Urinating Cranberry Juice....
 

:animal-paHello Everyone....

I haven't been around to post in awhie. My computer had been down for quit some time and then when I got it up and running, the busy streak kicked in..lol

My neko have been fine up until now. Actually it was last month some time when I thought I noticed red in his urine. But when my husband and son would take him out, they didn't notice a thing. And because I didn't see it but maybe a red spot here and there, once a week or so, I thought maybe I was seeing things. Until a few days ago. Now it is for sure! Atleast once a day, my Neko is urinating nothing but blood and lots of it!! I took him to the vet today and they told me that they would be doing a urinalysis and getting back with me tomorrow with the results. She wants to start him on antibiotics now for the next 10 days. She mentioned possible stones if the antibiotics didn't help in the next few days or so. I didn't realize how expensive it was to go to the vet. Here in MI the charge was $106 just for an office visit, urinalysis and some antibiotics. (Unless I'm just a cheap one, my God!) Anyway, other than the red when going to the potty, he's doing fine. No fever, vomiting or diareah, etc. So hopefully my baby will be just fine! The vet also said that the possibility of stones if untreated could spell surgery..(Lets hope NOT!):animal-pa

Glad you took him to the vet, blood is a always a very serious sign, and should never be dismissed. I've heard some good things about special diets if he has stones. Stones can be extremely painful, but don't show any symptoms, until they start to move. The price you were charged seems very reasonable. Hopefully it's just a bladder infection, but I didn't think they were very common in males. Has he been nuetered, is he sexually active?

So sorry about your furbaby. The antibiotics will help, hopefully that is all he has and he will be back to normal. Vet bills can get expensive, just the office visit here in Houston start at 42.00 and go up from there. Dog foods can be loaded with minerals, calcium, high protein that can end up causing crystals, stones, especially if the dog does not drink enough water to flush this stuff out. Look into the high grades of foods posted here on YT. When my Jazzie had crystals I found a natural aid for urinary tract health called cranberry relief made by NaturVet, I put it in the water and it helps keep uti's away. Cranberry is great at balancing the acidity in the bladder for humans and dogs.
Best of luck to your baby.

Hummmmm......
 

:animal-paHi Nancy....

Yes, Neko has been nuetered. He was a rescue from the humane society. We got him in April 2009 and they'd already nuetered him just when we were picking him up. The vet called yesterday and said that Neko's urine checked out just fine. He doesn't have a UTI. She wants me to continue the antibiotics for now and monitor him carefully! She also said that if the bleeding started up again once the antibiotics are gone, I'd have to bring him in for an x-ray to check for stones. I guess that because this is my first time owning a pet and having to deal with vet bills, this is why I feel that it was pretty steep in cost...I wondered....If she gave me meds for a UTI not knowing if this is what the problem was or not, why wouldn't she give me meds for stones just incase also?? She said if there are stones and they get out of control in size, they'd have to operate to remove them. I'm assuming that if they are caught small, they can give meds for them? :animal-pa

Thank You For The Advice.....
 

:animal-paNeko's not a big water drinker..Loves his snacks, though..lol. I practically have to force water on him..(He will drink more on his own in the summer). I have been wondering if there is another good food out there for him. I'm currently feeding what they gave me at the humane society last year (science diet). I've read that it is and then I've read that it isn't a good food. So far, Neko's been okay with it. He eats it with no problem and it's not making him sick. The vet was okay with it, she just said to continue trying to get him to drink as much water as I can. The cranberry stuff by NaturVet, where can I find this?:animal-pa

Just Curious.....
 

:animal-paI had another question that hopefully someone has the answer to. I chose not to start another thread elsewhere and figured to just ask while I was here in this one.....

I have a really bad cold and was wondering...I wanted to sleep with my warm mist vicks vapor steam machine on in my room all night. When I do this, it can get pretty steamy and filled with the smell of vicks in the air of course. I wondered if it would bother Neko? He sleeps in my room on the floor in his bed next to my bed every night. I hate to make him sleep in his crate, but I don't want him to inhale the vicks all night if this will make him sick or bother him in anyway. It can get VERY strong. What do you think?:animal-pa

How would you know if a yorkie had a fever? What signs would prompt you to take his temp.?

It doesn't sound like an infection it sounds like stones. I'm not aware of any medicine that can be given for stones. If the stones are small enough, they can pass, but this causes extreme pain. Stones are jagged and the blood you see may be from the stones passing out of the kidney and traveling to the bladder. As the stone passes it cuts the tubes, and this is the bleeding you can see. Sometimes stones are too big to pass, and block the kidney, this causes extreme pain, and death can result without surgery. I would try and find a food made for dogs prone to kidney stones. There are certain foods that have been shown to reduce the risk of development of stones. You can ask your vet about them, I know Royal Canin makes one type, but if I had a dog that developed stones, I would change his diet. Cranberry juice is good for bladder infections, but it doesn't do anything for stones.

:animal-paI'm not sure how to tell if a dog has a fever or not. I'm assuming that just as humans would, that a dog may feel very warm to touch? Maybe lay around and not be as active as they normally would be?


:animal-paThanx again Nancy! Hummm...I assumed that the vet was speaking about a med that she would give my baby to help with passing the stones. I guess I missunderstood, thank you for clearing that up. She did mention that they would be very painful as well. And that I would even notice the dog in pain trying to go potty. :( As for food, Royal canin, a? Other than lots of water, I will try checking into something else to feed him as well...Thanx Again!:animal-pa

I just know that Royal Canin makes one specific kind for dogs prone to stones, I don't know which other companies make this. Don't get the regular Royal Canin, but the kind for stones. Your vet might instead recommend a food with water mixed in it, if your dog isn't drinking enough water. If you could get him to pee on a pee pad, you might have more luck finding the stone; they are tiny. If you find a stone, it can be tested and sometimes it gives you a better clue on what to do to stop the formation of stones.

I don't know about the fever question, taking the temperature is the only way I know.

if no uti i would do an xray and ultrasound to rule out stones as what were her other reasons for blood being in the urine if no uti?

the ears would be warm or you can take temp and normal is 100.5-102.5

Not sure.......
 

:animal-paI'm not sure what's wrong. The vet did say that his urine sample came back okay. NO UTI. She said that there shouldn't be anymore bleeding within the first 3 days of taking the antibiotics. However, if it doesn't doesn't stop, or it stops and comes back again, that she is just about certain it's stones. Well, it has done just that. He started the antibiotics on Monday and as of Thursday, the bleeding has started again. So I will have to take him back to get the x-ray. I'm just gonna pray that I can get the money soon to take him back and that if it is stones they are very tiny and the bleeding is because he IS passing them. Other than that, this was her only other reason for the blood being in the urnine. I'm praying for my baby to get well soon.:animal-pa

I'm sending a prayer for your baby too.

Forgot to add.....
 

:animal-paI tried to edit the above message but it would not let me. I just wanted to add that the vet also mentioned that it's possilbe to just simply have an irritated bladder. However, she did say with the amount and the lenght of time the dog has been bleeding, she doubts this. So yes, the best thing is to go back and get the x-ray done as you mentioned to hopefully rule out stones. Or so if it is stones, I hope he will not have to have the surgery and that they pass on their own. I'm really getting worried because in my opinion, eventhough it's only been a week, the antibiotics don't seem to be working. He is still bleeding with just about every outside visit.:(:animal-pa

Thank you soo much!
 

:animal-paI'll check back in later and post an update when I get one. Thanx again for your help and support. Not sure what I would have done (a first time dog owner), adopting a dog and not finding this site. It has been truely helpful.:animal-pa

I hope the vet can figure out what is causing the bleeding and get him better. Will the Humane Society be able to do an Xray or help in any way? Just a thought.

If he has bladder stones, he is going to need surgery. The cost is going to be high...probably around $800, so I would say you better brace yourself.

This link has a lot of information. It does have a section about medical management, but I have honestly never seen that done successfully. Who knows....maybe it is??

Bladder Stones (Urinary Calculi) in Dogs

can you get CareCredit Healthcare Finance - Payment Plans and Financing for Cosmetic Surgery, Dental, Vision, Hearing, Veterinary & Other Medical Procedures as i do not think they will pass stones :( or i do not believe you can break them down. You can contact a holistic vet but they charge more than regular vets :( the one out here charges $90 and regular vets are $52 so I would invest the money in an xray. Also you need to know if struvite or urate - if urate then you need to have liver bile acids done after so real important to know what stone it is

Urolithiasis in Dogs

when they did urinalysis was ph normal? Were there crystals in the urine and did they spin it down to see if crystals in the urine?

i know juicing zucchini and celery will help and putting pulp and juice on food and only do organic and you can get from whole foods or lassens. The zucchini cleanses the liver and celery cleanses the urinary tract. Many liver disease dog owners do this for their dogs and it is very helpful.

hi lady amethyst

was unable to send you a reply through the pm system, and didnt receive your first pm, would love to know what happened to neko, to put my mind at rest with rosie.

she sounds a lot similiar to your furbaby, and i think another trip to the vets is needed tomorrow, as taking her out today she keeps squatting and losing blood.

thanks emmaxxx

I was just wanting to know if the vet has verified stones, the sooner you have them removed the better. Please let us know how she's doing.

Hi there. You really must get those xrays to see if your baby has stones. My foster just went though bladder stone surgery after being neglected by her former owner for over a year. She had 4 VERY LARGE stones in her, the largest being about the size of a very large marble, the smallest the size of a jelly bean. She was in constant pain, peeing straight RED blood. If you baby does indeed have stones the only way to get rid of them is surgery, which the surgery would be less pain on the dog than trying to pass them. The cost of the surgery would be the least of my worries. Also yes, apply for a care credit card to pay for it.

They will also need to do bloodwork, as my foster (katie) had a very high white blood cell count, low red cell count, and anemic due to peeing blood. She was on IVs for 2 days before surgery could be performed to clean out all toxins first, and get stable. So you will be paying for overnight stay as well. if you do nothing, your dog will be in very bad pain, and if let intreated could die.

Please let us know an update.

:thumbup::thumbup:


Great post, I hope Lady Amethyst takes your advice.

What about the prostate, that can sometimes cause bloody urine in men aparantly dogs have them too?

ok I don't know if the Op has seen my thread, but I'll post these here.

IF YOUR DOGGIE HAS STONES, THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU DO NOTHING!

The biggest stone was the size of a huge marble, half the size of a chicken nugget, but flat. The smallest, the size of a regular marble, but like the biggest pearl you've ever seen in your life. Please get your baby some xrays.

Hoping your baby is ok. I just went through this with my Bitsy. Maybe he needs a stronger antibiotic? If he is still bleeding, something more definately needs to be done.

Thank You To EVERYONE...
 

:animal-paI wanted to post back to give a "THANK YOU" to everyone for all of their "GREAT ADVICE" and "PRAYERS" for my Neko!

Unfortunately...I haven't taken him yet for his x-ray. To give an update on him, he is now done with his 10 days of antibiotics and I haven't noticed blood in his urine while taking him outside in 4 days and counting! Not to say that this is the best news, knowing that he still has a problem that hasn't been ruled out yet by x-ray and or further testing.

Previously, at the vet, I was told that Neko's urine sample would be taken and that he would be prescribed some antibiotics for the next 10 days. The vet called me the next day saying that the urine tested negative for a UTI and the ph levels were normal also there were no signs of crystals. So she mentioned an x-ray to rule out stones and in the meantime to continue the antibiotics. I have increased Neko's water and changed his food. He is currently (just as he always had been) still eating and drinking well and still very much so ACTIVE and showing us LOVE!

I'm not saying that I don't love my dog, but last year my husband lost his job here in MI and my poor little family have been suffering something awful. We've almost lost our home, cars, etc. thanx to the financial struggle. I've applied for the Care Credit Health Care as the Humane Society suggested because they will not pay for anything. I was told that once I took ownership of the dog from them, they are no longer liable for his care, I AM. I figured and it's so..With our financial crises, I was turned down for the Care Credit Card. As for all who wanted me to know how serious the situation is and how much my dog could or could not be in pain/suffering..I know this and for this reason, my family have discussed surrendering Neko back to the Humane Society if we can't come up with money for his care. This will hurt us something awful, but the dog will not have to suffer. So I do understand and "Thanx Again" to everyone who gave that advice. I will continue to borrow rob or steal if I have to..to get my baby taken care of...In the meantime, I'm continuing to pray!:animal-pa

Vicks can be toxic to dogs, so I would think this is a bad idea to keep him in the same room.

Lethargy (laying around more than normal), ears and feet may feel very warm to the touch, refusing food and/or water are signs a dog may have a fever. They may not show all these signs. Noses wet or dry is not an indicator. If a dog has a fever over 103.0 F, swab the ears and feet with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol, careful not to get in the eyes. This should break the fever long enough to get to the vet. It evaporates quickly so the dog is not left with wet feet and ears when the fever comes down, making them subject to becoming chilled. Hot ears alone may indicate and ear infection or other localized problem.

The problem here is that your Katie went for a whole year without treatment, which made her case so much worse than a dog being newly diagnosed. I don't think a dog like Neko, being newly diagnosed, would be in as bad condition at this point in time. It does depend on the individual, and how long this has been going on before actual discovery ... just don't want to scare the OP. At the least, an x ray and special diet and meds may prevent the situation from worsening until funds can be acquired for surgery if it is deemed necessary, and provided the dog's health is not at a critical stage. Also maybe ask the vet about a payment plan... many won't but sometimes they will.

To increase water intake: add low sodium chicken broth to the water, and you can add water/broth to his food. (check with your vet first)

I may have been dreaming, but I thought I read somewhere that if the stones are relatively small, an ultrasound can be used to break them up so they can pass naturally. If this is true, this is a very good reason to get that Xray ASAP, as US should be less expensive than surgery.