Tayda's test strip

[Tayda_Lenny]

Oh yeah, I emailed Tad with the stick in my hand. I've also already had a lengthy conversation with Kelli about it…. i didn't sleep at all last night... ugh. I don't even really have a normal vet here yet so I'm searching right now....

should i start her on the protocol now even before I get to the vet to get her blood gases done?

I called the em vet that did Lennys obstruction surgery and they straight up told me that although they have the machine, they don't have a vet that is good at "getting arterial blood"..... whatever that means. they recommended Tufts University and Angell Memorial Hospital, which both appear to be about 2 hours from me. ACK

[tanza]

@Tayda_Lenny:

Oh yeah, I emailed Tad with the stick in my hand. I've also already had a lengthy conversation with Kelli about it…. i didn't sleep at all last night... ugh. I don't even really have a normal vet here yet so I'm searching right now....

should i start her on the protocol now even before I get to the vet to get her blood gases done?

I called the em vet that did Lennys obstruction surgery and they straight up told me that although they have the machine, they don't have a vet that is good at "getting arterial blood"..... whatever that means. they recommended Tufts University and Angell Memorial Hospital, which both appear to be about 2 hours from me. ACK

No, you can't start the protocol until the blood gases are done as that determines what and how much of the supplements are needed.

Wow… and I find that hard to believe? About them not having a Vet that can get the blood... honestly, I have never heard that? Can you check around with other Vets in the area?

[lvoss]

@Tayda_Lenny:

I called the em vet that did Lennys obstruction surgery and they straight up told me that although they have the machine, they don't have a vet that is good at "getting arterial blood"….. whatever that means. they recommended Tufts University and Angell Memorial Hospital, which both appear to be about 2 hours from me. ACK

It is a Venous Blood Gas test not an Arterial Blood Gas Test. You may want to bring the protocol to the vet's office and talk with them in person.

[tanza]

@lvoss:

It is a Venous Blood Gas test not an Arterial Blood Gas Test. You may want to bring the protocol to the vet's office and talk with them in person.

Good point Lisa…. I didn't even pick up on that.... glad that you caught that... guess that's why I thought the comment was so odd....

[tanza]

And remember Dr. Gonto is wonderful about talking to owners/Vets/Techs about everything Fanconi… he is a great resourse....

[lvoss]

Here is the link directly to the protocol, http://www.basenji.org/ClubDocs/fanconiprotocol2003.pdf

If you are having trouble with the vet understanding what needs to be done, have them contact Dr Gonto or you can contact him yourself to make sure you know exactly what Tayda needs done.

[Tayda_Lenny]

Ok, i called about 6 vets in the area and after having to spell b-a-s-e-n-j-i and then f-a-n-c-o-n-i to most of them i was getting really frusterated. but i now have an appointment on wednesday with one of the two "internal medicine" vets in CT who does specialize in kidney malfunction, so i really hope he can help. I will bring dr. gontos protocol with me, and actually i may drop it off before hand so the doc can read through it first.

I'll probably give Dr. Gontos a call myself also to speak with him….

argh... we'll get through this....

thanks to everyone for your support!

meanwhile tayda and lenny are cuddling up to each other in the sunspot and are none the wiser...

[tanza]

@Tayda_Lenny:

Ok, i called about 6 vets in the area and after having to spell b-a-s-e-n-j-i and then f-a-n-c-o-n-i to most of them i was getting really frusterated. but i now have an appointment on wednesday with one of the two "internal medicine" vets in CT who does specialize in kidney malfunction, so i really hope he can help. I will bring dr. gontos protocol with me, and actually i may drop it off before hand so the doc can read through it first.

I'll probably give Dr. Gontos a call myself also to speak with him….

argh... we'll get through this....

thanks to everyone for your support!

meanwhile tayda and lenny are cuddling up to each other in the sunspot and are none the wiser...

The main thing is to get the Blood workup and Blood gases down…. and I think that would be a great idea to drop off the protocol before you go....

[bellabasenji]

@lvoss:

It is important for everyone who is strip testing to know that in the early stages of Fanconi Syndrome dogs may spill sugar intermittently. So if you get a positive test one day and a negative the next or even later that day, still take your dog to a vet and get the bloodwork run, it may mean you have caught it in its very earliest stages.

Thank you, I am glad you made me aware of this. I guess I was being an optimist… My heart goes out to Tayda and Mom.:( I finally got Bella to pee in a saucer for me. She looked back at me like "what the heck, Mom" why you want that stuff! (I guess I wasn't sneaky enough). Thank God the color didn't change for Bella. I was worried since this was the first time I did the test (the vet did the first two before she was almost three years old). Tayda really hit home for me and woke me up about Fanconi, previously it was only in the back of my mind... Now she has me fighting tears.

[tanza]

@bellabasenji:

Thank you, I am glad you made me aware of this. I guess I was being an optimist… My heart goes out to Tayda and Mom.:( I finally got Bella to pee in a saucer for me. She looked back at me like "what the heck, Mom" why you want that stuff! (I guess I wasn't sneaky enough). Thank God the color didn't change for Bella. I was worried since this was the first time I did the test (the vet did the first two before she was almost three years old). Tayda really hit home for me and woke me up about Fanconi, previously it was only in the back of my mind... Now she has me fighting tears.

You should consider doing the DNA test then you will know if you have to continue to strip test… and if she did come back as affected, you can be more diligent in testing more often....

[JazzysMom]

@bellabasenji:

Thank you, I am glad you made me aware of this. I guess I was being an optimist… My heart goes out to Tayda and Mom.:( I finally got Bella to pee in a saucer for me. She looked back at me like "what the heck, Mom" why you want that stuff! (I guess I wasn't sneaky enough). Thank God the color didn't change for Bella. I was worried since this was the first time I did the test (the vet did the first two before she was almost three years old). Tayda really hit home for me and woke me up about Fanconi, previously it was only in the back of my mind... Now she has me fighting tears.

You know, you can just put the stick in her urine stream as she goes. It's got to be easier than getting her to pee in a saucer.

or did I miss part of the story?

[JazzysMom]

@Tayda_Lenny:

Just got this from Tayda….

The one on the left is the unused one.

I am so sorry to see that. It's my greatest fear as I test Jazzy….I watch that strip with my breath held every time, just waiting for the day that I hope never comes.

[MacPack]

Spilling sugar can be diabetes, too, not sure which I would rather a dog have. If the blood sugar is high and sugar is spilling into the urine, that is diabetes. If the blood sugar is normal, but there is sugar in the urine, that is Fanconi. For years, many vets did not want to follow the Gonto protocol as he is not a vet, but a few years ago it was published in a vet journal so should bear more weight with them. Good luck to you. I know of dogs that have lived well over 10 years with Fanconi, on the protocol. It can be a manageable chronic illness if the dog does well on it, so don't despair yet!

(((Hugs))), Anne

[Janneke]

So sorry to hear about the test strip result.. I can understand that you have a hard time sleeping..:(

You're in my thoughts.

[Tayda_Lenny]

so i have an appointment on wednesday with an internist who supposedly has experience with kidney issues. the lady i spoke to on the phone seemed to think that he would want to do a urinanalysis first to rule out UTI or something else. i said over and over that my goal for the appointment was to get her venous blood gas panel done and can he do that… she of course wouldn't commit to anything over the phone....

[Tayda_Lenny]

incidentally, i contacted the breeder in Rocky Hill, Kokopelli Basenjis to get a recommendation for a basenji saavy vet in the area. she of course knows all about fanconi and the protocol and offered to call her vet and explain the situation to make sure that he was aware that the blood gases were the vital next step. since i already have the appointment on wednesday, im going to keep it, but i'll probably call monday to make a back up appointment with her vet…

[renaultf1]

I'm so sorry to hear about Tayda's test strip.

Another thought…do you have any critical care vets in your area. We have one practice that deals with only cancer, kidney, and other special cases. They aren't a regular practice, only disease diagnosis and treatment.

I know 2 hrs is a bit of a drive, but I would seriously consider going to Angell or Tufts at least for the initial diagnosis...especially since it doesn't sound like any of these vets have any idea about even the blood gas aspect. I have so many friends who sing the praises of Angell...and Tufts.

[tanza]

@renaultf1:

I'm so sorry to hear about Tayda's test strip.

Another thought…do you have any critical care vets in your area. We have one practice that deals with only cancer, kidney, and other special cases. They aren't a regular practice, only disease diagnosis and treatment.

I know 2 hrs is a bit of a drive, but I would seriously consider going to Angell or Tufts at least for the initial diagnosis...especially since it doesn't sound like any of these vets have any idea about even the blood gas aspect. I have so many friends who sing the praises of Angell...and Tufts.

Diagnosis, if Fanconi, is pretty straight forward… if they are spilling sugar in their urine, but not high blood sugar in bloodwork, then it is Fanconi... Blood gases are then needed to determine the course of treatment using the protocol. Again, I would take the protocol before hand to the Vet you were seeing on Wednesday. I would also continue to strip test daily. As was already stated they can spill one day and not the next when you catch it early. Happened to a good friend of mine with his dog... he was positive for sugar in the urine one day and then the next 2, none, the following day, he positive for sugar in the urine again. That said, a full blood panel is needed also along with the blood gases.

[Tayda_Lenny]

The emergency care place I called said they had an I-Stat machine, but that they didn't have the cartridge needed to do the blood gasses.

I'm also hearing from these vet techs or whoever answers the phone at the office that it could be just a urinary tract infection. I am trying to push that it is 99% likely to be Fanconi, and i want the urinanalysis, blood work, and blood gasses all in one shot to confirm/deny that…. I really don't want to waste an office visit on them putzing around not doing the tests that I need to figure out Tayda's treatment plan.

The last 3 days Tayda's strips have turned green...

I'm going to keep calling around tomorrow for another vet... I do have an appointment on wednesday with this highly recommended internist, but it's at his satellite site, which Im not sure if they have the machine to do the blood gasses. They said that if needed, he could get me in at the main office the next day or something, but Id rather just find somewhere to have it all done at once.

I am considering going out to Tufts or Angell... but the only thing is Ill have to get her blood gases done every few months, right? and I'd rather it all be done w/ the same doc, on the same machine (and preferably closer to my house) so I don't have to worry about the different machines' calibrations throwing off the interpretation of her values. I've already got an excel spreadsheet set up to track her values... (can you tell I'm an engineer?) lol

[nomrbddgs]

Keep calling vets-but try asking for the vet himself. I have a problem with the secretary at the vets office I go to, but when I talk to the vet himself, it suddenly seems to be less of an issue. He will work with me, the secretary has put me into the "pet people" column. She's told me twice to go elsewhere, but the vets are actually great. Again, try to talk directly to the vet.