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  • cairnterriers
    • Gold Top Dog

    Riley's sick!

    cairnterriers

    Posted : 12/1/2007 4:10:50 PM

    Riley has been peeing in the house alot lately, and my parents were losing their patience with him.  I know that everything a dog does, is done for a reason.  I figured he must have been sick, but my parents were convinced that it was a behavioral issue and that he was a "bad dog".  Well on Thursday after school, I was going to the bathroom like I do every day once I get home, and Riley follows me in because I always take him for a walk right afterwards.  He was laying on a white bathtub mat that was on the floor, and he was licking himself.  I washed my hands and as I was getting ready to go, I said "Wanna go for a walk?!" and Riley jumped to his feet.  I saw that there was blood on the mat that he was sitting on.

    He followed me downstairs to the office where my mom was sitting at my dad's computer.  I told her to examine his underside while I held him still.  She noticed that there was a somewhat bloody discharge coming out from his penis.  She called the vet right away and they said to get a urine sample.  I took him across the street to the park where I tried to get that darn sample.  It seemed as though every time I put the container under him, he would get offended that I was holding it under him and he would stop peeing.  Then he would step in it while putting him leg down and trip on it while walking away. Hmm I saw some taxi pull into the parking lot and someone stepped out, so I just kinda fled, as there has been trouble over there before.  I took him to the woods where I tried some more, but it still wouldn't work.  It was getting awfully dark, and then Riley started barking and going nuts over something that I couldn't see, so I got freaked out and walked home.

    Late that night, I put him out in the yard, and I ran out after him without a coat on and tried et again to get the sample.  It worked!  WOOOO!  I GOT A RECORD AMOUNT!

     It was a puddle.  But it was waaaaaaaaaay more than I was getting before. Wink

    My mom told me to put the lid on it and place it in the refrigerator in out garage.  I was afraid that it would freeze since it was such a small amount, but luckily it didn't.  My mom brought Riley in to the vet while I was at school the next day (or yesterday, rather), and they used the sample.  He was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.  He got a shot yesterday and it must have made him drowsy because my mom said that he was just lounging around all day.  Now he takes a pill in the morning and at night for 12 days, and at the end, I have to get another sample. Tongue Tied I truly hope that this will reduce the amount of pee on the carpet.  What really bugs me about all this, though, is that I was right all along and no one would listen to me. Super Angry
  • calliecritturs
    • Gold Top Dog
    calliecritturs

    Posted : 12/1/2007 5:20:40 PM

    cairnterriers
    Riley has been peeing in the house alot lately, and my parents were losing their patience with him.  I know that everything a dog does, is done for a reason.  I figured he must have been sick, but my parents were convinced that it was a behavioral issue and that he was a "bad dog". 

    I hope your folks realize YOU were right and that they actually forced him to be in a lot of pain for a lot of days. 

    Is Riley not reliably housetrained really?  Is that what caused your folks to think this?  If that's the case then do some remedial housetraining (and make sure that the carpet has been cleaned with enzymatic type of cleaners so it doesn't cause him to be attracted to those spots again).

     You might also keep some cranberry on hand so you can be proactive the next time.  But bottom line, talk to your folks and come to an understanding that next time they honestly do need to listen to you.  Sometimes just learning HOW to approach your parents (even with a 'list' if necessary) can make a difference.  In other words, approaching your folks when they are in a position to 'listen' to you seriously ... rather than just trying to 'defend' Riley after a mess is made (that often degenerates into everyone yelling and saying unpleasant things to each other -- you really haven't made your point with them, and they haven't 'heard' what you *think* you've told them.)

    so next time -- either after dinner or a time when your folks aren't busy ASK THEM "Mom, Dad ... can we talk for a second?  I'm concerned about something."  Wait to be acknowledged and actually ask them to sit down and TALK to you.

    "I followed Riley this morning and his pee really stinks ... I think he's got a UTI again."

    or ... I wiped Riley cos he's been trying to pee every 3 seconds again -- and I'm seeing blood again -- we have to get him to a vet". 

    Get even better at noticing the "symptoms" -- typically a dog with a UTI will do one of two things.  Either they will STOP drinking (because it burns to pee so they don't WANT to pee so they won't drink).  OR they will drink the house down because some dogs realize it burns less when they drink lots. 

    At this point I can actually "spot" a UTI simply by seeing how much the dog drinks.  Why not ask to be the ONLY one who puts down water -- make sure the bowl is clean every day and fill it with the SAME amount of water every day at the same time.  Then you should know if Riley is or is *not* drinking the same amount.  That can alert you faster to a UTI.

    But this way you can say to the folks "As I promised I'm watching Riley's drinking REAL close -- and he's started not drinking much again -- I chased after him to catch a few drops and it's really dark and stinky again.  We'd better get him in to the vet tomorrow."

    However you approach it -- and whether it's this or any one of 99999 other health concerns -- learning how to get Mom and Dad to PAY ATTENTION is no small task, but it's an important one.

    Why not ask for a book for Christmas/Hannukah like Giffin and Carlson's "Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook".  There's a new edition out and it's a great thing to just have on hand.  It tells you how to do a LOT of things *yourself* (like how to help clear the anal glands and other lovely topics) so you don't have to make a needless trip to the vet.

    But it also can tell you how to spot a real emergency.

    You did really good -- now the next challenge is getting Mom and Dad to really listen ... and most of that is up to YOU to figure out the "how" ... it's not usually that Mom and Dad are mean.  And sometimes it takes sitting down with them (again ASK for some time to talk) to say "I thot I had warned you that *I* thot Riley had a UTI ... but you thot he was being naughty.  What would have been a better way to have told you.  I obviously didn't do it right and I'm sorry ... so I'm trying to be mature now and learn how to communicate this better.  Any suggestions?"

    You ask, you'll probably get TOLD.  It might not be easy .. but then again, you may be surprised.  Mom and Dad may respond really well to "a step in maturity" they aren't expecting from you and it may end really well.  Good luck.

     
  • janet_rose
    • Gold Top Dog
    janet_rose

    Posted : 12/2/2007 10:28:29 PM

    Sorry to hear that Riley is sick.  Glad to hear that you managed to get a urine sample!

    By using probiotics you can help Riley to recover by keeping his intestinal tract from being upset by the antibiotics.  Antibiotics kill the good guys along with the bad guys.  Giving probiotics (good bacteria) 2-3 hours after an antibiotic helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy.

    Some probiotics:

    • yogurt with live active cultures (culture = bacteria)
    • Lactobacillus acidophilus - any pharmacy - cheapest is the freeze dried stuff (powder or capsules)
    • Fastrack Canine Microbial Gel (link) (RevivalAnimal link) (discount store link)
    • CanineDophilus (link)

    There are lots of other probiotic products.

    CAUTION:  If the antibiotic is sensitive to dairy, you may need to find a non-dairy probiotic, so ask your vet.  There is a dairy-free version of Natren Megadophilus (link).
  • janet_rose
    • Gold Top Dog
    janet_rose

    Posted : 12/3/2007 5:22:54 AM

    Another thing you can do to aid Riley's recovery is to help keep the bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall.  This can be done with cranberry capsules (not juice) [or D-Mannose (link)].  During an infection use 2 cranberry capsules 2-3 times a day.  One capsule a day can help keep infections away.

    However, things aren't quite that simple and recurrent infections can cause bladder stones (which can require surgery).  You can impress your parents by learning more about all this and educating them.

    Most (not all) dogs have a normal urine pH of 5.5 to 7.0 (see pH explanation below).  Infections can raise the pH and provide the materials for struvite crystals/stones.  Without an alkaline pH (greater than 7.0) struvite crystals can not grow.  Cranberry capsules can have a second benefical effect here by making the urine slightly more acidic (lower number).

    The catch is that calcium oxalate crystals/stones require an acid pH (less than 7.0) to form.  Dogs that have the disorder (genetic?) that allows these crystals/stones to form need to be under a vet's care with the goal of keeping the urine pH no lower than 6.5.  Cranberry capsules might not be good for dogs with this disorder.  Ask your vet if there are any signs of this problem.

    The pH is an environmental variable like temperature.  It takes the right temperature to turn cake batter into a cake.  It takes the right temperature to turn an ice cream solution into ice cream.  Temperature doesn't cause cake or ice cream, but the wrong temperature can keep them from forming.  The pH doesn't cause crystals/stones, but the right pH can prevent (struvite) or inhibit (oxalate) their formation. 

    NOTE:  After Riley finishes his antibiotic, take in another urine specimen.  If it still shows infection, ask the vet to culture the bacteria and to test for the best antibiotic.  Once the infection is gone (keep testing until it is), get some pH strips (pharmacy?) and do a number of tests to determine Riley's normal urine pH range.  If you suspect a URI in the future and the urine pH is higher than Riley's normal range, there will be good evidence to show your parents.

    One vet on this forum suggests collecting a urine specimen by putting sterile cotton in the urine stream and then putting the cotton in a ziplock bag.  Some folks use a sterilized soup ladle for catching a specimen.

    The fresher the specimen the better!!  Some folks even try to collect their specimens outside the vet's office.

    Urinalysis: Testing a Urine Sample (link) - Read the whole article.

    PetEducation.com
    Urine pH – This number is a reading of how acidic or alkaline the urine is. On a pH scale of 1-14, 7 is considered neutral, meaning neither acid nor alkaline. A number less than 7 indicates acidity, while a number greater than 7 indicates alkalinity. It is the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of the patient's urine that is being measured in a urinalysis, not the pH of the food the patient has eaten, or the pH of the patient's blood.

    Most normal dogs and cats have a urine pH of 5.5 to 7.0; however, some normal pets may have higher or lower values.

    Sites on bladder stones and crystals:
    http://b-naturals.com/Dec2002.php
    http://www.marvistavet.com/html/canine_struvite_bladder_stones.html
    http://b-naturals.com/Dec2004.php
    http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_oxalate_bladder_stones.html