Not sure if this is considered an emergency, but I feel like it is...
 

Hey everyone. This may or may not be an emergency, and my baby may not be sick/injured necessarily, but I feel deep down in my heart that it's very possible. My baby Zoe just turned 13 years old. She just had a blood/urine test done because she's been drinking a ton of water. When she drinks, she'll literally drink for a minute straight, sometimes it seems like even longer. She has been scooting for a while, and when she got the tests done about a month ago, the vet relieved her anal glands and said that she shouldn't be scooting anymore. But she has been scooting still, and I've noticed she's been doing it more and more every day. Now, usually I wouldn't be freaking out about it, but I looked up other possible causes of scooting and the only one that makes sense for her would be a perianal tumor. I also saw that a possible symptom could be increased thirst and once I saw that, I immediately started to freak out, cry, etc. I didn't know where else to turn, so I thought I'd create an account here and see if anyone has had any experience with this issue or if anyone has any opinions about it. Am I just overthnking and freaking out? Or are my worries justified? Please help, I'm so heartbroken right now.

With increased thirst, you really need to check into both diabetes AND Cushings. More about Cushings here: Cushing's Disease Summary | Long Beach Animal Hospital

She also really does need a full blood chem panel so you can see what both her liver and kidneys are doing right now.

Hi, thanks for the reply. Like I said, we had her urine and blood taken for tests because of the increased thirst. Her blood levels were normal, except her cholesterol was a bit high, but she doesn't have diabetes or anything else. Her kidneys, liver, etc. are functioning normally. The vet had no idea why Zoe has been drinking more, but said it's nothing serious. I'm concerned with the scooting, since her anal glands were relieved. I'm not sure what other reason she would be scooting, other than what I mentioned in the original post.

Sorry your little baby is going thru this. If they did a complete blood work and nothing showed what did the vet suggest next?

You can make yourself go cuckoo with self diagnosing - there's so much information on the internet. Mama's instincts are usually right tho and I would keep persisting with her current vet or get a second opinion.

Did the diet change at all? Just a shot in the dark. Good luck regardless - hang in there mama!

You say he Cholesterol is a bit high ? are you sure she was tested for Cushings & was her thyroid checked ? Also if she's scooting again she probably needs her anals emptied again. Often when then anals are really full when emptied they can fill up again quickly. Also, anal gland issues are caused by allergies either food or environmental.

theevieempire- Thank you :/ The vet couldn't give me an answer regarding the increased thirst. The only suggestion she gave me was regarding Zoe's weight and cholesterol, which was to increase exercise. Unfortunately I've been feeding her the same food for about three months now, and I can't say definitively whether that's when the increased thirst began. However, I do know that the food I'm giving her (Wellness for seniors) is a pretty healthy food. I know the Internet isn't a great place to look in these situations because it does drive me crazy, but I'm just so worried about my baby. I've had her since I was 10, and I'm so attached to her and just so paranoid about everything when it comes to her health. I was thinking though- if she did have a parianal tumor, shouldn't the vet have felt it when she relieved her anal glands? I suppose it's possible that the vet could've missed it... I'm not sure :(

Lillymae- yes, she was checked for both. The vet initially though it was her thyroid or diabetes, so she definitely tested for everything. The thing with the scooting is, it was about a month ago that they were relieved, but she never stopped at all. I think it was a few days after the vet relieved them that she was back to scooting. But you've given me great info about the anal glands, so thank you. That does makes me feel a lot better, knowing it could possibly be something not as serious. Thanks so much everyone! I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and I suppose I'll see if she's worried that Zoe is still scooting.

I would be having those anal glands checked again even if the vet isn't worried as she's deff having a problem . I see you have recently changed foods & this could be the cause of the anal gland issues as she may be allergic to something in the new food.

Lillymae- yes, I spoke to the vet today and I'm taking Zoe in on Wednesday. The only reason I came to the forum to ask about it was because it was on Saturday night that I became worried, and the vet wasn't open on Sunday (and I was freaking out about it). The vet said she may be experiencing some irritation, which would be a cause of the scooting, but I suppose I'll find out for sure on Wednesday. Thank you for the suggestion about the food allergy, I'll mention it to the vet and see what she thinks.

Please keep us informed of how your Zoe is doing! Sending healing vibes your way!

How is Zoe doing now?

There is a condition where they drink a lot and their urine is very very clear...not concentrated. It is: Diabetes Insipidus. You might want to read about it. It sounds like more diagnostics may be in order such as an ultrasound for starters.

Perhaps you could ask your vet to refer you to an internal med specialist.

Chester drinks alot of water but its from his food, so I get blood work one a year, water isnt added to his food.

I didn't know that anal gland issues were caused by allergies. I learned something new today! I am taking my Havanese in for another check since she is scooting again. She developed allergies about six months ago. I want to learn how to do this myself so I can relieve her but have also heard that if done incorrectly it can cause infection. My vet makes it look easy but IDK.

Keep us posted on Zoe's condition! Prayers being sent her way!

Sorry I haven't gotten back to everyone sooner!
 

Hi everyone! I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to find this post for so long. Finally found this post by just going back to the "Sick & Injured/Emergencies Talk" section and going through each page until I found it.

Anyways, turns out Zoe is more than okay! The vet said Zoe is very healthy and looks very good for her age. She even said that Zoe is healthier than she is! :) She said the scooting could be something in the air that is causing irritation--could be the season change, or just something else in the air in the house that could be causing it. She hasn't been doing it as much, but I have seen her do it from time to time, more so recently. I think it's the weather change; we've been having crazy fluctuations in our weather here in New Jersey. One day it's 80 degrees, and the next it's 35 degrees... literally! But regardless, the vet said it's nothing serious and to not worry about it! Zoe and I are very happy that everything is okay!

The only thing is is Zoe's a bit overweight--I have to find new food for her. The vet gave me some guidelines; she said that the new food I give her should have certain percentages of protein, fat, and fiber. She said that should help her to lose weight. However, I have yet to find a good food that comes close to the percentages she gave me. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding food? I currently give Zoe Wellness for seniors, and she loves it, so I hate to switch... but her weight is more important. Thanks everyone for the concern!!! Zoe thanks you, too!

I feed Wellness Healthy Weight to my Yorkie that was overweight. He has lost about a pound and 1/2 in the last 6 months, but also added more exercise.

So happy to come back on and hear that Zoe is doing good!

Instead of getting into the habit of manually emptying their anal glands for them, I'd instead suggest you try a different food as it's often the allergy/sensitivity to whatever ingredient that causes irritation in the GI tract overall, thus causing gland issues down the line.

If you're feeding a higher grain food - I'd try grain free. What are you feeding...?

I feed raw by either Primal or Natures Variety. But kibbles I recommend are Natures Logic (so good!), Natures Variety, Wellness Core, Solid Gold Barking At The Moon or Wee Bits....