Requesting Tests

[Guest gurehaundo]

The vet had originally thought Ace's kidney levels were off with the first test. She then ran another "more thorough" U/A and determined that his kidneys probably were not the cause of his weight problems. I hope that makes sense! I could be misinterpreting what the vet said over the phone. I hope not, but she did say a lot of stuff that basically meant, "Well, we don't know what's wrong with him."

 

Because Ace's CK level is through the roof, that indicates that he's sick? I guess since it's kind of obvious that something is wrong with him, the vet didn't mention anything about his CK level. Hmm...

 

Uhhh... You got me on the gravity and dipstick/sediment questions! I'm not sure. I don't see anything on the lab report that states anything about gravity, dipstick or sediment.

 

Jennifer, the skin is pretty flat, but it does look stretched out - kind of like elastic. There are two stretchy pieces of skin across his tuck, but anterior to his goods, and his bellybutton is in the middle. His bellybutton is kind of hidden in the folds. Ace has always had a funny shape. He's tall and long with that curved back. Ace did have an X-ray done, but it was a side view. She said that I could get a straight on abdominal X-ray with Ace on his back, but she felt the side one was clear enough.

 

I think I'm going to wait until I get the results from the TBD test before we make the long trek to WSU for the ultrasound. The ultrasound will be our next step.

 

Diane, if you're still reading this, we haven't forgotten about the acupuncture option. We're still trying to keep things more local at this point.

 

You guys have no idea how much you've helped me. I will owe you for the rest of my life!

[Batmom]

Is there no ultrasound closer by? I would urge you to schedule that appointment sooner rather than later.

Tick disease isn't consistent with the anomalies in his bloodwork, unless there's an anemia or low platelet condition not posted here?

Can't guarantee he doesn't have a TBD (or high titers, which isn't the same thing as having the disease), but the indications you have are, that's not his main problem.

 

Hugs and best luck with your handsome boy.

Edited October 9, 2011 by Batmom

[krissy]

The vet had originally thought Ace's kidney levels were off with the first test. She then ran another "more thorough" U/A and determined that his kidneys probably were not the cause of his weight problems. I hope that makes sense! I could be misinterpreting what the vet said over the phone. I hope not, but she did say a lot of stuff that basically meant, "Well, we don't know what's wrong with him."

 

Because Ace's CK level is through the roof, that indicates that he's sick? I guess since it's kind of obvious that something is wrong with him, the vet didn't mention anything about his CK level. Hmm...

 

Uhhh... You got me on the gravity and dipstick/sediment questions! I'm not sure. I don't see anything on the lab report that states anything about gravity, dipstick or sediment.

 

Specific gravity, dipstick and sediment would probably have been run "in-house" by the clinic themselves, so you may not have a print out for that. They would probably just write that all in his record somewhere.

 

Greyhound have a lot of muscle so when their CK goes up it tends to skyrocket, but it doesn't always go up when they are ill. I'm not sure we know exactly why their CK goes wild. I had a case at OSU that did this and no one was really able to give me a straight answer. It shouldn't be high in a normal, healthy greyhound though.

 

I can't blame your vet... most of his bloodwork is pretty normal. There aren't any glaring signs. Do you have results from a CBC as well?

[JJNg]

Is there no ultrasound closer by?

Ditto. Would it not be closer to go to a specialist in the Seattle area? Here's the ACVIM website where you can search for an internal medicine specialist. Any internist who is practicing should be able to do an ultrasound. There are some general practitioners who are pretty good with ultrasound too, but you'd have to know who is available locally.

[Guest gurehaundo]

Thanks, Batmom! Do you get the feeling that he has something going on in his abdomen based on the high and low numbers in his bloodwork? Is the shading something I should really consider seriously? The vet made it seem like the shading wasn't a critical thing, but something that should be stamped with a question mark.

 

There are several other things in the lab results that I did not post. His platelet count is 314 K/uL. It says that the range is 200-500. Ace's is in the normal range. I'm not sure what Polys is, but Ace's level is at 12360 and the range shows 3600-11500. So he's high there. RBC is 9.13 and the range shows 5.50-8.50.

 

Please note that I've not had a chance to go over the results face to face with the doctor. I would most likely take some notes. I'll be doing this tomorrow when I see her. There are some other things that I have questions on regarding what was written in the comments area.

 

I forgot to mention earlier that we started feeding Ace a third meal and now he won't eat his breakfast. My husband said he didn't eat yesterday morning and today he ate a little more than half of his breakfast. He's eating all of his dinner just fine as well as the extra meal before I go to work at 10:00pm.

[Batmom]

Polys are your mature white cells (the main type of white cell), so that number being high could indeed indicate an infection of some sort. Otherwise I don't think the bloodwork is that remarkable. I probably wouldn't be concerned about CK unless it was lots higher. But, I'm not a vet!

I'm pestering about ultrasounds because of the weight loss + abdominal tenderness + is-there-or-isn't-there-a-bulge + maybe a shadow on x-ray. I don't like shadows on x-rays. All that said, I have to admit that a couple of my former/current dogs will screech if you palpate their abdomen -- it just weirds them out.

Edited October 9, 2011 by Batmom

[Guest LindsaySF]

The "bulge" is gone in the new photos. Maybe it was just the hair? It could also be something like a hernia that comes and goes. Hopefully it was just a trick of the camera!

 

I'd do an ultrasound too. I've known several dogs with non-specific digestive issues that lost weight and went downhill, and an ultrasound revealed a mass. An ultrasound is a good idea though to look at his organs and intestines. They get a clearer picture than x-rays.

 

Has he been dewormed recently? Can't hurt.

Edited October 10, 2011 by LindsaySF

[Guest gurehaundo]

Sorry! I forgot to answer the question about a closer ultrasound place. I didn't look anyone up. The vet only mentioned WSU. I didn't asky why so I'm not sure if she just has buddies over there or what. I'll bring the list of doctors who could potentially do an ultrasound. Yes, Seattle is closer. I'd rather go there than Pullman!

 

When I took the second series of pictures of the lumpy thing, I made sure to get a well-lit background so you guys could see that it really was just hair. But, it's never a bad thing to get a second or third set of eyes to look over something. His hair is mostly black in that particular area. Either way, I'm going to have the vet take a look at it just to be sure.

 

Ace was dewormed in July of 2010. When we moved here, the new vet said it was common practice in our area. You never know, though, he could've picked something up within the last year. His poo should be at the lab - just waiting on the results.

 

I just called the clinic and it looks like Ace's vet won't be in until 11:00. I left a voicemail so she should be calling me back sometime today. I have a whole list of things we need to talk about.

 

Here is a video I took of Ace right when I got home from work this morning. The time was around 8:00am. I apologize if the video appears dark. I took it with my cell phone, and the blinds were closed.

 

Edited October 10, 2011 by gurehaundo

[Guest gurehaundo]

Do you have results from a CBC as well?

 

I missed this earlier. Yes, the results with the RBC and Polys come from the CBC test. There are a whole bunch of things listed on the report. Is there anything specific you'd like to know?

[Guest gurehaundo]

I have a little bit of an update. The vet called. I wasn't able to go to the clinic because she had a bazillion appointments. The phone is easier anyway. Ace is parasite-free. No worms! Yay! I gave her the Prota Tek information. I think we're going with that test to start off with. She'll call them later today. She's also going to call an internal medicine vet in Seattle to get an estimate on a consult and ultrasound. She recommended we go to WSU initially because she felt that she could get a nice reading from them as opposed to someone here. WSU apparently has a great Radiology department.

 

She did express some concern regarding the protein levels in the urine. I told her that Ace drinks a lot and goes to the bathroom a lot. She said that his protein was high for a dog who was constantly drinking. Not terribly high, but still elevated. She also mentioned a globulin test. Gah! I can't remember the name of it and I didn't write it down. I might set Ace up for that one as well if he's to have more blood taken.

 

The urinalysis was the sediment one. She said something about doing a culture.

 

She feels that if we want to look at Ace's issues diagnostically, she would recommend that we get the ultrasound done. But, we could also treat him with medicines. I told her I wasn't comfortable with giving him pain meds and other drugs if I didn't know what he has. She said that she felt the same way, but wanted me to know that it was an option if costs needed to be considered. She also gave me another option to x-ray everything, but that the ultrasound would be the best way to go.

 

I didn't ask about the bulge. I figure I can ask about it when I take him in next. I did ask about Ace's posture and if he looked normal. She said that he looked as if he were guarding his belly. I asked if she felt he were in pain. She said that she did. She also noted that he holds his head really low, much lower than the other Greyhounds that she sees at the clinic; that he looks uncomfortable and walks stiff-legged. Maybe the panting is a symptom afterall...

 

The vet said that she'll call me later today to let me know what's going on with Prota Tek and the ultrasound. So, I guess that's it for now.

 

Thanks for hanging in there with us.

 

ETA:

Edited October 10, 2011 by gurehaundo

[greyhead]

Just quickly, here's a link to Dr. Stack's page on greyhound blood values: http://www.greythealth.com/blood.html

 

Btw, I've seen where high CK correlates with muscle loss. Since it's already clear there's been weight loss, maybe the vet isn't surprised to see the CK high.

 

Hoping all the test arrangements can be set up to your satisfaction!

[Batmom]

Checking in on Ace!

[tbhounds]

Just a quick note on the CK value. The CK can be driven up pretty high just from your dog trembling in the waiting room. Many times the value will drop within hours.