Recovering from surgery

[Kananga]

I'm just not 100% on this, heh. After I posted that last night I went to take him out so he could go #2. He didn't show the need to urinate more since he had already emptied his bladder 20-30mins prior. On the way back in he had another accident in the stairwell. He just started going. I put him in his crate so I could go clean it up and he emptied his bladder further. So it is rather puzzling.

Spoke with the vet this morning and she wanted to do another urinalysis to rule out any remaining infection. I'll be getting a urine sample tomorrow morning and dropping it off with them.

His accidents are inconsistent though and that's what is really confusing. He went all day Wednesday without a single accident. Yesterday he was fine all day up until about 9pm. He had been outside about 4 hours prior. Perhaps he is not urinating completely? He's never really had the habit of marking unless we're on a walk outdoors. He's never done so indoors. He can go a couple days without problem and then have lots of issues the following morning/evening.

Oh well, I'll find out tomorrow if it's still an infection. My washer has been running non stop for the last week.

[Basenjimamma]

I feel for you, regarding the laundry thing. Last week Otis had some sort of issue in the poop department and had diarrhea, not inside, but I still felt as if I needed to wash everything he slept on. I sure hope you find a sure answer soon for as to what is troubling him..

[lvoss]

@Kananga:

I remember the vet saying she would expect the Convenia to do it's job if it were indeed a lower UTI and that if it were not working I would notice the symptoms becoming worse. And I don't see anything worsening.

Except that it may be partially effective, so you are not seeing improvement but you are not seeing it get worse either. Please, get a second urinanalysis to be sure that there is no remaining infection or the formation of urinary crystals.

[Kananga]

He'll have a 2nd urinalysis done first thing tomorrow morning.

I thought just for giggles, I'd contact his breeder to get some input on the situation. I was surprised to be told that it very well could all be caused by his anti-inflammatory medication (Rimadyl). Mainly because it's too strong for Basenjis and that might be making it tough for him to control his bladder, because he's too relaxed. She also mentioned she had the same exact thing happen with one of her Basenjis and that she only uses one kind of medication now after testing others, one that seems to work well with her Bs. She said it will most likely take a solid 10 days to work itself out of his system, but after 6-7 days I should see a big improvement. His last dose was this morning.

So as curious as I am, I looked up the side effects of Rimadyl…..

As soon as your dog begins Rimadyl therapy and during the entire time he takes it, watch for the following symptoms, all signs of potential life-threatening reactions to the drug:

• loss of appetite
• change in drinking habits (refusal to drink or increased water consumption)
• unusual pattern of urination, blood in the urine, sweet-smelling urine, an overabundance of urine, urine accidents in the house
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• black, tarry stools or flecks of blood in the vomit
• lethargy, drowsiness, hyperactivity, restlessness, aggressiveness
• staggering, stumbling, weakness or partial paralysis, full paralysis, seizures, dizziness, loss of balance
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin, mucus membranes and whites of the eyes)

All of the bold he HAS experienced. Now I will of course still have a urinalysis done, but this is very interesting….

I thought about it and this all started about 2-3 days after I was using Rimadyl on Kananga (first week of recovery). I stopped after day 2 because he was too energetic and I needed to slow him down. And he went back on the meds this past Tuesday.

[lvoss]

If you seriously think that he is having a reaction to the Rimadyl then he will also need to have a blood panel run. The urinary symptoms caused by Rimadyl are caused by Kidney damage which will show up on bloodwork.

[Kananga]

If the urinalysis comes back with no sign of infection, that will be next on my list.

[tanza]

@Kananga:

If the urinalysis comes back with no sign of infection, that will be next on my list.

Honestly… you would be better off just having a blood panel done to see what it might show...and that gives you a base against his blood work before the neuter... While it costs... it is better to just get it done... been there, done that.... Didn't know that it was Rimadyl that they gave you for him... and it can cause kidney issues.... usually not a problem when only given for a few days... but still best to check it out. Again...IMO

[Kananga]

Well the toxicity concern I posted is not what the breeder discussed with me. She said her B's are simply too sensitive to the drug, meaning the effects are too strong in regards to relaxing their muscles. Thus having control issues. She wasn't implying that he was having side effects to the drug, it was just relaxing him too much since he may be sensitive to the strength. If that makes sense.

[lvoss]

Rimadyl is NSAID so it really shouldn't have a relaxing effect like a narcotic pain killer would. It can cause digestive tract issues like ulcers, kidney damage and liver damage.

[Kananga]

Good and bad news…

We'll start off with the bad...

Urinalysis came back positive for a UTI. WBC is @ 2-5. The concerning part of the analysis is the specific gravity. It's lower than normal. And the urine was taken this morning after he woke up. No additional water.

The good news is they prescribed 22.7mg of Baytril to be given twice per day for the next 10 days. I was told it's a stronger antibiotic. If that is not effective they will do bloodwork. I gave them a copy of his bloodwork from 6/11/09 (day of surgery, before being put under). They can use that as a baseline.

Hopefully this antibiotic clears things up, but they said if it does not, there is possibly issues with his kidneys. Perhaps a weak infection was in his system before surgery that was not detected, and him being put under enhanced the infection. Not positive though. The vet didn't think Rimadyl was a probable cause but that anything is possible.

[lvoss]

Are they doing a culture and sensitivity test on the bacteria? This would tell whether they are using the right antibiotic to combat this infection. Baytril is the antibiotic that my vet starts with for UTIs but does recommend the culture to be sure it isn't a resistant strain.

[tanza]

My Vet also uses Baytril for UTI (or Clavamox)… some do well with one more then the other... I have never had any reactions to the Baytril, sometimes the Clavamox can cause loose stool or decreased appetite due to tummy upset... but it is usually very minor....

Sounds to me like you are "again" headed in the right direction.... but I think that if he were mine and even if the Baytril clears up the UTI, I would still have blood work done at least to check out the kidneys.... but that is just me... I am a pretty big "nut" for blood work....

[Kananga]

We didn't discuss anything about doing a culture.

I'm going to see how he does over the next week. But I do agree with you Pat, I'll most likely have blood work done regardless. The lower specific gravity is enough of a concern. I guess the good part is they didn't find any crystals in the urine.

I'll have another urinalysis done on 7/6, followed by more bloodwork.

[tanza]

Hope to hear good news about Kanango in the next few days. You should see a pretty quick turn around…. at least I have with Baytril.....

[lvoss]

I also usually see results within the first couple of days with Baytril. Hopefully that will turn things around for Kananga.

[Kananga]

He's already showing signs of improvement. First morning in awhile where he's slept past 7am. I'm finally getting a full nights rest. He's been on Baytril for over 24 hours now. No accidents since Thursday, so far so good.

[tanza]

@Kananga:

He's already showing signs of improvement. First morning in awhile where he's slept past 7am. I'm finally getting a full nights rest. He's been on Baytril for over 24 hours now. No accidents since Thursday, so far so good.

That is so great to hear!!!! Yea for Kananga!!! and for you too!!!!

[Basenjimamma]

Good to hear, I will keep my fingers crossed that you have found the cure for his problems..

[Kananga]

Vet followed up with me today. She didn't get a chance to discuss his results in-depth on Saturday, but she wanted to discuss everything with me over the phone today.

She was happy to hear he has shown signs of improvement. I asked about the concern with the specific gravity, she mentioned that it's hopefully just from him drinking more water, but that the urinalysis a week from today will really show if it's still a concern. She did say it's quite uncommon for a male dog to come down with a UTI after being neutered, but the stress can worsen a very weak presence of bacteria (typically that would be managed by the dog's immune system without any symptoms) and that it would not have shown up on any blood work prior to surgery. She has seen this happen once before. I was pleased to hear she was knowledgeable about fanconi syndrome. I explained that simply going off of his parents, there's only the possibility of him being a carrier in the worst case scenario, but that I plan on testing him in the near future.

It was nice to have a thorough discussion with her though. Seems like she really wanted to make sure all of my questions/concerns were answered.

[tanza]

Sounds like you hit the JACKPOT with your new Vet… that is so good to hear.... and sounds like Kananga is well on the way to full recovery....