greyhead Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) How long should it take for a lab to figure out if there's a germ growing in a urine culture? I realize the sensitivity part adds time, but they wouldn't be doing that unless the culture was positive for something, right? I took the sample in two days ago. Edited August 23, 2014 by greyhead Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 They usually let it grow for 2-3 days. Say 3 days until final. Maybe add a day depending on when the lab picks stuff up from your vet? If it's started growing something on day 1, your vet will get a preliminary report at that time..... Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Thank you! However, that means I have to drag Shane 40 miles up the road in rush hour to take him to the closest good ER place. If it's not a UTI, it's his kidneys that are making him drink a lot, pee a lot, and eat very little. ETA: For the last four days. Edited August 20, 2014 by greyhead Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 It could also be Diabetes.. doesn't have to be Kidneys... Urine cultures are often annoyingly non-specific. Maybe best to treat with Baytril if there are significant symptoms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Did you have recent blood work done or I guess that's the plan?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 The blood work is running now, and so far no word on the culture. The e.r. is trying to find out if a urinalysis was done. Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 It seems the culture was sent to a lab in Kansas! WTH?! They are analyzing a free catch here now. He was lost 5 lbs since last weighed 10 days ago. :-( Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Hope you can get to the bottom of things and get your boy back on track. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) We haven't got the discharge report yet -- they'll email it to me tonight -- since they wanted him to be able to go home. They ran blood work while we were still there, and his kidney values are high -- creatinine at 3.6 IIRC 3.2 and BUN at 40, both being significant increases for him. He was dehydrated, so they gave him sub-q fluids; we didn't think he'd do well being kept overnight for IV fluids. We'll give him more sub-q at home tomorrow. They were still processing the urinalysis, which she'll send me the results of tonight too, but we decided to treat him empirically for now with Baytril. The culture results will be available eventually, and then we'll see if anything needs adjusting. There's some hope that the kidney values have been elevated by the infection and could come back down with treatment. Natch, I hope it's mostly the infection, but he has had long-standing but slow elevation of his kidney values for years. Thanks *very much* for the information and for letting me vent earlier! (I'll post again if anything interesting comes with the discharge info later tonight.) ETA: I drove in the HOV lane with my sick *passenger* and I make no apologies! I was full prepared to hand any interested police the phone number of the e-vet to confirm that we were expected, and to pay whatever ticket might ensue. It really does feel like that, doing the "wrong" thing for the right reason. Edited August 21, 2014 by greyhead Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) Well, this does sound like you may be dealing with renal insufficiency. The fact that he's been pu/pd (polyuria/polydipsia) and he's been dehydrated leads to chronic kidney disease., however, he may have a kidney infection (pyelonephritis. Usually if that's the case) they are acting really sick--perhaps this is the case?? Edited August 21, 2014 by tbhounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgrey Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Sending good thoughts. Quote Cynthia, & Cristiano, galgoAlways in my heart: Frostman Newdawn Frost, Keno Jet Action & Chloe (NGA racing name unknown), Irys (galgo), Hannah (weim), Cruz (galgo), & Carly CW Your Charming Princess http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1018857 "It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -- Unknown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) She did mention pyelonephritis in the report as a possibility, and it's not the first time that has come up. So how does a UTI get distinguished from a kidney infection?Diagnostic tests and/or treatments performed:CBC: WBC 6.9k, hct 65% (historically normal for this patient), plt 175kChem: BUN 40, creat 3,2, K 3.8, AlkP 129, rest wnlUA: slightly green in color, usg 1.015, pH 5.0, trace protein, RBC 4-8/hpf, WBC 0-3/hpf, nobacteria noted.Urine culture not started (pending at rDVM) Edited August 21, 2014 by greyhead Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF_in_Georgia Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Mary, I think they distinguish one from the other by considering where the urine is taken from. If urine drawn by needle from the bladder is infection-free, but urine exiting the dog in the normal manner shows infection, then it's in the urinary tract rather than the bladder. Quote Kathy and Q (CRT Qadeer from Fuzzy's Cannon and CRT Bonnie) and Jane (WW's Aunt Jane from Trent Lee and Aunt M); photos to come. Missing Silver (5.19.2005-10.27.2016), Tigger (4.5.2007-3.18.2016), darling Sam (5.10.2000-8.8.2013), Jacey-Kasey (5.19.2003-8.22.2011), and Oreo (1997-3.30.2006) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Sorry for not responding sooner--usually with pyelonephritis your acting really sick. Pain, vomiting and fever can be present but not all dogs will present that way. With some dogs they just drink and urinate more frequently. Often radiographs, ultrasound and contract dye may be needed to definitively diagnose PN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Thanks, Kathy and Tracy. The culture came back negative, so they do think it's a kidney infection. (We have an internist appointment Wednesday and may ultrasound at that time.) He was doing better with the fluids he got Wednesday and the Baytril, but he declined again yesterday (not eating, return of pu/pd). So I called around to find a vet who had Lactated Ringers in stock. Couldn't find my vet, though, to authorize the sale. So we had to go 40 miles back to the e-vet. (There's a closer one, but I don't trust them, and the farther one has been evaluating/treating him these last 8 months.)They reran the blood work and there had been some improvement -- creatinine moved from 3.2 to 3.1, and BUN from 40 to 33. So we feel we're on the right track with the treatment, at least. But it took 4 hours and $400+ when all I really needed was some more bags of fluids! <sigh> It took so long because some actual emergencies arrived right after we did, and two of them did die. But Shane wouldn't lie down the whole time and can't stand in one area for too long because of his LSS, so we walked around inside the building the whole time. Fortunately, that took his mind off his troubles and reduced his panting some, and everyone found him charming. But after all that, he couldn't jump back into the car, so a tech and I each took and end and lifted him. It was $98 for three fluid kits! I'm told there's a supply problem? I don't know how long we'll have to continue fluids or if the infection will get beaten back and he won't continue to need them. We used to buy them by the case from East Coast suppliers (that's where they all were) for our CRF cat, but I think there are some distribution points in the West now. What's up with all these "supply problems" in vet products that drive prices sky high and/or make things entirely unavailable? Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Fwiw--fluids are in limited supply right now--ridiculous but true. We are counting our bags at the the clinic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Oh, btw, our Seattle-area vets are sending stuff, including Shane's sample, to a lab in Kansas. So this added lots of time to the process. If it had been a local lab, our sample delivered Monday morning would have been sufficiently cultured by Wednesday afternoon to have informed his treatment at the e-vet, and we would have gone ahead with the ultrasound. As it is, we're not stopping the Baytril, and the ultrasound may be less informative. Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahsBlackPack Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I had Angel's urine cultured because she has kidney diease. And every few months she seems to have a flare up. where she doesn't want to eat., she has a fever. And drinks a ton of water. So my vets suggested having her urine cultured to make sure it wasn't some sort of infection going in her kidney's. And I took a urine sample to my vet 2 weeks ago today and I finally heard back from my vet last week wensday. Quote Sarah, mom to Stella and Winston . And to Prince, Katie Z, Malone, Brooke, Freddie, Angel and Fast who are all waiting at the Bridge!www.gpawisconsin.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 Wow, Sarah, that was quite a wait. What did the culture show, and how is Angel? It's interesting to me that there apparently can be a kidney infection that doesn't show up on a culture. So we're staying on the Baytril for now, despite the negative culture, because it and the sub-q fluids seem to help him. Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahsBlackPack Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Wow, Sarah, that was quite a wait. What did the culture show, and how is Angel? It's interesting to me that there apparently can be a kidney infection that doesn't show up on a culture. So we're staying on the Baytril for now, despite the negative culture, because it and the sub-q fluids seem to help him. That's what I thought too! The culture came back negative for infection. Both of my vets seem to think her flare up is due to her kidney diease. We normally do 2 weeks of Cipro when she has a flare up and then she's fine for a few months. We've gotten to the point we always have her Cipro on hand for when she has a flare up. But over all she is doing greyt for being 11 and half years old. Quote Sarah, mom to Stella and Winston . And to Prince, Katie Z, Malone, Brooke, Freddie, Angel and Fast who are all waiting at the Bridge!www.gpawisconsin.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 We saw the internist yesterday and had an ultrasound, which showed a brightening of the kidneys and, as before, one kidney smaller than the other. So in addition to mild (as yet) kidney disease, the vet thinks it's a kidney infection, despite the negative urine culture. So 6 weeks of Baytril. He has been on sub-q fluids this week, but the vet thinks we can discontinue them. We also reran blood work and will have the results today. Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 How is Shane doing? Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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