Question:
Hello,

I've mentioned Cookie's urinating problems before....

So...she has been having accidents since we've had her. The frequency of her accidents have increased within the last month or so. She has accidents right after she wakes up usually early in the evening (not in the morning after bed time). She tends to take naps when we watch tv and then wakes up with an accident on the couch or her bed.

Sometimes she just has accidents when she is excited. Sometimes while she's running around she'll ending up leaving a streak/line of urine.

We've taken her into the vet for a urine test. This test ruled out a UTI but her urine had some calcium crystals in it. She's been on the canine U/D prescription diet for the past month. Her accidents descreased the first 2 weeks then started up again.

She's had xrays taken to check for stones which came out clean.

The vet is now suggesting a radiograph and renal graph.
The vet won't be in the office until Saturday and I will ask her then but does anyone know of any other treatments or tests we can take before the renal graph?. Should we get another urine test?

Has anyone else had similar problems? Can a 5 month old terrier mix have renal failure?

Please help. Thanks.

Answer:
I was always told that renal failure comes with other stuff too, most notably vomitting....

IMO, maybe her hormones are out of whack. Has the vet tried Propalin on her yet? If all the urinalysis results don't show anything, that's something I'd probably suggest...

Has she been spayed yet? Even unspayed, I guess she could just be not producing enough estrogen and that could be a possibility too.

Answer:
She has not been spayed yet. Apparently they are still recommending that Cookie goes through one heat before getting spayed to clear up her vaginitis.

I really don't want her to. Do you think her vaginitis may be associated with her urine problems?

I'll call the vet tomorrow to request bloodwork, what the pH level of her urine was, and propalin....

btw what is propalin? Also, should I request a second urine test?

My other questions is...do you think I should get a second opinion? I do have a great deal of confidence in the vet clinic I take both Ebie and Cookie to. They have 3 vets on staff. Due to the circumstances, Cookie's urine test, xrays, u/d prescription came from one vet (bc her regular vet was booked all day) and the radiograph/renal graph is being suggested by her regular vet. I'm not quite sure of the extent to which they have communicated with each other and feel that this is a big jump.

Answer:
Propalin is a drug that helps strengthen the bladder sphincter muscles. It can either be a syrup that you put on the food or a chewable tablet. If this isn't something caused by a UTI or other urinary tract issues, then it could be either lack of hormones (which weaken the bladder sphincter) or just a naturally weak bladder. It might be worth a try, just to see if it stops her peeing (if there's nothing wrong with her otherwise). Just a suggestion... Maybe other people have better ones. I'm not sure about the vaginitis either. I've never had a dog with it.. Sorry.

I don't really know about multiple vets... Personally, I prefer to see the same vet all the time. That way, he knows my dog's history and sensitivities...

Answer:
Your vet should know if there is a problem from the bloodtest, the
BUN and creatinine would be elevated and in a urine test there would be increased protein

Some info for you

http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/kf.html

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Falls/9065/

And here is an article on vaginitis ths may be the reason the vet wants to do the renal graph
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/vaginal...ogs/page1.aspx

and the second page http://www.petplace.com/dogs/vaginit...ogs/page1.aspx

his article is good as well as to expain about why the vagnitis happens in puppies and it also explains why your vet want her to go thru one heat

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/ins-outs.html

Answer:
Thank you for these sites. I'll definitely use the information when I speak to the vet.

Answer:
You might want to ask the vet about running a culture on Cookie's urine. Sometimes a UTI is not easily apparent from a free catch, but shows up in culture. They do a procedure (I think it's called a cytocentesis, but don't quote me on the name ) that involves extracting some urine via a needle through the abdominal wall (it sounds horrible, but honestly, none of our dogs that have had it seemed to notice it being done). The urine extracted that way is much less likely to be contaminated by external bacteria and will produce a more accurate culture. The advantage to the culture is that if it's positive, they can test the growth for sensitivity to antibiotics and prescribe the most effective one (no guessing...). It can also help rule out the presence of a UTI, which a free catch can't always do.

Answer:
Are you sure she's either A: properly housebroken, or B: excited and/or submissive urinating (look it up)? When puppies are learning bladder control, they often exhibit the symptoms you're describing. Esp at 5 months of age, the more "accidents" they have in the house, the less "housebroken" they become.

To me this doesn't sound like anything to be concerned about at all, but tests are never a bad thing either (and neither are second opinions).

Edited to add: If the dribbling or leaving spots/puddles/trails when excited IS caused by simple submissive urination, no fear... it's highly likely she'll grow out of it.

Answer: