Questions After Vet Appointment!

[Guest joyforalifetime]

Hi all!

 

 

We had Koli’s annual vet appointment yesterday (our first one since we’ve had her) and I have a few questions I wanted to ask fellow greyhound owners to get their opinions/experiences/feedback on…

 

 

1. How much does your vet appointment usually cost? Ours was about 250 for the visit, heartworm test, and stool sample (which I later found out wasn’t absolutely necessary). They said teeth cleaning would be about 350. We signed up for their “vaccines for life” program special they had going on which means we paid for her vaccinations the last year and now they’ll be free the rest of her life (so we didn’t pay for those this year)

2. Here’s my main question…Koli has recently been peeing downstairs when we are gone. She’ll pee on the couch and on a giant bean bag chair we have down there, and never on the hardwood floor where it’d be easier to clean up! We have no idea if this is behavior related or if it’s an infection. She hasn’t done it until recently, except one time last summer she peed in her sleep on the couch. The vet said if it was an infection she’d be asking to go out a lot more frequently-which she doesn’t really ask, we just take her whenever and didn’t have problems with that. She isn’t acting funny or different at all, which I figured she would if it were an infection. Sometimes she’ll pee twice when we’re out a little longer, which didn’t seem odd to me. Now the vet said it’s not uncommon for spayed girls to have incontinence, and we could get a pill for her to take every day to help with that. I said we’d watch it a couple more days and then decide, and my hubby just told me he came home to a big wet spot on the bean bag. I don’t know if we should have the vet check for infection to rule it out, or try the pills for incontinence first, or just wait?
   I never thought she had anxiety but I know she’s a lot happier when me and my husband are both home, and she sulks around when one or both of us is gone…so I wondered if that had anything to do with it, but why now?
   Oh-another thing…we just recently changed her food, and I wondered if that was bothering her or having some kind of effect on her potty. We went from Purina Pro Plan sensitive stomach to Purina Pro Plan Savory because she didn’t like the flavor of sensitive stomach. She’s had a good amount of time to adjust but her poop still isn’t right, and I wondered if there was any way it could be effecting her pee too. We’re planning on switching her food-again-because we just don’t feel right about what she’s on.

 

Any thoughts or advice appreciated. I’m afraid we’re going to have to keep spending a ton of money to get this figured out! Which is okay, because we want our girl to be happy and healthy! Thanks so much!

[a_daerr]

No input re: the peeing issues. But I always get a heartworm test and stool sample combo every year for my boys. I'm glad I do, because Truman mysteriously tested positive for giardia last year (even though he showed no symptoms). $350 for a dental is almost exactly what my vet charges.

[CharlieRhea]

How old is Koli, that makes a difference as far as incontinence. My 12 yr old German Shepherd has incontinence at times when sleeping. She wears a diaper, made for dogs, at night and doesn't mind it. UTI should be easy for your vet to know but moisture is best,ie canned food added to diet. You paid for a life time of vaccines? Please look into titre scales. It is a blood draw and determines if there is enough vaccine in their system. I doubt my dogs 1 who i mentioned is 12 yrs and my 4 yr old Greyhound will ever need another vaccine. Protocol for vets has changed from yearly to every 3 yrs now anyway. Please do not over innoculate. I only get their 3 yr rabies shots now because it is mandatory in my state. Good luck and let us know. After thought: i gave my German Shepherd 1 pill of Proin a couple of years ago, she vomited so i never gave it to her again. It is supposed to tighten the sphincter on spayed incontinent females, i opt for the diaper as i said.

 

Not a fan of pro plan sorry, i believe there are a lot of grains in it, am i right? Grains aren't necessarily bad but stay away from corn glutens and wheat glutens. Check dogfoodadvisor.com for ratings and go from there.

[greysmom]

Culturing a pee sample should be cheaper than a bag of food. Or thereabouts. Best to rule out all medical issues before wiggling around with other things or adding a pill. Many greyhounds don't show any overt signs of a UTI such as your vet mentioned (frequent peeing, straining, etc), and yet they still have them. Though I would suspect your girl is probably having a little bit of separation anxiety.

Food can make a difference, especially if the food is high in salt content. If you're going to change foods, consider one with a different protein source from what you're using now. This may tell you your girl has an issue with a certain protein - most likely chicken, but it can be anything. An allergy might make a dog behave the way your describing. You can look through the Food and Eating section here for suggestions. Many people have excellent results with Iams (the variety with the "green bag"), and the Kirkland Lamb and Rice (the Costco house brand). We use Nutra Nuggets and have great results.

 

Go back to the beginning of her house training. Put her on a schedule and take her out, don't just take her whenever. So make sure her schedule meshes with when you have to be gone from the house. Make sure she pees (and empties herself) before you leave. Do some remedial "alone training" with her. When you do leave, baby gate her into a smaller area that's more easily cleaned, don't give her the run of the house. Make sure she's properly exercised so she's tired before you leave - a tired dog will sleep and not think about getting up to pee.

[Guest joyforalifetime]

She is 2 years old. Sorry I should have been more clear-the lifetime of vaccines means that her annual shots are free from here on out, they didn't load her up for lifetime. I didn't know about titre scales though, that's interesting. I'm not a fan of pro plan either anymore after learning more about it. That's what her foster family was giving her so we stuck with it, but now we know we want to change. I will check out that website, thank you!

Thanks Greyaholic, that's good info. We will look into those foods and try to get her on a more consistent schedule. My husbands hours are all over the place so he would just take her out to empty before he left, but I bet a schedule will be helpful. She doesn't have full reign, but I do believe she pretty much lays in one spot the entire time we're gone-but how would I know really? I will ask the vet about a pee test.

[a_daerr]

dogfoodadvisor.com is highly biased and, IMHO, overly critical of most dog foods. Purina has been making dog food for decades. I wouldn't switch kibble just because it contains grain. According to our vet and vet specialists, $60 per bag kibble that are listed as 'grain free,' 'organic,' 'limited ingredient,' etc. are largely a fad.

Edited April 11, 2014 by a_daerr

[Guest Houston1219]

I agree with a_daerr. Grain free sounds wonderful until you think about what usually replaces those grains... Potatoes! Lots of them! My Houston did not do well on grain free and vet was not crazy about it either. Potatoes = starch = sugar. One brand I know of (zignature) replaces the potatoes with green beans, but sadly still didn't agree with his tummy. Try a limited ingredient formula for sensitive tummies. We have become hardcore Nutro Naturals fans because it has been magic for us. Are there better dog foods out there? Absolutely. But this middle of the road brand worked for us.

 

Also, a note on the peeing in the house... When we leave Houston alone for more than a short while we leave a very small amount of water and a lot of large ice cubes. Bored or stressed dogs trend to gulp fast and have accidents. This way he has more than enough water but has to pace himself.

 

Best of luck to you!

I agree with a_daerr. Grain free sounds wonderful until you think about what usually replaces those grains... Potatoes! Lots of them! My Houston did not do well on grain free and vet was not crazy about it either. Potatoes = starch = sugar. One brand I know of (zignature) replaces the potatoes with green beans, but sadly still didn't agree with his tummy. Try a limited ingredient formula for sensitive tummies. We have become hardcore Nutro Naturals fans because it has been magic for us. Are there better dog foods out there? Absolutely. But this middle of the road brand worked for us.

 

Also, a note on the peeing in the house... When we leave Houston alone for more than a short while we leave a very small amount of water and a lot of large ice cubes. Bored or stressed dogs trend to gulp fast and have accidents. This way he has more than enough water but has to pace himself.

 

Best of luck to you!

[silverfish]

In addition to the other answers, I do have one thought: if she doesn't normally ask to go out, and doesn't know how to ask to go out, why would she suddenly be able to do so, just because she has a UTI? Under those circumstances it would be completely normal for her to just pee anywhere in the house. I suppose vets wouldn't normally think about this because most dogs do ask to go out. It's just that greyhounds have never had to, and as long as their new owner takes them out on a schedule anyway, it can go unnoticed that they actually CAN'T ask if they want to go outside their schedule.

I would take a urine sample in and ask for it to be tested before doing anything else. You can use a shallow container to slide under her when she pees, or a yoghurt pot on a stick, or a soup ladle. All have to be spotlessly clean, of course. You can pour it into a new ziplock bag for transport. At my vet, we don't even need an appointment just to drop the sample off to be tested, though they like you to have one when you discuss the results if there's anything to find.

 

Just as Greysmom described, Renie had two or three UTIs that our vet would have missed if I hadn't asked for a urine sample to be done. It happens. They wanted to put her on the incontinence drugs at one point, too. A course of antibiotics cured her in less than a week.

 

 

[scullysmum]

She is 2 years old. Sorry I should have been more clear-the lifetime of vaccines means that her annual shots are free from here on out, they didn't load her up for lifetime. I didn't know about titre scales though, that's interesting. I'm not a fan of pro plan either anymore after learning more about it. That's what her foster family was giving her so we stuck with it, but now we know we want to change. I will check out that website, thank you!

Thanks Greyaholic, that's good info. We will look into those foods and try to get her on a more consistent schedule. My husbands hours are all over the place so he would just take her out to empty before he left, but I bet a schedule will be helpful. She doesn't have full reign, but I do believe she pretty much lays in one spot the entire time we're gone-but how would I know really? I will ask the vet about a pee test.

You could set up a webcam to see what she does when you are out. Also it is possible to teach them to tell you when they need to go potty, it just requires you to be observant and to reward the correct behaviour.

[Sambuca]

I'd get a urine test.

It is possible it's the food. Bu once tried a wet food that caused excessive peeing and he was only getting 1-2 spoonfuls a day! It's not a common problem though.

[MaryJane]

It sounds like a UTI. Get a sterile container from your vet and get the first morning catch. Try and get it mid-stream rather than right at the beginning of the stream. If you can, clean her with warm water the night before.

 

You should probably get both a urinalysis and a culture/sensitivity - In my area, that can run between 100 to about 180 so, be prepared for the cost.

 

As already mentioned in a previous post, greyhounds are used to their scheduled turnouts and don't really "ask" to be let out although, they may learn as they get accustomed to being retired ....

[silverfish]

Also it is possible to teach them to tell you when they need to go potty, it just requires you to be observant and to reward the correct behaviour.

 

[juliemac]

Please consider that "a potty routine" does not HAVE to be timed to a clock. I learned (ok, the hard way) that my girlie Baby will pee in the house if I don't potty her immediately (as in within 5 minutes) of my leaving the house. She can go 12 hours without pottying, and does make good use of all walks and yard visits. She also does tell me she has to go 'out' -- by going to a door and standing there (silently) for a couple moments. Of course, if I'm in a different room of the house or asleep, this signal isn't very effective. Sigh. Riley DOES let me know he has to go out -- by whining and whimpering until I move. His favorite time is around 2a.m. Again, sigh.

 

With my sometimes weird schedule, my dogs now know the following routine:

> potty (walk of some sort) immediately before I leave the house

> frozen kong treat to distract the hounds during the first few minutes after I leave

> tv turned on

> potty (usually just to the yard) immediately upon returning home

 

This routine gets used WHENEVER I leave the house -- that includes going out to mow the lawn! It works for us, and while I would love to have a set schedule, having a routine is probably more important for my hounds than following time on a clock.

Oh yes, I should also note that if we're home (& awake) for more than 6 hours, we include an additional walk/yard visit.

 

I, too, believe you might be dealing with a UTI. If that comes back negative, it might consider that Koli's trying to let you know that she's not very happy being alone, and you might try to work on that.

 

good luck, and please let us know the test results.

[JJNg]

Agree with the other responses. One additional point is that I definitely wouldn't start her on meds for incontinence unless you can confirm that she's incontinent (ie. involuntarily leaking urine). Check for wet spots after she's been lying down or sleeping in one place for a while. Also best to check, or even treat, for a possible UTI before proceeding to incontinence meds.

[Guest joyforalifetime]

I don't have too much time to reply just yet but wanted to thank you all so much for your helpful thoughts!! planning on getting a urine test this week for the first step and will let you know the results. thanks again!!!