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My 10 year old Golden, Riley seems to have her health deteriorating pretty quickly- or so it seems. At the end of March she went in for a complete CBC panel and a physical exam.  A few things came from it. She was found to have an anal abscess for which they gave her some antibiotics. Within a week that was better. When the test results came in 2 things came up:  First-she was diagnosed with Urinary Incontinence and placed on Proin. ( I was worried about starting her on that medication and posted a past discussion about it and ultimately started giving her the medication after that). Secondly, they found reactive lymphocytes in her white blood cells. The vet said that he believed they were due to the infection from the anal abscess and did not seem worried about them. He said after about a month or so we could have them tested again and if they were no longer reactive it confirms it was due to the abscess since they typically show as reactive when they are fighting an infection.  He said if they were still reactive then we would continue the testing.  He again stressed that he did not believe that would be the case.

Fast forward one month later and one month into taking Proin. Riley is still leaking urine and the Proin has not shown any positive results yet. She is eating normal but is losing weight. It has me baffled. She eats over the recommended amount and in fact I even put her food in an auto feeder to let her eat as much as she wanted just because I started to worry about her weight loss. She is eating a lot of food but not gaining any weight. She doesn't have any irregular bathroom habits and isn't vomiting so I don't know how she isn't gaining weight.  She seems more irritable at times than I'm used to but nothing too crazy.  She's fine with me and my daughter but she does her grumpy 'leave me alone' growl to Goldie more than usual. Her hair is literally falling out in chunks. This is far more than the typical shedding of the spring coat.  Last week I took a furminator to her for 3 HOURS and walked away with a walmart bag full of hair- that is normal for us this time of year to do that ONCE but then she's good for the season. But now it looks like I never touched her with any brush and in fact when I look at this picture it looks like she is being neglected... which I ASSURE YOU SHE IS NOT!

I am calling the vet in the morning to go ahead and set an appointment for the blood test for peace of mind on that. I honestly feel like that will come back negative. I'm extremely worried about the weight loss and am concerned about the hair loss though that doesn't seem as alarming as the weight loss. I'm wondering if I should stop the Proin and see if some things clear up.

I'm open to any thoughts or shared experiences! But I cannot stress enough that I AM TAKING HER BACK TO THE VET so I'm not trying to get a diagnosis from anyone rather I'm looking for support and advice.  I feel like I'm doing everything I possibly can but when I see her health declining I just feel terrible.

UPDATE- 5/6/13: Riley's blood work came back ALL CLEAR! Her white blood cells were clear and there were not any reactive lymphocytes. The vet also confirmed all testing that was done in March and that her thyroid is not of a concern.  When I took her back to the vet, they weighed her and surprisingly she had only lost 1 pound over the last month- I really thought it was much more! The vet said we would watch her weight but he believed it was just due to her older age that her muscle mass was shifting.  He also decreased her dosage of Proin to see if we noticed anything different while we were waiting on the blood work. Within just a few days I started seeing a noticeable difference. Then once the blood work came back clear that was even better news!

So the answer to my original question is: Old Age AND a Proin Side Effect!

I am thrilled that there is not a greater concern here. The Proin is used for her Urinary Incontinence and that is absolutely manageable. When she was much younger she had to have surgery to remove a bladder stone the size of an extra large muffin and at that time I was told that due to how extreme that was that it was possible that it could cause problems with her as she got older. That is always in the back of my mind when anything comes up.

Thank you to everyone for your concern and your support. Even though Riley is not a Doodle I love that you all have welcomed her with warm hearts. My sweet baby Riley does still seem to be aging rather quickly but she is back to her happy self and her hair loss has calmed down significantly since reducing the Proin!

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Star, I am a sorry that Riley is not feeling well, the only thing I can suggest is that you get her thyroid checked when you take her back to the vet.

Thanks Donna! That's a great idea. I will have them check that for sure. I'm not familiar with thyroid issues but at this point I'm willing to try or test anything.

I agree with the thyroid check. I would also worry about the lymphocytes since an abscess is bacterial and lymphocytes usually react to viral illnesses. and I'd wonder why she got the anal abscess. Is her immune system compromised of late? I have some thoughts but there is no use going into them until you have more information. But sometimes weight loss despite intake could be something more serious : (

No compromised immune system. Oddly, this all just suddenly came on after she started taking Proin. The abscess was from changing her food. She had been on the same food for over 9 yrs and after I joined this community and learned the valuable food lesson I switched her food. I did transition it but the vet said that in Senior dogs, especially, sometimes a gradual transition still doesn't cease all possible effects. He felt confident that the access was from the change in food so I was inclined to trust that.
Now that I think about it, her thyroid was checked in the panel from march. I had taken her in for the abcess and the urine leaking and since she was getting up there in years and since they were running a special pricing they suggested a full CBC panel in addition to the urinalysis and everything. Everything came back clear except the lymphocytes and of course the leaking urine issues but she was acting completely fine and full of energy and perfect weight at that time. I didn't notice anything out of the norm until she started taking the Proin and mostly the last week, really.
I really hope I get some more answers. I'm going to ask about stopping the Proin to rule that out.

They wouldn't have run a full thyroid panel in March unless you requested it. It's not included in a standard CBC & chemistry panel, it has to be sent out to IDEXX or Hemopet. 

I will definitely have them do the full check. I know they did something with her thyroid because I had to wait almost a week for the results and I remember him talking about T levels and saying her thyroid came back clear but maybe that was just a partial test and not in depth. It's worth a shot! I will absolutely do anything/any testing for my sweet baby!

If you had to wait a week, they did the full thyroid panel. 

Sending prayers and positive thoughts to Riley and you!

So sorry you are going through this. It's so hard when they don't feel well and we don't know what it is. Hoping for more answers soon. Keep us posted?

This is the hard part of having and loving dogs. :-(

We can't turn back time or even slow it down. I am sure you are doing everything you can for Riley. 

I would not stop the Proin until you talk to the vet. Make sure that they run a full thyroid panel (has to be sent out) as opposed to just checking T3 or T4. 

Sending positive thoughts for you and Riley. 

I am so sorry, I hope it is a quick fix.. 

Keeping a good thought for you and Riley. 

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