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Hi Alyssa,
I agree with Sheena, you want to check that out. You don’t really need the vet to do an urine analysis, they don’t even need to see Sassy. Just bring in the urine and they can check it at the lab there. If there is a problem they can also send it in to a lab I guess. Sometimes they want to send it in so they can target the UTI with the proper antibiotic.
We become so observant with our dogs and you are certainly doing a great job with that. Little changes of habit could mean something…. Sassy resting on a hard surface might mean that she is hot? The prednisone raises their metabolism and they are hot all the time. This could be the reason she prefers the floor.
Best wishes,
Brigitte
Oh, yes, we went to the vet. Just got back.
Well, she has a UTI. She said there was a lot of bacteria in the urine, and that they were the tube shaped ones that are resistant to bacteria. So she has to send the culture off to a lab to see exactly what type of antibiotic we need. Until Monday, I have 4 pills of Cefpodoxime to give her.
And, well, now for some news I’m really upset about, I had them do a quick hematocrit test and she is at 35%, down from 39.93% on the 11th, 6 days ago. We did drop her prednisone then, from 2 pills a day to 1.5 pills a day, her azathioprine from 1.5 pills a day to 1 pill a day. I know a lot of you say a small drop can be expected after lowering a dose. Is this a small drop? Has it had enough time that it should be back up by now (6 days since the drop)? The dr did not seem overly concerned, suggesting it could be because of the UTI she is fighting. But, of course, I’m really scared.
Sorry, typo, I meant to say “the tubed shaped ones that are resistant to broad sprectrum antibiotics”
Hi Alyssa
Please dear friend – don’t be scared. I really feel for you with all this extra worry – Sassy’s poor eye, the rash & now UTI. She has an infection – your vet is right – that always holds them back a bit because they aren’t able to fight it off themselves properly. As soon as they can isolate the bacteria & you get her on the right antibiotic, she will start feeling better & I bet her PCV will be better too.
The drop in PCV is the limit of a small drop in my opinion. I’ve just looked at Worzel’s results chart & he had a drops of 4 or 5 quite often after a reduction- the next week it went up again. He had a drop of 8 once, but again, it was back up again the next time – I got another test 5 days later to put my mind at rest as 8 scared me! The level of hydration / dehydration makes a difference of a few points, so does taking the blood from a different part of the dog. I bet if you took two samples half an hour apart, they would be different. So don’t you DARE worry.
Please trust your instincts – I know you know her inside out because you love her so much – if Sassy is eating well, perky & happy, she’s doing fine. And you can check her gums for pinkness when she is fully alert & moving about (not when she’s asleep or just woken up). Have a look here:
https://www.secondchanceaihadogs.com/AIHA_Terms/capillary-refill-time/
If you think she’s out of sorts, that’s a different matter – we all worry then. That was when I used to get another PCV check done just in case! Oh yes, I worried too. I still do & none of us ever get over this, Alyssa.
Sending you the biggest hug possible
Sheena xxxxx
Alyssa, exactly as Sheena said. I found this always happened with Bingo. I began to think it’s the body adjusting – nothing I found said that was the case, but it just always seemed to happen. The specialist would always say to me, don’t panic. It’s more worrying if there’s a steady continual decrease or a big sudden drop in the numbers. One time testing (I think from memory) 3 weeks in a row, Bingo’s PCV dropped a little each time. I kept saying I thought we should up his pred dosage again, but the specialist said to wait and there you go, it jumped back up the next test. I think 5 is the magic number for allowable differences. If it drops by more than that, it may be worth an earlier check for your own sanity.
I know you probably won’t stop worrying until Sassy is checked next, but do as Sheena said, check gums and just see how Sassy is acting. That says a lot.
It’s good too that the urine sample is being checked rather than just try one antibiotic and cross fingers to see if it’s the right one. I think your vet sounds very thorough. That’s great.
Love Vally & Bingo
xxx
The results today revealed it’s “quiet remarkable”… the testing showed the bacteria is pretty much resistant too all antibiotics, even the one we were on, which surprised the dr. Now, she says we are going to try a combination of 2 and try to kill it quickly.
She stopped the squatting, blood in urine and her pee time is normal too. So I am not as freaked out as I was but pretty scared because it sounds like a super bug my vet isn’t that sure how to treat if this doesn’t work.
What else can I do besides antibiotics; anything I can add to her food or something?
Also becoming really concerned of the cost – the ones we have now were about 5.50 a pill, i assume that’s going to double for possibly several weeks. it seems outrageous. :(