Keep C3PO in your Prayers

[jys1011]

My mind is slipping today..:(

Ok so I finally called the vet AGAIN since this was just ridiculous. I spoke to the vet directly & we went through all of the results in his bloodwork and urine analysis. Nothing came back abnormal except for PH levels. There's no protein loss that would explain the weight loss he's been experiencing. His white blood cell count came back normal which means no infection. So we're stumped…

In October when we went for his general yearly check up the lab sent back this information with his blood work that he could have Pelger Huet Anomaly. So I've been researching this to see what this is & if it could be the problem he's experiencing. It would have been nice if someone alerted me to this in OCTOBER and not January my resluts were given by the other Vet partner in the practice. My vet was very upset about it as well.

So we don't know why he's peeing more than usual why he's lost almost 5 lbs and why he's panicking every time he goes into his crate????

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[youngandtired]

Personally I would change vets, they could have jeopardized your furbabies health b/c of miscommunication. Sorry, that is not good, I would change for sure. You need to get to the root of this problem, it is happening for a reason.

[tanza]

That would be my suggestion also… I would find another Vet and I would also demand complete copies of all the test and blood work. And I would do it asap... Did your Vet say what the liver values were? or Kidney values... ??
Personally I have never heard of Pelger Huet Anomaly.... and hard to believe that you were not contacted... But then again, I also request copies of all blood work and have my own copies of Vet records in my possession ......

[Quercus]

I posted my response on the other thread too

[nala121498]

Oh man, J. It does sound a bit fishy to me. I'll check with some friends for a good vet in your area ASAP. I'll PM you if I find one. I am still thinking of him…

[lvoss]

High urine pH might have something to do with what is going on. Usually when the urine pH is off either high or low, it increases the risk of forming urine crystals. Since he is drinking a lot of water these crystals may be hard to detect in the urine. I know that my male cats would block with urine crystals almost every time we had a stress change for them, such as a move or new puppies until we got them on a diet high in moisture to keep their urine more dilute to prevent crystal formation. So maybe stress precipitated the problem but I would get a second opinion since you know that at least one value did come back out of range.

[massagemom3]

I'm saying a prayer for you and your B. ((((HUGS))))

[Terry]

Pelger Huet is an abnormality of the blood cells which does NOT cause disease. I know of at least 3 Basenjis with it, all females, mother and daughters. (it's thought to be an autosomal recessive, at least in humans) None of them have been adversely affected, but the lab periodically freaks out when analyzing blood samples.

Hope C3PO just has a severe UTI and bounces back quickly!

Terry

[tanza]

@Terry:

Pelger Huet is an abnormality of the blood cells which does NOT cause disease. I know of at least 3 Basenjis with it, all females, mother and daughters. (it's thought to be an autosomal recessive, at least in humans) None of them have been adversely affected, but the lab periodically freaks out when analyzing blood samples.

Hope C3PO just has a severe UTI and bounces back quickly!

Terry

Thanks for the explanation Terry…. (of Pelger Huet)

[jys1011]

Thanks Terry..that's what I found too. It doesn't mean much given his symptoms.

Lisa-I was thinking the same thing…since we just moved to this house I thought it might be stress related. I wonder if that would explain the weight loss. I'm going to look further on this & have more urine samples tested to look for crystals.

I will definitely get copies of all of their tests I have to go back & pick them up. We went through a laundry list on the phone of what was tested & all was normal. We've added an extra feeding to see if he puts on weight. After 4 days he does seem a little better but not much. And I'm trying to keep him very hydrated added water to food & such just to make sure he doesn't dehydrate.

Thanks everyone for your kind words & support

[jys1011]

How long have you been in your new house? Did he crate comfortably in the new house when you first moved in? Is there any chance something unexpected happened while he was in his crate, and no one was there to see it?

Sometimes a big life change can cause all of the symptoms you are seeing…usually not all in one dog...but I suppose it is possible. Reaction to change might be exacerbated because he had a big life change as an adult going from the breeder's house to yours.

Is he eating his normal amount of food? You probably said, but I don't remember. Does his hair/eyes/elimination seem normal?

AND....why is Jorge's stocking so darn big???? Congrats on the lovely house, if I haven't said it already

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Andrea-thanks for the laugh I needed that. If you ever met my DH you would notice he's a pretty big guy 6'5" so he deserves a bigger stocking me & the furbies get smaller ones

His eating has been very normal…he usually eats 1/2c for breakfast & 1/2c for dinner with treats during walks & training & going to bed like a good boy. His appetite has not diminished at all. So we're upping his food to see if this helps. His fur & eyes seems very normal & excepte for the peeing his bowel movement is also normal once in the AM & once in the PM. No signs of diarreah or soft stool.

We've been in the house 2 months & initially he was fine in his crate when we moved (we've crated him in other places too like on vacation for a couple of weeks, when visiting friends or in the car). Then the panic started happening a few weeks after we moved. We've crated them in one of the bedrooms which I don't think anything would have happened in there. The only change I could think of is that he used to be crated in the kitchen in the old house & now he's in a room in the new house...maybe??

[jys1011]

After a few more urine samples the vet was able to discover urine crystals. So we talked about modifying his diet…this will prove to be a challenge since my little guy is allergic to just about everything!

She is still investigating the weight loss issue. The vet belongs to a group of local vets & she's presented his case to them. It's like getting a 2nd opinion without paying for it. So that's comforting to know. While we confirm the crystals she doesn't want to mis-diagnose him & send him off until he gets sick again. Her colleagues are also still researching Pegel-Huet further as there have been some specific studies on basenjis in particular.

I also asked her about the possibility of him having an issue with his prostate. She's going to bring that up with the group too to obtain some opinions. We also don't want to do evasive (and expensive) tests unless we need to. I have to agree with that.

I think we're getting there slowly...:)

Meanwhile he's gained a little weight this week after we added another feeding during the day. Mom makes him special rice with beef & sometimes some sweet potatoes. Of course, by default, Topaz gets some too! But not too much...she's got a bit of weight problem :rolleyes:

[tanza]

@jys1011:

After a few more urine samples the vet was able to discover urine crystals. So we talked about modifying his diet…this will prove to be a challenge since my little guy is allergic to just about everything!

She is still investigating the weight loss issue. The vet belongs to a group of local vets & she's presented his case to them. It's like getting a 2nd opinion without paying for it. So that's comforting to know. While we confirm the crystals she doesn't want to mis-diagnose him & send him off until he gets sick again. Her colleagues are also still researching Pegel-Huet further as there have been some specific studies on basenjis in particular.

I also asked her about the possibility of him having an issue with his prostate. She's going to bring that up with the group too to obtain some opinions. We also don't want to do evasive (and expensive) tests unless we need to. I have to agree with that.

I think we're getting there slowly...:)

Meanwhile he's gained a little weight this week after we added another feeding during the day. Mom makes him special rice with beef & sometimes some sweet potatoes. Of course, by default, Topaz gets some too! But not too much...she's got a bit of weight problem :rolleyes:

He is neutered, correct? Typically and I have never heard of prostrate problems with a neutered dog?….
The consult with other Vets is great, my Vet does that all the time.... good luck

[jys1011]

She thought the same thing..he is neutered so it would be strange. But you can't be too careful. If it is his prostate it would not be good news at all. The search continues..

[tanza]

@jys1011:

She thought the same thing..he is neutered so it would be strange. But you can't be too careful. If it is his prostate it would not be good news at all. The search continues..

I think, according to my vet it would be more then strange… but of course you never know.... The fact that he has so many allergies I am sure doesn't help either....

And many times with a UTI it is so very hard to culture and really know if there is one... I am not so sure that I would not ask for a course of meds just to make sure. My friend Parry, when his Jaadii had a UTI, it was never caught early.. the urine cultures showed nothing, however it developed into a very, very serious case... Of course Jaadii had Fanconi also, and Fanconi dogs are prone to UTI's, but the point is.. until it was really bad, it was not found.

[Quercus]

@tanza:

I think, according to my vet it would be more then strange… but of course you never know.... The fact that he has so many allergies I am sure doesn't help either....

And many times with a UTI it is so very hard to culture and really know if there is one... I am not so sure that I would not ask for a course of meds just to make sure. My friend Parry, when his Jaadii had a UTI, it was never caught early.. the urine cultures showed nothing, however it developed into a very, very serious case... Of course Jaadii had Fanconi also, and Fanconi dogs are prone to UTI's, but the point is.. until it was really bad, it was not found.

Yep, Pat…I have found this too. Blondie had a bout with a UTI, the only signs were sudden lethargy, and frequent urination. She had some crystals in her urine, and the PH was off...but there was nothing amiss with her bloodwork and no cells in the urine. We put her on antibiotic, and within a few days she was back to normal.

[jys1011]

Looks like me boy is gettting back to his old self :fingers crossed: I hope I don't jinx it by posting this :rolleyes:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jorge0509/TopazAndC3PO/photo?authkey=EsYzxcPvHE4#5169873376619093650

His eating is back to normal & he's gained considerable weight. He's activity is back to normal…meaning he's pacing around the house & running around & playing & just annoying everyone as usual And I wouldn't have it any other way.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jorge0509/TopazAndC3PO/photo?authkey=EsYzxcPvHE4#5169873303604649490

We have an appt to follow up with another urine analysis to check PH levels & urine crystals but other wise he's had NO MORE pee accidents in the house AAAAAND the best part is he's back in his crate full time

We eased him back into it by moving their crates from the spare room to the kitchen & doing all feeding & special treats in the crate. Then while I was home we left him in there for short periods & once he did well we tried an all-nighter & he did great!!! And then we tried 1/2 day & now he's back to full days. And there's been no whining or going crazy & destroying beds & crates….aaaahhhh that's the sound of a B-mom who now gets a full night's sleep :p

[MacPack]

Excellent, you have been so good about taking things slowly and re-training, hopefully life will be back to normal!

Anne in Tampa

[nala121498]

Yay! Fingers crossed that all is fine now…LOVE the pics!