YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post

DJ30 · 06-24-2018, 01:48 PM

I need your help. Angel is 12 years old and had a checkup last week with rabies vaccine and blood work. She has increased kidney values. Her urea (BUN) is 16.5 (reference value is 3.2-11.0 mmol/L). Her creatinine is 204 (reference value is 44-133 umol/L). Her SDMA is 19 (reference value is 0-14 ug/dL). Our vet wants to do a urinalysis before she comments on her kidneys, but I wasn't able to get a sample yet.

Angel has been on Tylosin 50 mg once daily since October 2017 for colitis. She was on Metronidazole (chicken flavoured) for about 6 weeks in addition to the Tylosin. We wanted to wean her off Tylosin as we don't want her to build an antibiotic resistance and be on a medication long term. Vet said she has never seen an antibiotic resistance with Tylosin. She said it's a little different in that it's a GI antibiotic, and it doesn't affect most of the normal flora of their body. It really targets the GI. She said we could just stop it as the dose is low. We stopped it Thursday and Friday, and Friday night she had flatulence and started to develop loose stools again. She vomited a little of her dinner overnight. Therefore, we restarted Tylosin Saturday morning as we normally give it with breakfast. On Sunday after midnight, she vomited one soft undigested kibble. We're hoping to get her loose stools under control soon. We feed Wellness whitefish and sweet potato dry kibble. When she first developed symptoms, we were told to try a novel protein. We tried Wellness duck and oatmeal, which didn't help. We then tried Royal Canin GI Fiber response, but she had an allergic reaction to the chicken. She scratched a lot as a puppy when we gave her chicken flavoured kibble, which is why we went with Wellness whitefish and sweet potato. Vet thought she might have outgrown the allergy, which is why we tried again. Due to her latest GI symptoms and kidney values, I ordered Rayne Crocodilia-Maint dry kibble as it's a novel protein good for GI and skin issues with even lower protein. It also has prebiotics (fructooligosaccharides).

https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...iets_June2.pdf

I still want to try to wean her off Tylosin if possible. I want to try digestive enzymes and probiotics. Vet doesn't think she needs digestive enzymes. She said it's for dogs who can't digest and for very specific conditions. She wouldn't use it for Angel. She said if we want to try a probiotic there is Purina FortiFlora, which is recommended by the veterinary college. From the website I see it only has one probiotic and the protein is 43%. This was before we got the blood work back. Tylosin is expensive, and I want to give her something natural and less expensive. If nothing else works, we'll definitely keep her on Tylosin. Do you agree that a digestive enzyme isn't necessary? Is it better for a probiotic to have more strains? I'm considering NWC Total Zymes plus Probiotics (NWC Naturals Pet Products | Probiotics For Dogs | Cats | Pets), which I can order from amazon.ca. I want something that is easily accessible in Canada. If we don't need digestive enzymes, there is NWC Total-Biotics (Best Probiotic | For Dogs | Cats | Total-Biotics | Benefits). Are these safe for her kidneys? Do you have any suggestions? Does she need a prebiotic in the supplement?

I'll give you Angel's history now.

Angel had a lump on her right ear in 2015, which got bigger. Our vet removed it, and the pathology results showed it to be a benign tumour called a histiocytoma, which we were told would not grow back. However, she developed another one right by that area. We tried Betaderm 0.1%. She then developed one on the left ear. We saw a dermatologist and tried synotic but it didn't help. We then tried Tetracycline/Niacinamide and topical Protopic. As she responded to this, she was diagnosed with reactive histiocytosis. She has developed lumps and bumps on and off over the years on her ears and body (some epitrichial cysts). The derm said the symptoms can wax and wane. In April/May 2016 she developed white heads around her anus with crusting. The crusts resolved leaving hyperpigmentation. In December 2016 she had dry skin under the tail and we were prescribed Douxo Pyo pads and Surolan. She has had at least two ear infections during her life where she also used Surolan. She had a lump at the base of her tail, which was removed and found to be an early benign keratoacanthoma.

Angel started burrowing under the blanket in 2016 or maybe earlier. In December she started to lose hair around her right eye, and sometime after she started to lose hair around the left eye. In early 2018 the bridge of her nose became bald. Both ears had dry patches, for which I used coconut oil. The dryness went away but so did the hair in those areas. The derm said possible causes for the hair loss are hormonal (thyroid/Cushing's), Demodex and ringworm. When we first saw him in 2015, he said Yorkies can be asymptomatic carriers of ringworm (Kerion). He took a sample with tape from her nose but didn't see anything under the microscope. He could do a skin scraping as Demodex mange mites are deep within the skin. For ringworm he could do a fungal culture (toothbrush technique). We held off on these two tests. He prescribed Duoxo Pyo pads for the bridge of her nose for fungal infection. We used it for 21 days, and the hair is growing back. I emailed him a picture, and I'm waiting for a response.

In December 2017 vet ordered thyroid panel and fT4 EQD. Total T4 was 13.4 (reference value 13.0-53.0 nmol/L); total T3 was 0.83 (reference value (0.90-2.10 nmol/L); free T4 by ED was 16.7 (reference value 9.0-47.4 pmol/L); cTSH was 0.11 (reference value 0.00-0.60 ng/mL); thyroglobulin autoantibody was negative. Pathologist thought thyroid hormone levels were adequate. In June 2018 We repeated the fTF EQD and it's 25.7.

Angel has been monitored for Cushing's disease over the past few years as she drinks a lot of water to the point of vomiting it up at times and urinates more. We did two LDDST (2016 and 2017), which were normal. Her urinalyses have also been normal except for July 2016, when the specific gravity was a bit low (1.018), i.e. more diluted than desired. Her SDMA (reference value 0-14 ug/dL) has been increasing over the years (April 2016: 12; June 2016: 14; March 2017: 17; December 2017: 23; June 2018: 19). Her creatinine is really elevated now at 204 (reference value 44-133). These are the creatinine values over the years - April 2016: 127; June 2016: 123; March 2017: 97; December 2017: 105). Now her urea (BUN) from June 2018 is elevated at 204 (reference value is 44-133).

Angel was diagnosed with nuclear sclerosis a few years ago and then cataracts some time later. As our vet mentioned the cataracts were getting worse, on October 2, 2017, we took her to an opthalmologist, who didn't mention the cataracts but diagnosed her with progressive retinal degeneration. On October 4, 2017, she had the lump removed at the base of her tail (early benign keratoacanthoma). Nine days later she developed loose stools with blood and mucus. We never figured out a medical cause from all the testing (stool, blood work and ultrasound). We finished a chlorhexidine bottle for her teeth on December 24, 2017, and when we opened it to rinse out for recycling, we saw black spots inside the bottle, which we thought was mold! The expiry date was March 2018. Vet didn't know if this was the cause for the colitis, but she didn't think it was likely and the derm agreed. The only cause I could think of was stress from the ophthalmology and lump removal appointments being 2 days apart.

We saw another eye vet (not a board certified ophthalmologist) in April 2018 for another opinion. He diagnosed Angel with bilateral cataracts with retinal degeneration and lenticular sclerosis. He recommended Ocu-GLO vision supplement. We stopped that temporarily due to the colitis as it causes Angel's stool colour to be pinky/red.

Sorry for the long post, but I'd like to get any feedback that will help us with Angel's issues.

06-24-2018, 01:48 PM	#1
DJ30 YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ontario Posts: 311	Kidney, GI and Skin Issues I need your help. Angel is 12 years old and had a checkup last week with rabies vaccine and blood work. She has increased kidney values. Her urea (BUN) is 16.5 (reference value is 3.2-11.0 mmol/L). Her creatinine is 204 (reference value is 44-133 umol/L). Her SDMA is 19 (reference value is 0-14 ug/dL). Our vet wants to do a urinalysis before she comments on her kidneys, but I wasn't able to get a sample yet. Angel has been on Tylosin 50 mg once daily since October 2017 for colitis. She was on Metronidazole (chicken flavoured) for about 6 weeks in addition to the Tylosin. We wanted to wean her off Tylosin as we don't want her to build an antibiotic resistance and be on a medication long term. Vet said she has never seen an antibiotic resistance with Tylosin. She said it's a little different in that it's a GI antibiotic, and it doesn't affect most of the normal flora of their body. It really targets the GI. She said we could just stop it as the dose is low. We stopped it Thursday and Friday, and Friday night she had flatulence and started to develop loose stools again. She vomited a little of her dinner overnight. Therefore, we restarted Tylosin Saturday morning as we normally give it with breakfast. On Sunday after midnight, she vomited one soft undigested kibble. We're hoping to get her loose stools under control soon. We feed Wellness whitefish and sweet potato dry kibble. When she first developed symptoms, we were told to try a novel protein. We tried Wellness duck and oatmeal, which didn't help. We then tried Royal Canin GI Fiber response, but she had an allergic reaction to the chicken. She scratched a lot as a puppy when we gave her chicken flavoured kibble, which is why we went with Wellness whitefish and sweet potato. Vet thought she might have outgrown the allergy, which is why we tried again. Due to her latest GI symptoms and kidney values, I ordered Rayne Crocodilia-Maint dry kibble as it's a novel protein good for GI and skin issues with even lower protein. It also has prebiotics (fructooligosaccharides). https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...iets_June2.pdf I still want to try to wean her off Tylosin if possible. I want to try digestive enzymes and probiotics. Vet doesn't think she needs digestive enzymes. She said it's for dogs who can't digest and for very specific conditions. She wouldn't use it for Angel. She said if we want to try a probiotic there is Purina FortiFlora, which is recommended by the veterinary college. From the website I see it only has one probiotic and the protein is 43%. This was before we got the blood work back. Tylosin is expensive, and I want to give her something natural and less expensive. If nothing else works, we'll definitely keep her on Tylosin. Do you agree that a digestive enzyme isn't necessary? Is it better for a probiotic to have more strains? I'm considering NWC Total Zymes plus Probiotics (NWC Naturals Pet Products \| Probiotics For Dogs \| Cats \| Pets), which I can order from amazon.ca. I want something that is easily accessible in Canada. If we don't need digestive enzymes, there is NWC Total-Biotics (Best Probiotic \| For Dogs \| Cats \| Total-Biotics \| Benefits). Are these safe for her kidneys? Do you have any suggestions? Does she need a prebiotic in the supplement? I'll give you Angel's history now. Angel had a lump on her right ear in 2015, which got bigger. Our vet removed it, and the pathology results showed it to be a benign tumour called a histiocytoma, which we were told would not grow back. However, she developed another one right by that area. We tried Betaderm 0.1%. She then developed one on the left ear. We saw a dermatologist and tried synotic but it didn't help. We then tried Tetracycline/Niacinamide and topical Protopic. As she responded to this, she was diagnosed with reactive histiocytosis. She has developed lumps and bumps on and off over the years on her ears and body (some epitrichial cysts). The derm said the symptoms can wax and wane. In April/May 2016 she developed white heads around her anus with crusting. The crusts resolved leaving hyperpigmentation. In December 2016 she had dry skin under the tail and we were prescribed Douxo Pyo pads and Surolan. She has had at least two ear infections during her life where she also used Surolan. She had a lump at the base of her tail, which was removed and found to be an early benign keratoacanthoma. Angel started burrowing under the blanket in 2016 or maybe earlier. In December she started to lose hair around her right eye, and sometime after she started to lose hair around the left eye. In early 2018 the bridge of her nose became bald. Both ears had dry patches, for which I used coconut oil. The dryness went away but so did the hair in those areas. The derm said possible causes for the hair loss are hormonal (thyroid/Cushing's), Demodex and ringworm. When we first saw him in 2015, he said Yorkies can be asymptomatic carriers of ringworm (Kerion). He took a sample with tape from her nose but didn't see anything under the microscope. He could do a skin scraping as Demodex mange mites are deep within the skin. For ringworm he could do a fungal culture (toothbrush technique). We held off on these two tests. He prescribed Duoxo Pyo pads for the bridge of her nose for fungal infection. We used it for 21 days, and the hair is growing back. I emailed him a picture, and I'm waiting for a response. In December 2017 vet ordered thyroid panel and fT4 EQD. Total T4 was 13.4 (reference value 13.0-53.0 nmol/L); total T3 was 0.83 (reference value (0.90-2.10 nmol/L); free T4 by ED was 16.7 (reference value 9.0-47.4 pmol/L); cTSH was 0.11 (reference value 0.00-0.60 ng/mL); thyroglobulin autoantibody was negative. Pathologist thought thyroid hormone levels were adequate. In June 2018 We repeated the fTF EQD and it's 25.7. Angel has been monitored for Cushing's disease over the past few years as she drinks a lot of water to the point of vomiting it up at times and urinates more. We did two LDDST (2016 and 2017), which were normal. Her urinalyses have also been normal except for July 2016, when the specific gravity was a bit low (1.018), i.e. more diluted than desired. Her SDMA (reference value 0-14 ug/dL) has been increasing over the years (April 2016: 12; June 2016: 14; March 2017: 17; December 2017: 23; June 2018: 19). Her creatinine is really elevated now at 204 (reference value 44-133). These are the creatinine values over the years - April 2016: 127; June 2016: 123; March 2017: 97; December 2017: 105). Now her urea (BUN) from June 2018 is elevated at 204 (reference value is 44-133). Angel was diagnosed with nuclear sclerosis a few years ago and then cataracts some time later. As our vet mentioned the cataracts were getting worse, on October 2, 2017, we took her to an opthalmologist, who didn't mention the cataracts but diagnosed her with progressive retinal degeneration. On October 4, 2017, she had the lump removed at the base of her tail (early benign keratoacanthoma). Nine days later she developed loose stools with blood and mucus. We never figured out a medical cause from all the testing (stool, blood work and ultrasound). We finished a chlorhexidine bottle for her teeth on December 24, 2017, and when we opened it to rinse out for recycling, we saw black spots inside the bottle, which we thought was mold! The expiry date was March 2018. Vet didn't know if this was the cause for the colitis, but she didn't think it was likely and the derm agreed. The only cause I could think of was stress from the ophthalmology and lump removal appointments being 2 days apart. We saw another eye vet (not a board certified ophthalmologist) in April 2018 for another opinion. He diagnosed Angel with bilateral cataracts with retinal degeneration and lenticular sclerosis. He recommended Ocu-GLO vision supplement. We stopped that temporarily due to the colitis as it causes Angel's stool colour to be pinky/red. Sorry for the long post, but I'd like to get any feedback that will help us with Angel's issues.