[Kim J]

my dog is 13 years old and has many lumps and bumps/arthritis and is over weight. I took him to the vet this week because he was peeing all the time. He does drink alot of water but has been tested for diabetes sometime ago and that was negative.
His quick dip test indicated bladder infection and the vet put him on an antibiotic and sent the urine out for a culture. The results indicated very high levels of ph and protein and she mentioned there was blood in the urine. She wants to continue with the antibiotic and to repeat the culture in 12 days. I believe in my heart there is more going on here and I honestly think she does to. Does anyone have any insight on this kind of thing in older dogs?

[anonymously]

Did the vet mention bladder stones? It sounds like he might have a urinary tract infection. When this happened to my senior small breed, he was treated with antibiotics and seemed to be okay, then the symptoms started all over again a few months later. When they did a x-ray/ultrasound it showed he was loaded with stones and needed emergency surgery.

So, if it was my dog I would get the ultrasound done now so that you will know what you are dealing with. Was blood work done? He’s due for a good senior workup, imo.
/forums/search/bladder+stones/ per the search engine here

[Kim J]

No mention of stones. He is on an antibiotic now. I will mention the stones when I take him back in 12 days. The other thing I forgot to mention his fur is changing colors – getting darker in some areas.

[anonymously]

The hair thing could just be related to aging. Definitely ask the vet if your dog needs an ultrasound, I wish I had had one done right away with my dog. And some blood work will show a lot also. Something may be off.

[Kim J]

Thank you and I will ask about the ultrasound and she is doing the blood work when he goes back in.

[anonymously]

You’re welcome. Good luck. And give us an update, if you think of it..

[Kim J]

UPDATE –
Need advice –
He has been on the medication since the 22nd without fail. However, beginning yesterday he has been even more lethargic than normal, breathing very heavily, will not eat or drink like he normally does. Didn’t get excited when family came over. I was hoping to see a spark and I didn’t get it.

[anonymously]

What antibiotic is he on? It might not agree with him, the vet may have to change it to something else.
If your veterinarian has someone on call you can speak to, I would do that. You might have to take him to the 24 hour emergency clinic nearest you. Call your vet’s number and see what they advise for after hours emergencies.
Is he eating or drinking anything?

PS: If he is really sick and it was my dog I might hold his next dose of meds till I could speak to a veterinarian, in case he is having a reaction. Encourage him to drink water.
* I have worked in healthcare, but not with animals. Only a veterinarian that is familiar with your dog, or has examined your dog, can give you specific advice.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 4 months ago by anonymously.

[Kim J]

He is on Cephalexin. 500mg twice a day x2 -I will hold his dose tonight. He won’t eat his food in the morning but will eat in the evening. As for drinking, he isn’t drinking his normal amount. (he is a hardy eater and drinker and never misses a meal) I just ate dinner sitting beside him and normally he would be at my side trying to get anything he can but he didn’t budge out of his bed.

As for his vet the one he sees normally was off due to the holidays so we had to see someone else in the office. I will give the office a call tomorrow and see what the message says to do. If his regular vet (owner of the practice) had seen him, he would have definitely called and checked on him.

Thank you.

[anonymously]

Okay, as long as he is eating something. Pour a little water in his food dish so that he will have to lap it up to get to the food. Is he going to the bathroom okay, peeing, bowel movements? Sometimes the antibiotics can make them a little nauseas…
However, the antibiotics are very important to clear up the infection.

[Kim J]

The other thing is he just seems not with it, which again it could be the medicine. Sometimes I think he can’t see well. I will pour some water over the food. As for peeing he is doing that okay and I have not seen him have a bowel movement.

[anonymously]

Keep an eye out for vomiting, he probably just doesn’t feel well. He might be tired, when they have a urinary tract infection they feel like they have to go (pee) every minute, which is exhausting. He needs to rest, maybe now that the antibiotics have kicked in he doesn’t have that sense of urgency anymore…
He’s not eating much, but no diarrhea is a good thing, sometimes antibiotics can cause loose stools.

[Kim J]

okay that makes sense. Trust me he is my “man” and this has been hard. Thank you and I will keep you posted.

[anonymously]

I was wondering how your dog is doing this morning, I was concerned about what you said about his breathing and lethargy “breathing very heavily”
I hope you were able to reach someone covering for his vet, if he hasn’t improved.

Side effects:
“Cephalexin is a very safe and effective antibiotic to treat bacterial infections. The side effects are rare and include loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, are rare. Allergic reactions such as itching, rash and difficulty breathing may occur. Side effects in dogs may also include drooling, rapid breathing and excitability. Fever and vomiting are additional side effects that may occur in cats”.

[Kim J]

Good Morning,
Thank you for checking up on him. Well he isn’t panting as heavily and seems more comfortable. (didn’t give him his nightly dose of medication or his am) However, still didn’t eat his breakfast but is drinking. He did have me up during the night twice to go out to pee.

I did call the office and unfortunately they just refer you to the emergency vet and I don’t have the means right now to do that.

[anonymously]

Just make sure you check with his regular vet first thing in the morning about the antibiotic.
Maybe offer him something tasty, like a little cooked chicken meat with his food…so he’ll eat something.
He will need to urinate often as the infection is not cleared up….

[Kim J]

Yes I plan on calling them first thing in the morning. The other thing I noticed in him today is his lower eyelid is droopy maybe just an age thing. Poor thing.

[anonymously]

Watch for redness or discharge from that eye, wash your hands after touching that area….in case he is developing conjunctivitis (highly contagious). It is easily treatable with a prescription ophthalmic ointment.
Btw: you never mentioned what breed of dog you have?

[Kim J]

no drainage just droopy. He is a chocolate lab. He did eat his dinner.

[Susan]

Hi Kim, when I rescued my boy 3 years ago he was weeing blood, he needed to be desexed within 1-5 days of receiving him, so when the rescue vet desexed him they did an ultra scan & the vet seen crystals, he was put on antibiotics & Royal Canine Vet Diet S/O Urinary wet tin food & dry Kibble for 6 weeks, he had to only eat the Royal Canine S/O wet & kibble for 6 weeks, so his crystal would dissolve, he had an ultra scan after 6 weeks & all the crystals had dissolved, then the vet said put him back on his normal diet, cause I had just rescued him I didn’t know what to feed him so I ended up contacting an Animal Naturopath cause he had other health problems…. Here’s her diets, it’s raw but I cooked the diet, minus any bones, if you scroll down click on the health diets he needs…. Diabetes diet & a weight reduction diet, work out the common foods between both diets & try feeding some cook meals for him, he will lose weight when he starts eating either a raw or cooked diet & the weight loss will help with his arthritis…Kibble isn’t good for bladder problems, wet foods are the better…… http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/natural-diet.html

[Kim J]

update –
I was able to talk with his regular vet today. While he is understands why the vet did what she did last week, he to thinks there is more going on with him other than a bladder infection.
The plan is for me to take him in this Thursday for him to be evaluated and a decision will be made at that point. Unfortunately I am dealing with a 13 year old dog that really just doesn’t seem to have any life left in him. I came home from work today and normally he would be at the door to greet me, well he did lift his head but no wag of the tail. I am heart broken to say the least – it is just me and him but maybe in the next few days we will see an improvement.

[anonymously]

Oh, I’m so sorry, I know how hard it is to see them this way. Do what you can to keep him comfortable. Age 13 is old for a large dog…..but I hope he improves in the next few days and can stay with you a while longer.

I have a 15 year old peke that has good days and bad days, he’s confused, wants to eat whenever he’s awake. He sleeps a lot. The vet gave me a mild pain med that I give him a couple of times a day which seems to help. He’s comfortable, at the moment.

PS: Did the vet say to continue the antibiotic? A dog I had a while back would eat a little bit of chicken baby food for me when he was sick and wouldn’t eat dog food. Continue to encourage him to drink water, as tolerated.

[Kim J]

Thank you. I appreciate all your help and who knows maybe by Thursday he will bounce back and be ready to take on the world again:)

[Dori]

Hi Kim. I’ve been following your story and am sorry for what you are both going through. I know how difficult it is when our dogs aren’t feeling well and not acting like themselves especially when the dog is a senior. I have a 16 year old Maltese and worry about her constantly. You didn’t mention if you ever had a vet do an ultrasound. Hopefully when you take him to the vet you will request that they do an ultrasound and a senior blood panel test which looks for more than the typical yearly blood work. At 13 he should be blood tested every 6 months anyway. I will say that you should be very proud of yourself and take great comfort with the long life you have given your “man” as well as the love. I’ll be checking back on Thursday to see how he made out at his vet visit and hope he perks up before that. Anonymously is correct that antibiotics can cause nausea so that they don’t want to eat. If they keep him on antibiotics for a bit ask for an appetite stimulant also. I had to do that with one of my dogs once. Some dogs get very sleepy on antibiotics as well. Good Luck. I’ll be thinking of you both.

[anonymously]

I know how difficult this will be, but when you see the vet on Thursday, have an honest discussion with him as to how aggressive you want to be with diagnostic testing and treatment, versus care and comfort measures.
If you opt for aggressive treatment, consider the outcome and how well he would tolerate recovery, you know your dog best.
Peace

[Kim J]

Good Morning Everyone,

Trust me when I say I haven’t slept in two weeks. I lay hear listening to him breath and wondering if it is his last breath. I laid in the floor last night with him wishing he would tell me something and every sign I get is he just doesn’t have it in him anymore. He would normally just lick me and wag his tail and get all excited when I get on the floor and he just laid there. He actually kept turning his head away from me.
As for treatment it would have be something very minimum because I am not going to put him through anything – I did that to one dog I wanted to “save” and it was the worse decision I ever made.
Thanks everyone.

[anonymously]

They do tell us, by their behavior. By refusing to eat, by trying to be alone. It’s just very difficult to hear them. Then sometimes they perk up for a bit too.
Take care of yourself, dogs sense when we are sad, he wouldn’t want that for you.

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