Mike's Doghouse

Yesterday, Mike returned to the vet’s as we try to figure out if his urine function is normal. The problem is Mike pees a lot. An awful lot. House training has been difficult. We’re now keeping the water on the other side of the gate where Mike can’t get to it. He gets all he wants 3 times a day and still he pees far too frequently. When he first went to our vet shortly after we got him, his urine was very diluted and had white blood cells. Meaning he was not concentrating his urine and he had an infection somewhere. He was on an antibiotic for a while. We took in another sample and this time the urine was properly concentrated and the white blood cells were gone. But the problem has persisted.

Mike is an interesting boy, medically. He got a rough start in life but recovered nicely. However, he can’t help but be effected by that, even though he was just a few weeks old when rescued. We humans can only try to understand just how that will manifest, if it will at all. This basically is polite talk for “it’s in his head”, or as the vet put it, is psychogenic. Mike may not have a grasp on what his body is trying to tell him (like when he needs to pee or poop).

The vet called today with some more ideas and thoughts based on her research and the input from others. Aside from the psychogenic, there are several possible scenarios. The good news is that the urine is concentrated and that rules out several diseases. Diabetes insipidus was topmost on our minds because we had a dog with it and their behaviors are very similar. But that was ruled out, thank the doggess! Strangely enough, the topmost possibility is E. coli. I found this in an Google search:

Bladder infections most commonly involve bacteria that are already normal
residents on (or in) the dog or cat. The most common infectious agent is
Escherichia coli (E. coli) which is present in almost half of urinary
tract infections in dogs and cats. This bacteria is a normal inhabitant of
the gastrointestinal tract but it does not belong in the urinary tract. It
is very good at invading the urinary tract if given any opportunity at all,
though. So any fecal contamination of the vulva or prepuce can lead to an
infection. Due to anatomy, this is more common in females than in males
(infection occurs more often).

It is very hard to clear up a bacterial infection when there are persistent
crystals or stones in the bladder, since these serve as a place for
bacteria to hide, as well as irritating the bladder and urethra, making it
easier for the bacteria to invade tissues.

(source)

The interesting thing about this is that there were crystals in the urine sample we took in yesterday.

The second possibility is Leptospirosis. Prevention of this type of bacterial infection is now included in vaccines so it is unlikely to be the culprit. However, because of the way it effects the kidneys, it is on the list. The website quoted above also has a section on Leptospirosis.

Treatment for both of these bacterial infections would be the same – a high dose of an antibiotic. The vet and I decided this is what we would do: we would start him on the antibiotic for a week starting tomorrow (we can’t get there to pick it up until morning) and continue withholding the water for a few more days. We will reintroduce the water and see how his peeing goes. If it improves even the slightest bit, we will continue the antibiotic for another 3 weeks.

We could take in another sample and have a culture grown to see what type of bacteria it is. However, almost any type of bacteria we would find would be treated with the same antibiotic unless it is a weird one or one that responds better with another type of antibiotic. We are opting to not do this basically because of time. We can’t get it to them until tomorrow and it would take 72hrs to get a proper growth. So that would be Tuesday or perhaps Wednesday before we’d get any answers. Meanwhile, if we start the antibiotic tomorrow, we’ll know by Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest, if it is making any difference.

Mike is a smart boy. Too smart to not have learned house training already. He knows the ring the bells to go out (“out” also includes going out to eat sticks and leaves). He has learned a lot from both the Puppy Class (we had our second one last night) and from our regular training here at home. So he’s not a stupid dog. It is this ability to learn that contradicts the urinary problem and makes it more of a physical thing than a mental one.

Oh! Almost forgot to tell you his weight! Mike is now 31.8 lbs! Double what he was a month ago! Big boy!