There are two sides of the coin here. While we may trust that the vet has the knowledge, we also know our dogs. It is ultimately up to the owner to decide the right course of action. Not everyone gets it right the first time either. Neither the vet nor the owner. I have had a vew encounters with vets who think they know my dog better than me-even with test results staring them in the face. On more that a couple of occassions, I have had to step in and say, "No, this is the route I want to take." But with that decision comes education as well. I think that the consumer, as they grow with knowledge, becomes more adept at reading things on their own and the vets should start to listen and have more open minds to the owner. Just MO. Glad to see, though, that things are on the move for your baby!
Crystals in the urine sample
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You know Dan, I wonder if the Crystals in the urine has something to do with him trying to lick his pee and it really does bother him when trying to urinate?
That's very possible Pat, I didn't even think about that. I called the vet and he has calcium oxalate crystals so that's why the x-ray tomorrow. Hopefully we are catching this before the stones form. It does not hurt to get a young dogs blood work done even if there's no apparent problem because as you can see something may show up that can get caught in the early stages.
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That's very possible Pat, I didn't even think about that. I called the vet and he has calcium oxalate crystals so that's why the x-ray tomorrow. Hopefully we are catching this before the stones form. It does not hurt to get a young dogs blood work done even if there's no apparent problem because as you can see something may show up that can get caught in the early stages.
EXACTLY!!! you are a so right.. I have always pushed for blood work once a year… and of course before any surgery
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Glad you caught the problem early, good luck with treatments for Buddy!
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I am going through a similiar problem with my one year old. She has calcium oxalate crystals and we noticed it because she would pee just about every two hours and out of no where have accidents. I had all the tests done, put her on antitiotics (no change after that), did a blood work found high white blood cell count and did an xray which showed no signs of stones (yet anyway). Since nothing seemed to be working we did a culture and sensistivity test (again showed nothing) so now I doing the food changing route. I had her on Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, a high protein low carb diet and now have her changed to a grain free lower protein diet, Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. I also do use 2/3 dry and 1/3 wet plus 2 tbsp of water to make sure she is getting enough water. We have been doing this for a month so I have to bring her urine back in for testing to see if there are any changes. I have noticed she has had less accidents but won't be happy until I see the crystals gone in her urine.
Long story short, I feel your pain!!
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I am going through a similiar problem with my one year old. She has calcium oxalate crystals and we noticed it because she would pee just about every two hours and out of no where have accidents. I had all the tests done, put her on antitiotics (no change after that), did a blood work found high white blood cell count and did an xray which showed no signs of stones (yet anyway). Since nothing seemed to be working we did a culture and sensistivity test (again showed nothing) so now I doing the food changing route. I had her on Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, a high protein low carb diet and now have her changed to a grain free lower protein diet, Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. I also do use 2/3 dry and 1/3 wet plus 2 tbsp of water to make sure she is getting enough water. We have been doing this for a month so I have to bring her urine back in for testing to see if there are any changes. I have noticed she has had less accidents but won't be happy until I see the crystals gone in her urine.
Long story short, I feel your pain!!
Thanks for your info! I'm sorry you are going through this. Buddy has had no accidents and pees only when we go out. He can hold his pee all day. So it hasn't elevated to that yet and we may have caught it early. I'm trying to be positive that there's no stones. Calcium oxalate stones do not dissolve and have to be removed surgically according to the vet. The Sturvite crystals can be dissolved which is the result of being too alkaline. Calcium oxalate is too acidic. The only reason I did the urine test was because of the BUN to creatine ratio being to high on his blood work. So this was caught by accident. My last 2 Basenjis always had the too alkaline and had bladder infections. This is frustrating!:mad:
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Regarding your comment "He can hold his pee all day". I know that this can be a problem with humans (kidney stones). Just a thought - could holding pee all day lead to problems in dogs? How much water does Buddy drink? Is he intentionally holding his pee?
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Regarding your comment "He can hold his pee all day". I know that this can be a problem with humans (kidney stones). Just a thought - could holding pee all day lead to problems in dogs? How much water does Buddy drink? Is he intentionally holding his pee?
He's not a water drinker unless it's warm and we're out on a walk or at the dog park. I have to put it in his meals. Holding it is a problem as water needs to cycle through and keep the bladder flushed. He is outside all day so he can go. Also you want to feed more wet than dry. Also there is a list of oxalate producing foods you'll want to avoid like:
Vegetables ~ beets, eggplant, leeks, sweet potatoes, okra, pepper
Greens ~ green beans or peppers, beets, celery, collards, eggplant, parsley, spinach, Swiss chard, chives, endive, kale, leeks, okra, rutagbega, summer squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
Legumes ~ beans, soy products including tofu
Grains ~ wheat germ
Nuts ~ all
Seeds ~ sesame and tahini
Fruit ~ berries, currants, concord grapes, figs, rhubarb, lemon, lime, plums, tangerines. -
Hope everything goes ok for Buddy , Dan.
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Hope everything goes ok for Buddy , Dan.
Thank you! I hope so too. Every time a vet mentions surgery :eek:
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Just got back from the vet and the x-rays show no stones thank God. The funny part was they took him in the back with my leash and after they came out they handed it to me in 3 pieces. They left him tied up and being a Basenji, Buddy did what he does best…..try to escape. I have to get him to consume more water. His urine is too concentrated which is why the crystals were found. They wanted me to put him on Hill's c/d food which the first ingredient is beef by products and it also contains corn and soy which is not good for dogs. Now that I know which foods are oxalate producing I can figure out a diet for him.
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I hope things turn a corner for you and Buddy. I'll keep both of you in my thoughts.
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I hope things turn a corner for you and Buddy. I'll keep both of you in my thoughts.
Thank you!!:)
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I'm so pleased Buddy has no stones, what a relief for you. Now all you have to do is figure out how to get him to drink more water
I can just imagine the vets face when they found the lead in 3 bits
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Great news Dan that there are no stones…yea!!!!
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Great news Dan that there are no stones…yea!!!!
Thanks Pat, that was a bad situation headed off. I will get another urinalysis in a month.
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Sounds like good news for you and Buddy. No surgery, more water (chicken broth?), cook him soupy stuff, mine will slurp up vegetable soup , or any kind actually. Finding a disease process early and getting it under control before damage is done….priceless!
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Sounds like good news for you and Buddy. No surgery, more water (chicken broth?), cook him soupy stuff, mine will slurp up vegetable soup , or any kind actually. Finding a disease process early and getting it under control before damage is done….priceless!
Some good ideas Anne! The vet asked me why I had his blood work done. I just said to see if everything was OK and it wasn't. I guess people don't do that until something's wrong which is what I used to do. Now with the internet you become more educated and people saying "hey, get you dog checked to make sure all is well, like the thyroid".
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Thanks Pat, that was a bad situation headed off. I will get another urinalysis in a month.
Well worth the blood test and have the urine analysis done too! Kudos, Dan…
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I'm presently the owner of 3 senior cats. Every year on their birthdays, they are in at the vet for a complete blood panel and urinalysis. I'm sure my cats have thanked me. We caught a thyroid tumour in one of the males and he had radioactive isotopes injected into the tumour area. He is now completely fine, doesn't even need thyroid meds. A thorough yearly checkup is a must for our animals, though if something crops up at any time you should be ready for some extra investigation.
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Well worth the blood test and have the urine analysis done too! Kudos, Dan…
Thanks to you all for pushing to get testing done is invaluable.:)
