphs. I hate posting with Chrome but I can't log in anymore with IE -- grump grump

 

Callie, I make "Spot's Chicken Stew" for the dogs now and again, it too is a mix of chicken, organ meats, and veg, all goes through the food processor.  The dogs, and even the cats, will gobble it up.  Lacey will not touch it.

I've stopped the muscle relaxant.  Even at 1/8th pill yesterday, she was dopey, out of it, and peed both the sofa and the bed.  She just can't handle it.

Got the rest of the lab work results in.  Seems Lacey is in early stage kidney disease.  Once we get through the antibiotic, and the UTI is gone, I need to take a 'first of the morning' pee sample in, they will test specific gravity to confirm this.

Constipation cleared up.  I was not able to walk the pups at all on Tuesday (lots of appts).  I walked them Wed and before we reached the end of our property line Lacey went.  So that at least is behind us.  I don't think she was constipated, so much as 'full,' and with no activity between no walk and not feeling well, plus the muscle relaxant, she just wasn't going.  So that is good, one less thing to cope with.

I also heard from 3 other bichons owners that the first signs their female has a UTI is back pain, the peeing shows up a day or 2 later, which is what happened here.  So perhaps we are not dealing with so many things after all, which would be nice!

Hopefully Miss Lacey is feeling a bit better now that she "took care of business," so to speak!

I'm sorry to hear that they suspect early kidney disease -- I don't know anything about that, but if it's early stages, I'm assuming it's something that can be managed with medications or dietary support? 

Still sending good vibes to you and Lacey!

Just checking in on Lacey.  Hope today is much better for you both :)

 

Lacey was great this morning!  When I said, "let's go walkies!" she was right there with the others, running and bouncing around in excitement.  Since then she has been rather subdued.  It was very hot and humid - I didn't expect it that way so early in the day.  I did cut our route VERY short. 

 Lacey ate lunch, and she cleaned her bowl -- she has not done that since last Thurs - a whole week.  

Tonight she is typical Lacey - it is dark, let's get to bed, ha haa.  So the antibiotics are really kicking in and helping.

 That is great news!!!! Way to go Lacy!!!!