Dog Community

Relieved but confused!

Posted : 8/29/2006 10:44:36 AM

My chihuahua had a blood and urinalysis done last month for strange peeing behaviour (increased drinking and peeing) ... and enzyme levels were fine, no diabetes...organs working well (kidney, liver) but a slight presence of bilirubin crystals. So, we left it at that.

My dog had 2 seizures within 10 minutes the other night (the last she had was about a month ago..and 7 months before that! And I have never seen 2 in a row). After the seizures, my vet suggested doing a further liver workup with a bile acid test (and a second urinalysis which showed no infection...but still bilirubin). The results came into today and she is FINE ...no liver problems or liver shunt.

Now, my question is: if she is 'fine'...why is she still peeing large, diluted amounts (granted, it's not as frequent as it was...but to me, it seems off). And - if there is no liver issue, why is there still bilirubin in it? CON-FEE-UUUUSING!

Does anyone have any inoput? Thanks!

calliecritturs

Posted : 8/29/2006 10:44:28 PM

Your questions are good ones and need answering. But sometimes a vet only goes as far as they know how to go. They rely on those numbers to 'tell' them if something's wrong.

I'd suggest a whole different type of vet -- not to 'leave' your regular vet, but adding a holistic vet to give you a different perspective. I'd say there's a good chance either you are seeing a problem before it gets 'bad' (in which case someone needs to give you some support and say "Yeah, let's do THIS and prevent deterioration" or something similar), or the vet is missing something.

I've seen dogs just drink to prevent a UTI from getting bad -- I know there are those who disagree with me, but I've SEEN it so often.

I've had super good luck referring folks to the Chi Institute website to find a vet referral. The vets who use the Traditional Chinese Veterminary Medicine style often find problems other vets miss -- [linkhttp://www.tcvm.com]http://www.tcvm.com[/link]

Honestly, I think you should pursue this ESPECIALLY since there were seizures -- herbals and acupuncture are the way to go when seizures are still in the 'just a few' stage -- prevent this from escalating. I think you're smart to be concerned!!

spiritdogs

Posted : 8/30/2006 10:31:56 AM

Causes of high bilirubin:
hemolysis (hemolytic anemia)
blood disorders
abnormal clotting
blood parasites
lupus
heartworm
shock
cancer
toxins (acetominophen, etc.)
cirrhosis/hepatitis
inflammation of the gall bladder
pancreatic disease
Find a second vet - this needs further investigation. Your dog may need x-rays, ultrasound etc. High bilirubin is often an indicator of serious disease or anemia. Don't wait. In the meantime, feed a carbohydrate based diet with low salt and restricted protein, even if you must get a veterinary diet.

gnatflea

Posted : 8/30/2006 7:57:28 PM

Thanks for the info! I will call the vet tomorrow and ask some more questions. The bilirubin in her urine is not high - it was very minimal, actually. But from what I have read...it's 'normal' for male dogs to have this in their urine but not females.

I HAVE noticed the peeing behaviour, however--subsiding....so....maybe something is improving on that end.

I see the list of ailments associated with bilirubin. However, she had a blood workup done just last month AND last week - and her enzyme levels and all other counts were normal - and so, I think a good deal of these afflictions could be discounted from that testing. I WILL however, check it out further....

THANKS!