Kidney Concern/possibly Lepto

[Guest borzoix4]

My boy Zubin, a 7 and half year old Borzoi male, started having some signs of a UTI/KIdney issues. His potty habits changed from going out early am (4am for us), then out again after he eats breakfast then dinner.

It started as just an eyebrow raiser of thoughts like - maybe he is marking more due to the girls just coming out of heat, to noticing a real increased pattern.

 

I took him into the vet to rule out a UTI etc.After doing the urine culture and analysis, my vet concluded that levels, though low such as creatine, it was still within what was considered relatively normal. Howevver- his blood work showed the presence of an elevated whitecount. With the increase in drinking etc, my vet has diagnosed him with the beginning of Lepto. While she stated that we could run the blood culture and send it to Cornell to verify it is infact Lepto, she also advised though that since Zubin had received the vaccine as the puppy series years ago, he would probably show a false positive/positive either way.

 

We started right away round of ampoclyin, then to follow on a round of doxycylin, with words that it was caught early. His liver function test came back normal which was a relief as it shows hopefully it is confined to the kidneys.

 

While its only been a day, I am not seeing much improvement. I know it can an antibiotic up to two days before starting to show any signs of improvement. Meanwhile- Zubin obviously doesn't feel very well but I am not sure if its physical of the Lepto, or if its that since he is dripping urine droplets once in awhile, he feels 'dirty'. I tried rinsing his rear legs and chest off a bit, and that seemed to help a lot as far as his outlook. However, I am doing this several times a day.

 

I have some questions.

Has anyone else had their dog exposed to Lepto? And how long did it take to see marked signs of improvement? The vet said that his diet was fine, but is there anything of a nutritional support I could give him?

Edited January 17, 2013 by borzoix4

[GeorgeofNE]

I am confused how she reached the conclusion of Lepto based solely on an elevated white cell count. I imagine there are many, many other things that could cause that.

 

One clean urine culture does not necessarily mean he doesn't have a UTI either. Since he is intact, I wonder if she looked at his prostate?

[Batmom]

I'm confused, too. A lepto titer is usually useful unless the dog has been vaccinated in the last couple of months. There are other tests that can be used if the titer is low or equivocal but there is reason to believe the dog actually has leptospirosis.

[Guest borzoix4]

Thats what she was saying about the test. She sent it out anyway, but told me it would come back as a positive. Also since the beginning of even a UTI it can be difficult to find in a culture, the treatment is similar. ( ie amoxiclyin verses ampocylin). Clincially its pointing towards Lepto. The ultrasound showed nothing out of the norm. At least that ruled out a mass.

Yes- Zubin is intact and also his prostate showed normal. ( His annual exam was a month ago, and he was checked again with this event)

Sorry to not give all the information in the original post. I was trying not to write a book, though I should have mentioned that.

Edited January 17, 2013 by borzoix4

[duncan41]

I am very confused, too. The symptoms don't seem to align with the diagnosis.

[mychip1]

No advice...just best wishes for Zubin!

[tbhounds]

Idexx now runs a Lepto PCR. Lepto should always be a suspect when dealing with undiagnosed renal disease. Fwiw--of all the confirmed lepto cases my clinic has diagnosed-the majority of them have been intact males--most likely do to there extra sniffing and licking---just something I have taken notice to-I have zero to back this up-just my own personal observation.

Hope he'll start to feel better soon.

[Guest borzoix4]

Idexx now runs a Lepto PCR. Lepto should always be a suspect when dealing with undiagnosed renal disease. Fwiw--of all the confirmed lepto cases my clinic has diagnosed-the majority of them have been intact males--most likely do to there extra sniffing and licking---just something I have taken notice to-I have zero to back this up-just my own personal observation.

Hope he'll start to feel better soon.

Thank you for your reply and support. My vet said similar there does seem to be a higher connection if other causes such as a mass, prostate, and or cultures can rule out other factors of suspect.

Interesting observation.

In general, how long as in days have you found for the antibiotics to help in the aid of the symptoms?

[tbhounds]

If your boy does have lepto it's hard to guess to when he will feel better because its unknown how advanced the disease may be. If it helps we treat with the same antibiotic protocol--ampicillin followed by doxy.

[JJNg]

After doing the urine culture and analysis, my vet concluded that levels, though low such as creatine, it was still within what was considered relatively normal. Howevver- his blood work showed the presence of an elevated whitecount. With the increase in drinking etc, my vet has diagnosed him with the beginning of Lepto.

So it sounds like his kidney values on the bloodwork were normal? How is his urine concentration? I'm also a little confused by your vet's conclusion of lepto. Based on what you've posted, the only signs seem to be increased drinking/urination and an increased white blood cell count?

While she stated that we could run the blood culture and send it to Cornell to verify it is infact Lepto, she also advised though that since Zubin had received the vaccine as the puppy series years ago, he would probably show a false positive/positive either way.

I'm assuming she was referring to a lepto titer and not a blood culture? Blood culture is not a commonly used test for lepto, although it wouldn't be affected by vaccination and would prove infection if a culture actually came up positive. Titers are what will be affected by previous vaccines, but titers aren't just positive or negative. They are quantitative tests that will come back with a number. Vaccines usually cause fairly low elevations. A severe elevation would support a diagnosis of lepto. You can also repeat a titer in 2-3 weeks and an upward trend is also consistent with active infection. So I wouldn't say that titers are useless in vaccinated dogs.

 

Hope your boy's feeling better soon!

[Guest borzoix4]

If your boy does have lepto it's hard to guess to when he will feel better because its unknown how advanced the disease may be. If it helps we treat with the same antibiotic protocol--ampicillin followed by doxy.

Thank you for assuring answer on protocal and sign of improvement from the symptoms.

[Guest borzoix4]

I hope we are turning the corner on this. Zubin only did 5 pees today which is a massive improvement and also sleeping better. I only saw a few dribbles today which is also a big improvement...

I hope he gets a good night sleep tonight as he has been getting us up every few hours... Dear boy- please get your sleep..

[Guest Scouts_mom]

Poor Zubin, He probably isn't getting much sleep either. Hopefully he continues to improve.

[tbhounds]

Glad to hear that there is some improvement!!

[Guest borzoix4]

Thank you all for your well wishes, and assurance.

He slept 4 hours last night before having to get up at 2:30am. Then went back out again at 6am. This is improvement as I am also not seeing any dribbling otherwise since yesterday morning.

[BatterseaBrindl]

[Charla]

Sounds like he's starting to feel a bit better.

[GreyTzu]

Disco survived letpo this summer. He was UTD with vaccines also.

[Guest borzoix4]

While there is marked improvement, he is still urinating and drinking more than 'normal' for him. He is however happier, and last night he did not wake me up in the middle of the night.

 

I could kick myself for not being more mindful of his activities in the yard. He likes to walk the fence line, and will 'graze' on the long grass from the other side of the fence. This brings to mind even in the winter, to keep the grass short on the other side of the fence.

[Batmom]

If you think he has lepto, you'd want to test your other animals and yourself. The bacteria can be passed in urine for a LONG time.

[Guest borzoix4]

Already have that covered.