Sadie /urinary problems

[Linda]

Wondering if anyone has experienced their pup having ‘accidents’ after hours (3 1/2 is now all Sadie can go….)?  Sadie has always gone 6-8 hours until about two months ago. She has been on Atopica and Prednisone since March – so long time on meds.  I know she has lost muscle, her legs shake when squaring to tee-tee.  Poor baby.

She had crystals and some blood (not much) in her urine the last urinalysis, so we did a sterile stick. No infection, negative.  Vet said to watch her to see if duration of her ‘accidents’ gets shorter.  She said we have need to x-Ray for stones, but for now, wait.

I was was just wondering if any of you (Sheena, I think you said Worzel did this?).

Sadie’s PCV ON Wednesday was 45, up from 44. That was good. She seems so much better with the weaning process. Continuing slow, every 4 weeks.

Thanks, Linda and accident prone, but awesome, Sadie.

[Vally]

Sorry Linda, no help on this.

[admin]

Hi Linda

Brilliant news on the PCV – nice & stable.  Yes Worzel was absolutely DESPERATE for wees (especially during the night) but I still tried to encourage him to drink lots of water.  I put a bowl of water in the bedroom for him at night too. He had major muscle loss – poor wobbly legs –  it was the prednisolone for sure – it’s called corticosteroid myopathy.  He also had protein in his wee & raised blood sugar.  When he was weaned off the pred, he returned to normal – so, don’t you worry – what’s a little wee wee accident between friends??!!  Sadie MUST drink plenty of water if she has crystals – that’s very important. Lots of big hugs to Sadie from her two admirers, Worzel & Ollie & hugs from me to you

Sheena

[admin]

Linda

I should have mentioned – just keep checking her wee isn’t cloudy as that might mean she has developed an infection.  Glad your vet checked that out the other day.

Sheena

[Patrice]

Sheena is correct. Any dog that has shown crystals in their urine before is going to be prone to stones. And it is generally accepted that if there are stones, there is also going to be infection. Time to go back and get Sadie checked out.

For now, try reducing water intake before bedtime and offering that water during the day when you can get her out more often. The body handles fluids differently when we are asleep, thus we can usually sleep through the night without the need to get up.
my best, patrice

[Linda]

Thanks all.  Sadie goes all night – from say, 10PM to 7 or 8AM.  No problem with that.  And I have water for her too, upstairs in our bathroom.  She always drinks before bed and goes straight through the night without having to go out.  Of course, we bee-line it downstairs and out, once up. Then she BEGS for food.  Silly pup.

It’s the daytime, when I leave, if I am gone for more than 3 1/2 hours.  I don’t mind cleaning it up. I just feel so bad for her because I know she’s trying to hold it – she hangs her head while I clean it up. I tell her it’s okay – don’t fret – mommy’s not. ;)

Her urine seems clear. I check it each time. She drinks tons of water, so we’re out often. She tee-tees a river. But like you all – encourage the water drinking. I can actually tell her to drink and she will. Smart girl.  ;))

yes, we will continue to watch her. But vet said too, this could be from the prolonged pred.  Her little legs have muscle atrophy for sure.  And her hind legs quiver when she squats to teetee.  Just keeping a close eye. I think the weak bladder is muscle atrophy – the sooner we lower the pred further, the better.  But right now it’s weaning the Atopica, then back to the pred.

There’s always something to keep us on our toes right?!?

Love and hugs, Linda

[admin]

Linda,
from my experience if dogs don’t move much, they don’t have to pee. Have you tried to confine her? I know that some dogs hate kennels if they are not used to them from when they are puppies. But maybe you have an X-pen (sort o like a play pen) or a gate and you could confine her this way. It sounds like it is the muscle atrophy that make her go, but then why does she not have to go at night? This made me think that confining her (not having her move around) could do the trick.
Good luck and best wishes,
Brigitte

[Patrice]

Linda,
If she is still on prednisone this will lead to frequent urination. What is the dose and what is her weight? Until the dosage goes below the normal levels that the body will produce for itself, there is going to be some level of Iatrogenic Cushing’s Disease. And that includes frequent drinking and urination.

Has your vet done a test called specific gravity? This is examining a urine sample to find out how concentrated the urine is. A sample that has a low specific gravity indicates that a dog is having trouble with concentrating the urine. If this test is normal, then there are other considerations that the vet should have.

So another rarer problem would be diabetes. But when a dog is on prednisone, it is tough to sort that out from just the expected constant thirst and frequent urination. Dogs can and do recover from the side effects of prednisone.

The body has a way to conserve urine while we are asleep.

If she has stones and that would mean infection, then it would need to be treated by an antibiotic. The best way to do this is to culture first so you can use the most targeted antibiotic rather than a broad spectrum.
my best, patrice