i am still very concerned & need advice - YorkieTalk.com Forums

elle57 · 01-19-2011, 06:46 PM

oliver has been on rc so canned dog food now for 1 month. the vet said he had a couple of crystals in his urine. 2 urine tests were done, one i brought in and the other they put a catherer in and took his urine. he also had a sono done and the vet said there were no stones, but the vet said that if he has a lower urininary problem they cannot see it on the sono, that maybe a tiny stone could be there and they would never see it. i thought they could see everything with a sono. so now its 1 month and he is still straining ,but not all the time, and sometimes when he goes again after the 1st pee , the amount is very small. does anyone know what the next step would be? should i keep him on this rc so food? and for how long?
oliver is 1 1/2 yrs old

any advice, please help

Ellie May · 01-19-2011, 06:49 PM

What type of crystals?
Was the u/a repeated?
Culture done?

elle57 · 01-19-2011, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ellie May

What type of crystals?
Was the u/a repeated?
Culture done?

struvite crystals and i have to bring in his urine in about 1 week. the vet said it was only a couple

Ladymom · 01-19-2011, 07:18 PM

Has Oliver ever had a bile acids test?

elle57 · 01-19-2011, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Has Oliver ever had a bile acids test?

no , he never had this done

Ladymom · 01-19-2011, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elle57

no , he never had this done

Bladder stones can be a symptom of a liver shunt. Since Yorkies are 36 times more likely to be born with a liver shunt than all other breeds combined, all Yorkies should routinely have a bile acids test by the time they are six months old. It is especially important to have one done if your Yorkie has any symptoms of a shunt.

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

elle57 · 01-19-2011, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Bladder stones can be a symptom of a liver shunt. Since Yorkies are 36 times more likely to be born with a liver shunt than all other breeds combined, all Yorkies should routinely have a bile acids test by the time they are six months old. It is especially important to have one done if your Yorkie has any symptoms of a shunt.

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

but he said he saw no stones , but then he said maybe even though he said he is way too young that he might have a tiny tiny stone they cannot see on the sono. would that be in the bladder?

elle57 · 01-19-2011, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Bladder stones can be a symptom of a liver shunt. Since Yorkies are 36 times more likely to be born with a liver shunt than all other breeds combined, all Yorkies should routinely have a bile acids test by the time they are six months old. It is especially important to have one done if your Yorkie has any symptoms of a shunt.

Portosystemic Shunts FAQ

when they did the sono he said he did not see anything for liver shunt, as i had asked him to look.

Ladymom · 01-19-2011, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elle57

when they did the sono he said he did not see anything for liver shunt, as i had asked him to look.

Ultrasounds can be as low as 60% for detecting liver shunts, especially in small dogs. A bile acids test should be routine in Yorkies. Given his history, Oliver needs to have one done to rule it out so you can eliminate it as the cause of his urinary issues.

elle57 · 01-19-2011, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladymom

Ultrasounds can be as low as 60% for detecting liver shunts, especially in small dogs. A bile acids test should be routine in Yorkies. Given his history, Oliver needs to have one done to rule it out so you can eliminate it as the cause of his urinary issues.

ok, do i need to do another urine test before i get that done? or should i tell the vet to just do it ? the vets i have gone to i do not think they are very familar with bile acid testing. he shows no other signs of liver shunt, that i can detect

Ladymom · 01-19-2011, 09:02 PM

If Oliver were mine, I would ask for a referral to a specialist. You can waste a lot of time and money with a vet who isn't experienced with more complicated issues. IMO, all vets today should be familiar with bile acid testing if they treat breeds like Yorkies, Maltese, Cairns, Bichons, Havanese, etc.

The protocol for bile acid testing is on the YTCA website. As I said before, this should be routinely done on affected breeds like Yorkies even if they are asymptomatic.

http://www.ytca.org/health_CenterQue...xpress2010.pdf

In order to find out what is causing Oliver's urinary problems, you have to start eliminating possible causes. Liver disease is one of them.

elle57 · 01-20-2011, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladymom

If Oliver were mine, I would ask for a referral to a specialist. You can waste a lot of time and money with a vet who isn't experienced with more complicated issues. IMO, all vets today should be familiar with bile acid testing if they treat breeds like Yorkies, Maltese, Cairns, Bichons, Havanese, etc.

The protocol for bile acid testing is on the YTCA website. As I said before, this should be routinely done on affected breeds like Yorkies even if they are asymptomatic.

http://www.ytca.org/health_CenterQue...xpress2010.pdf

In order to find out what is causing Oliver's urinary problems, you have to start eliminating possible causes. Liver disease is one of them.

well thank you, i was going to try another vet anyways. i dont know about where you live but the vets here in ny do not know much. all they care about is raking you over the coals. i am in this thing with oliver for 1,000 and i have no idea what the heck is going on. when i get it done i will print this out for him. just in case

Ladymom · 01-20-2011, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elle57

well thank you, i was going to try another vet anyways. i dont know about where you live but the vets here in ny do not know much. all they care about is raking you over the coals. i am in this thing with oliver for 1,000 and i have no idea what the heck is going on. when i get it done i will print this out for him. just in case

Where in NY are you? Cornell Vet school is in upstate NY (Ithaca). I am lucky enough to live about an hour from the NC State Vet School. Vets schools are much more reasonable that vets in private practice and much more knowledgeable. A vet school or specialist will repeat all the tests your vet did anyway so it's a waste of money to stick with your regular vet when it is beyond his expertise.

Seilah · 01-20-2011, 07:13 AM

The Animal Medical Center on 86th and 1st in Manhattan would be my first choice. I live near Cornell and the hospital is quite expensive and chances are you'll have students examining your dog.

01-19-2011, 06:46 PM	#1
elle57 YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: douglaston ny Posts: 498	i am still very concerned & need advice oliver has been on rc so canned dog food now for 1 month. the vet said he had a couple of crystals in his urine. 2 urine tests were done, one i brought in and the other they put a catherer in and took his urine. he also had a sono done and the vet said there were no stones, but the vet said that if he has a lower urininary problem they cannot see it on the sono, that maybe a tiny stone could be there and they would never see it. i thought they could see everything with a sono. so now its 1 month and he is still straining ,but not all the time, and sometimes when he goes again after the 1st pee , the amount is very small. does anyone know what the next step would be? should i keep him on this rc so food? and for how long? oliver is 1 1/2 yrs old any advice, please help

01-19-2011, 06:49 PM	#2
Ellie May And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI Posts: 17,928	What type of crystals? Was the u/a repeated? Culture done? __________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶

01-19-2011, 07:18 PM	#4
Ladymom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 8,317	Has Oliver ever had a bile acids test? __________________ http://www.myladysdogbows.com/ http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref...6213341?ref=nf

01-19-2011, 09:02 PM	#11
Ladymom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 8,317	If Oliver were mine, I would ask for a referral to a specialist. You can waste a lot of time and money with a vet who isn't experienced with more complicated issues. IMO, all vets today should be familiar with bile acid testing if they treat breeds like Yorkies, Maltese, Cairns, Bichons, Havanese, etc. The protocol for bile acid testing is on the YTCA website. As I said before, this should be routinely done on affected breeds like Yorkies even if they are asymptomatic. http://www.ytca.org/health_CenterQue...xpress2010.pdf In order to find out what is causing Oliver's urinary problems, you have to start eliminating possible causes. Liver disease is one of them. __________________ http://www.myladysdogbows.com/ http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref...6213341?ref=nf Last edited by Ladymom; 01-19-2011 at 09:03 PM.

01-20-2011, 07:13 AM	#14
Seilah Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: New York Posts: 24	The Animal Medical Center on 86th and 1st in Manhattan would be my first choice. I live near Cornell and the hospital is quite expensive and chances are you'll have students examining your dog.