Kidney Problems, clear urine, delayed hearing?!?!

[delicatepuzzle]

Please bare with me ... I was never so worried with my boys. I just spent 3 hrs reading/searching for another post and reading liver/kidney posts I've officially worked myself into a hot mess.

Ella's pee is so clear, but it does smell (different than boy pee but still dog pee smelly none the less). Leading me to think kidney problems.
She pees SOOOO much!!! Yet is constantly thirsty/drinking. Leading me to think diabetes.
I don't know if this is related but I still feel like she only has partial hearing or she REALLY good at ignoring mommy's claps/calls but hears pennies in a can. And sometimes her response is delayed.
She eats just fine, sleeps fine, poops fine. I've never had to worry about hypoglycemia with her (unlike her unrelated brother). I have taken her to the vet about the hearing (even they were stunted by her hearing ...) I'm just now noticing the clear urine, constant thirst. My sister is the one who mentioned the constant thirst and clear urine. She just got a min. schnauzer and her pee is fine.

I'm I just being an overly observant nursing student? Should I take Ella back to the vet for blood tests to ease my mind? OR Should I save my money for tuition and textbooks?

Oh Ella is 6 months old in two days and weighs 4.4lbs.

thank you for anything you can do/say to calm my nerves.

[Pinehaven]

Sorry to hear about your worries with your girl

With the thirsty and clear urine, maybe she's just thirsty (some of mine drink a lot more than others), the more they drink the more they pee. Clear pee wouldn't be a bad thing - meaning they are getting enough to drink and are not dehydrated. If you are worried about the money, you could try testing her blood sugar level at fasting, fasting level should be below 75 -120mg. If you don't know someone who could lend you a blood glucose meter, let me know, my daughter is a type 1 diabetic and we have lots of old meters. I'd be happy to send one to you with a few test strips. If her fasting BS levels are ok, and she's not showing any other symptoms of diabetes (weight loss, poor coat and skin, fatigue, weakness ...) then she is probably ok.

As for the hearing, is Ella the parti in your avatar? Some dog breeds that have parti color and white color, also have problems with these colored dogs having hearing problems. Below is a little blurb I wrote for the Colorful Yorkie website.

Piebald gene and Deafness

by Sue White *

At this time, there does not appear to be a problem with deafness in the parti yorkie but this is *something that breeders must be aware of when breeding dogs that display the parti (piebald) gene.* We have been breeding parti colored yorkies for over 10 years and at least 5 generations but I've heard of no instances of deafness in the parti colored yorkie.

Congenital deafness has been reported in approximately 85 different dog breeds (including the traditional colored yorkshire terrier), it can show up in almost any breed but especially those who have white pigmentation.* There are two genes that are associated with deafness in dogs, one is the Merle gene (not seen in the yorkie) the other is the piebald gene which is the spotting gene that causes the coloring on the parti yorkies.

Dogs who have white heads tend to have greater chances of deafness (deafness in one ear or both), so it's thought that breeding dogs who have pigmented coloring on their heads, will lessen the chances of deafness.

If you suspect or are concerned that your traditional colored or parti colored yorkie may have a hearing problem, there is a special hearing test called the brainstem auditory evoked response test, also known as the “BAER” test, which will determine if there is a problem.

For more detailed information on Deafness and the Piebald gene please see the following links:

Genetics of Deafness in Dogs

Deafness in Dogs & Cats

Good luck with Ella - sending prayers and positive thoughts your way.

[Wylie's Mom]

Well, she's quite young to make me think of many diseases. However, the polydipsia/polyuria is a sign to pay a lot of attention to - it can mean diabetes, Cushings (doubt it at her age), and other things. Urinating Frequently (Polyuria) Can Be a Sign of Serious Disease in Pets

As for hearing loss, has she ever been given ear ointment that contains gentamycin?

[Patti]

I am sorry to hear this. My puppy Dixie's urine was clear and NO odor, I did not notice her drinking a lot but she peed a little many times. Unfortunately she had congenital kidney failure. I would have a urinalysis done and bloodwork as soon as possible. Since her urine has odor that is a good sign as far as not being kidney failure. It could be normal for her at this stage but I would check into it. Please keep us posted.

[delicatepuzzle]

Originally Posted by Pinehaven

Sorry to hear about your worries with your girl

With the thirsty and clear urine, maybe she's just thirsty (some of mine drink a lot more than others), the more they drink the more they pee. Clear pee wouldn't be a bad thing - meaning they are getting enough to drink and are not dehydrated. If you are worried about the money, you could try testing her blood sugar level at fasting, fasting level should be below 75 -120mg. If you don't know someone who could lend you a blood glucose meter, let me know, my daughter is a type 1 diabetic and we have lots of old meters. I'd be happy to send one to you with a few test strips. If her fasting BS levels are ok, and she's not showing any other symptoms of diabetes (weight loss, poor coat and skin, fatigue, weakness ...) then she is probably ok.

As for the hearing, is Ella the parti in your avatar? Some dog breeds that have parti color and white color, also have problems with these colored dogs having hearing problems. Below is a little blurb I wrote for the Colorful Yorkie website.

Piebald gene and Deafness

by Sue White *

At this time, there does not appear to be a problem with deafness in the parti yorkie but this is *something that breeders must be aware of when breeding dogs that display the parti (piebald) gene.* We have been breeding parti colored yorkies for over 10 years and at least 5 generations but I've heard of no instances of deafness in the parti colored yorkie.

Congenital deafness has been reported in approximately 85 different dog breeds (including the traditional colored yorkshire terrier), it can show up in almost any breed but especially those who have white pigmentation.* There are two genes that are associated with deafness in dogs, one is the Merle gene (not seen in the yorkie) the other is the piebald gene which is the spotting gene that causes the coloring on the parti yorkies.

Dogs who have white heads tend to have greater chances of deafness (deafness in one ear or both), so it's thought that breeding dogs who have pigmented coloring on their heads, will lessen the chances of deafness.

If you suspect or are concerned that your traditional colored or parti colored yorkie may have a hearing problem, there is a special hearing test called the brainstem auditory evoked response test, also known as the “BAER” test, which will determine if there is a problem.

For more detailed information on Deafness and the Piebald gene please see the following links:

Genetics of Deafness in Dogs

Deafness in Dogs & Cats

Good luck with Ella - sending prayers and positive thoughts your way.

She is a biewer. I'm on the phone with an specialist office that's right down the road from me. Thank you. I just want someone to tell me she is fine! I just have this feeling that something is off about her. Maybe its just that she so stinkin adorable LOL.

[delicatepuzzle]

Awh thank you guys. I love YT. You seem so kind-hearted and truly caring. I'm going to try to limit her water intake. I noticed that since I switched to filtered water she drinks more. Somehow I'm only going to allow her 1 cup of water today and see how this goes.

Well I just called the local specialist and a hearing test will run me about $270. Ugh ... see now she is responding to me. Oh stubborn little thing!!! How long did it take your dog to learn her name, in a multiply dog family?

[Wylie's Mom]

Wow, that's a lot for the test!

Did the specialist you talked to suggest any blood work?

[delicatepuzzle]

Originally Posted by Patti

I am sorry to hear this. My puppy Dixie's urine was clear and NO odor, I did not notice her drinking a lot but she peed a little many times. Unfortunately she had congenital kidney failure. I would have a urinalysis done and bloodwork as soon as possible. Since her urine has odor that is a good sign as far as not being kidney failure. It could be normal for her at this stage but I would check into it. Please keep us posted.

Ella pees A LOT and MANY times. My sister was the one who noticed it. But then again I guess if you drink a lot ... it's gotta come out ... right?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by delicatepuzzle

Ella pees A LOT and MANY times. My sister was the one who noticed it. But then again I guess if you drink a lot ... it's gotta come out ... right?

Oh, you got that right . But, excessive drinking (polydipsia) can be a sign of serious things (kidney issues, Cushing's, diabetes). I mean, your baby is so young so I doubt something like Cushing's....but true polydipsia has to be looked into. But I don't mean to scare you !

Urinating Frequently (Polyuria) Can Be a Sign of Serious Disease in Pets

[Ellie May]

The hearing, Yorkies are reallllllly good at ignoring things.
If it's the BAER hearing test, I personally wouldn't rush into it.
I was told 2 years ago that it isn't being used as much anymore.

How many ounces of water is she drinking a day.
If she does have polyurea/polydipsia, she needs to see the vet immediately.

[delicatepuzzle]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

The hearing, Yorkies are reallllllly good at ignoring things. Lately Ella has been more responsive that before, even to her name!!! Yay!!! The hearing is less of a concern right now.

If it's the BAER hearing test, I personally wouldn't rush into it.
I was told 2 years ago that it isn't being used as much anymore.

How many ounces of water is she drinking a day.Its hard to tell because I have three of em right now and they all drink. My older one got shots yesterday and its really weird ... because all of them are mooping around with him (its kind of cute, like the little ones are trying to comfort him). Basically no one is really drinking any water.
If she does have polyurea/polydipsia, she needs to see the vet immediately.

BREEDERS :::: if I get these tests done now do I have to do them again when she is ready to have babies?

:: off topic :: I'm off to Mcee Dees to get a happy meal and a beanie baby LOL I loves those things and so do the pups LOL.

<looks like versace, brinklii, ella and goofy me LOL hahaha ... we are sending our thanks for all the advise. I will be taking Ella to the vet tomorrow. She sure does know how to spend mommy's money. Gosh I love her!

[Ellie May]

What tests are you wondering about repeating later?
Blood panels should be done often as should urinalyses.

[delicatepuzzle]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

What tests are you wondering about repeating later?
Blood panels should be done often as should urinalyses.

How often? Ugh I highly DISLIKE Banfield as they told me with Versace that blood tests were done when he got his teeth cleaned and if he had any liver/kidney problems they wouldn't of cleaned his teeth (because they have to be put under). UUGHHHHH!!!! I asked her how often these tests should be run and she said once was enough! I will be going back to get bloodwork done on Versace as I pay for that!!!!!

[Yorkieluv]

I'm sorry to read about your worries...Hopefully she's okay, but it's always good to run blood and urine tests (esp. if you're concerned with her water intake/urine) to make sure everything's okay. If it were me, I probably would not limit water intake because I feel that they should be able to drink water when they're thirsty, just like I want to be able to drink water whenever I want If they want water, they probably need it.

Good luck, and I hope everything is okay!!

[delicatepuzzle]

Originally Posted by Yorkieluv

I'm sorry to read about your worries...Hopefully she's okay, but it's always good to run blood and urine tests (esp. if you're concerned with her water intake/urine) to make sure everything's okay. If it were me, I probably would not limit water intake because I feel that they should be able to drink water when they're thirsty, just like I want to be able to drink water whenever I want If they want water, they probably need it.

Good luck, and I hope everything is okay!!

I normally don't limit their water, I just wanted to see if she could concentrate her urine or not. As I feel the same way. I ended up not even needing to limit her water. I found out who slurps down all the water (Versace). He has been sore (shots yesterday) in mommy's bed all day and the water bowl is still wet.