Blood in urine

[Kananga]

Well I'm hoping this isn't an other round of a UTI, but I noticed when I took Kananga outside when I got home yesterday, that there was some blood in his urine. When I took him inside I checked him over to see if he was in any pain, but he seemed perfectly normal. Now he did unstuff my couch a bit more than normal that day, so I wonder if something was bothering him.

Later that evening I took him out and his urine looked normal, as well as this morning. He's acting 100% normal other than that couch being unstuffed (no damage really, I just put the stuffing back :rolleyes: ). He's not drinking more than usual or having accidents, nor does he show any signs of pain or discomfort.

So I wonder if perhaps it was a kidney stone or if it is some type of infection. I called me vet and they said to drop off some of his urine Monday morning and they can do an analysis. I'm hoping it's nothing and just a fluke but I know it could be potentially lethal if it is something that goes ignored.

Poor guy, he was just at the vet this past weekend too and he was happy and healthy.

[nobarkus]

When my rw Ringo had a UTI there was blood in his urine. He also let me know he was in pain by shredding a chair cushion.

[Kananga]

@nobarkus:

When my rw Ringo had a UTI there was blood in his urine. He also let me know he was in pain by shredding a chair cushion.

Yea, shoot, I probably should have known better because he did some unstuffing a couple days in a row late last week. I just thought he was more anxious than usual but he had gone a solid 2-3 months+ without any unstuffing.

Perhaps it is a UTI. It just seems odd because he hasn't had a single accident and last time that was the main indicator that he had a UTI.

I'm actually going to try and get a sample in today before they close.

[nobarkus]

@Kananga:

Yea, shoot, I probably should have known better because he did some unstuffing a couple days in a row late last week. I just thought he was more anxious than usual but he had gone a solid 2-3 months+ without any unstuffing.

Perhaps it is a UTI. It just seems odd because he hasn't had a single accident and last time that was the main indicator that he had a UTI.

I'm actually going to try and get a sample in today before they close.

Ringo would normally never touch the chair or do anything like that and he was 14 at the time. Does he try peeing a lot on walks? Ringo would even sit down on a walk like he was saying "I'm not feeling well and I don't want to walk".

[Kananga]

@nobarkus:

Ringo would normally never touch the chair or do anything like that and he was 14 at the time. Does he try peeing a lot on walks? Ringo would even sit down on a walk like he was saying "I'm not feeling well and I don't want to walk".

I haven't had much of a chance to take him on long walks because of our weather. Kananga can tolerate maybe 5 minutes of being outside and then he holds his paws up.

Well, I dropped off a sample just a few minutes ago so hopefully I can get him on some meds if he does have a UTI. The urine did look a bit darker than normal, so something is obviously going on. He was last out about 5-6 hours ago so it was not held too long. There was some couch stuffing out as well when I stopped home.

Poor pup. I just don't understand why he's having these issues. He always has plenty of clean water out to drink, but like any other basenji, he doesn't load up water very much. I wonder if there is a holistic remedy to help prevent these UTIs in the future. That I will discuss with my vet when I hear back from them.

[lvoss]

The trick I use with my male cats who are prone to blocking if they develop a UTI is to add water to every meal. I have been doing this same thing with Rio right now to make sure she is hydrated well enough to produce milk for L'Ox.

A couple of questions, I can't remember, was Kananga tested for Fanconi using the DNA test? Second, how well developed is his genetalia? Males can be more prone to problems if they are smaller.

If you find that this is a chronic problem due to something like crystal formation then I would recommend making one of his meals wet food with extra water added to make sure he is drinking enough. Also add extra water to his meals when there are extra stressors in the house because these tend to be triggers for crystal formation.

[Kananga]

@lvoss:

The trick I use with my male cats who are prone to blocking if they develop a UTI is to add water to every meal. I have been doing this same thing with Rio right now to make sure she is hydrated well enough to produce milk for L'Ox.

A couple of questions, I can't remember, was Kananga tested for Fanconi using the DNA test? Second, how well developed is his genetalia? Males can be more prone to problems if they are smaller.

He has not been DNA tested for Fanconi. That's on my to-do list for 2010. I actually discussed that with my vet when we were there on Saturday. She said they were more than happy to help me out with that when I choose to do so.

As far as his physical development, I have no idea whats considered proper in regards to his genitalia. He was neutered earlier this year and developed a UTI just days after. This would be his 2nd UTI in 6 months.

If you find that this is a chronic problem due to something like crystal formation then I would recommend making one of his meals wet food with extra water added to make sure he is drinking enough. Also add extra water to his meals when there are extra stressors in the house because these tend to be triggers for crystal formation.

Great ideas, I will without a doubt give these a try if the results come back positive for a UTI.

[nobarkus]

@lvoss:

The trick I use with my male cats who are prone to blocking if they develop a UTI is to add water to every meal. I have been doing this same thing with Rio right now to make sure she is hydrated well enough to produce milk for L'Ox.

A couple of questions, I can't remember, was Kananga tested for Fanconi using the DNA test? Second, how well developed is his genetalia? Males can be more prone to problems if they are smaller.

If you find that this is a chronic problem due to something like crystal formation then I would recommend making one of his meals wet food with extra water added to make sure he is drinking enough. Also add extra water to his meals when there are extra stressors in the house because these tend to be triggers for crystal formation.

I also add the water to the all the meals as well because Buddy does not drink anything. I put water in front of him and he takes 2 licks. When he pees though he'll stand there for a long time and I'm thinking where does all that water come from?!

[Kananga]

Got a call back from the vet. She wants to put him on Cephalexin. They noted there was blood in the urine and some crystals but nothing too significant.

I'll be picking that up today when I leave the office and have him started on it right away. I really hope this helps him but I'm glad I made the decision to do this today instead of Monday.

The last thing I want to deal with is him being in more pain and/or having a lot of accidents.

[Kananga]

Well he's on the antibiotics now. One of the techs at the clinic mentioned that the urine was quite "nasty". I suppose this was a more severe infection compared to last time. I really hope these antibiotics clear it up. I can tell today that he's a bit lethargic and unhappy.

I did add some water to his food for his dinner. He was a bit confused at first but he ate everything and drank all of the water. I am really glad I got the meds today, I can't imagine waiting until Monday. This is certainly a good reminder to pay attention to any abnormal behavior (besides the usual Basenji oddness).

[nobarkus]

@Kananga:

Well he's on the antibiotics now. One of the techs at the clinic mentioned that the urine was quite "nasty". I suppose this was a more severe infection compared to last time. I really hope these antibiotics clear it up. I can tell today that he's a bit lethargic and unhappy.

I did add some water to his food for his dinner. He was a bit confused at first but he ate everything and drank all of the water. I am really glad I got the meds today, I can't imagine waiting until Monday. This is certainly a good reminder to pay attention to any abnormal behavior (besides the usual Basenji oddness).

Now antibiotics kill good bacteria too so you'll want to replace that in his system. I have Buddy on antibiotics for a yeast infection and at night before bed I give him 1 cap of acidophilus with a small ball of wet food to hide it in. Ideally it's taken 3-4 hours after the dog has eaten so the bacteria is not killed off by stomach acid. This will help battle off UTI too. I take the acidophilus as well and buy it at the health food store in the refrigerated section.

[Kananga]

@nobarkus:

Now antibiotics kill good bacteria too so you'll want to replace that in his system. I have Buddy on antibiotics for a yeast infection and at night before bed I give him 1 cap of acidophilus with a small ball of wet food to hide it in. Ideally it's taken 3-4 hours after the dog has eaten so the bacteria is not killed off by stomach acid. This will help battle off UTI too. I take the acidophilus as well and buy it at the health food store in the refrigerated section.

Thanks, I'll look into that this weekend. No shopping till then with this 12"+ of snow we're getting pounded with currently. :o

I didn't feel so bad about spending more money at the vet after what they told me the woman walking out had just spent. "$8,000+ over the last 7-8 months, and it's only a puppy". Sounds like they got reimbursed a few thousand from the breeder because part of the battle was due to parvo. Amazing what some owners go through. :eek:

[AJs Human]

Valerian Root extract has a mild antibiotic effect, but I don't know whether it is safe for dogs. I used it for my own UTI a few years ago and it worked like a charm, but it is quite bitter. You might be able to hide a drop or two in his water for prevention, but please check on safety first.

@nobarkus:

When he pees though he'll stand there for a long time and I'm thinking where does all that water come from?!

Does Buddy drink from the freshest and best smelling water in the house….the toilet? I know AJ does, every chance he gets when we're in a hotel room...like I don't put fresh water down for him. I have to keep the lid down or the door closed.

[tanza]

As far as the Fanconi DNA test, it is a cheek swab, no need for a Vet?… just order on the OFA site.

Hope that your baby boy feels better soon.... and good that you decided to get a sample in sooner rather then later... and I agree... abnormal behavoir is something to pay attention to with our fur housemates....

[Kananga]

@tanza:

As far as the Fanconi DNA test, it is a cheek swab, no need for a Vet?… just order on the OFA site.

Hope that your baby boy feels better soon.... and good that you decided to get a sample in sooner rather then later... and I agree... abnormal behavoir is something to pay attention to with our fur housemates....

Yea, I know the cheek swab exists and could do it myself, but I figured I'd run everything through my vet since they've done a great job thus far. It helps that they are on the same page with any results that come through. The idea was to do initiate a DNA sample when he's in for a routine visit sometime next year. They are very familiar with Fanconi, I feel more comfortable with them handling any testing and results. It's just a personal preference.

[tanza]

But they are not doing blood testing for DNA for Fanconi, so I am not sure what your Vet can do for the process? Any blood sent would not be used for Fanconi DNA, but for possible future health testing.

[nobarkus]

@AJs:

Valerian Root extract has a mild antibiotic effect, but I don't know whether it is safe for dogs. I used it for my own UTI a few years ago and it worked like a charm, but it is quite bitter. You might be able to hide a drop or two in his water for prevention, but please check on safety first.

Does Buddy drink from the freshest and best smelling water in the house….the toilet? I know AJ does, every chance he gets when we're in a hotel room...like I don't put fresh water down for him. I have to keep the lid down or the door closed.

No toilet water drinking. The only time he'll drink water is out on a hike or at the dog park in the summer.

[MacPack]

Mine all drink like camels, fortunately. I think that flushing the kidneys helps keep them cleared out, and like people, those dogs that don't drink much wind up with concentrated urine and more likely to have stones, etc. Cranberry juice helps a bit, I know some people give their dogs cranberry in pill form and feels that helps with kidney and bladder health. Perhaps Kanagas infection never really cleared up and he needs longer, or different antibiotics to really clear it out!
Good thing you are so sensitive to his needs and got him seen before the weekend!

[Kananga]

He seems to be improving, although he has had an accident now 48 hrs on the meds. My thoughts are that it simply went from severe to mild because his urine flow has much improved, thus allowing for accidents to happen. I have a feeling after another day or so and he should be a lot better.

It also doesn't help that I'm adding water in his food (in regards to bladder control). A lot more water through his system now.

But yes I know, it does help to have more water going through him while he's battling the UTI.

[tanza]

Cranberry's are good for helping with UTI's….. I have used Cranberry pills for years....