Diabetes Insipidus -- Anyone With Experience With This! -- UPDATED 10/10/12

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Anyone have any experience with this?  We don't have a definite diagnosis as yet but it is a possibility.  We are waiting on other tests to come back today to rule out other things?

UPDATE:  After posting this last week we ended up with a tentative diagnosis of Inflammatory Bladder Disease and started Sophie on Amitriptyline.  I posted an update on this last week and was hoping I'd be able to research exactly what Inflammatory Bladder Disease meant.  Didn't find anything really on it.  So, now we are one week into the meds.  The instructions were that if we didn't see any progress that we were to increase the meds to 2 per day starting with week 2.  So, I left a message last night for the Vet and just got off the phone with her.  My comments were that I felt like the accidents were improving, as she hasn't had an accident since we started the meds but I got up with her 2-3 times the first few nights and at least once some other nights.  She had slept through the night a couple nights.  However, she just isn't herself.  She lags behind on walks, when normally she is like trying to walk a snake on a leash,  getting her to eat is challenging, even things she loves, and she will sit and look at the sofa like I want up there, but that means I have to jump up there.  She just isn't my sweet little Sophie girl always ready to tackle anything in her way.  So, my first question was What is Inflammatory Bladder Disease?  I'm sure I won't use the highly technical medical explanation for this, but it has to do with the lack of the mucus protein that lines the bladder. It is basically very painful for her to hold her urine.  The symptoms mimic those of a bladder infection, but she doesn't have an infection.  She said you would think the symptoms would present sooner than this because of the lack of the lining, but that normally it takes a while.  The Vet said not to increase the meds, that it seems she is headed in the right direction, but it might take her another week or two to get back to her normal self.  If that doesn't happen, then they will start looking at other things, such as the Diabetes Insididus, but for right now, just let her lay low, that she just really does not feel good.  I did a urine catch this morning and there was more yellow color than there had been previously when it was like water, so she said that is good news.  So, guess we will just continue to love on her for another week and see where we end up. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

One of the reasons the old antidepressants work is because they have major side effects, namely anticholinergic effects, and sometimes people have dry mouth etc. and difficulty peeing : ) I would be very careful about withholding water for too long at night. The normal results on those test are very good news. Good luck with the amitriptyline.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Thanks F.  Glad to know that someone else has heard of using these for treatment.  I'm hoping these do the trick and she can get all back to normal.  She slept through the night last night with no accidents but again really wanted that water when she work up.  Maybe I'll leave them a little water in their room tonight and see how we do.  She hasn't been drinking all that much today though.  Not sure how long it should take the meds to kick in but she has only had two pills so far. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

The medication she is on is not a treatment for Diabetes Isipidus, though, but Spohie may not have that.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The Vet said that we would look at treatment for Diabetes Isipidus if this med didn't turn out to solve the problem.  She said that the diagnosing DI was basically done by ruling out everything else that there wasn't really a test that confirmed a DI diagnosis.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I am familiar with DI ( diabetes insipidus). Two of the major signs of it are poyuria and polydipsiea ..excessive peeing and drinking......in humans they have you inhale through your nose a hormone and I believe it works very well.
but in DI you have a diluted urine and it would not be totally normal.....because of the excessive amounts of fluid intake. Also in humans they never with hold fluids from you at any time unless they are doing specific testing
I a, not sure if you were following Jack or not but he was getting up to pee all night, I mean ever hour and also soaking a diaper in between. We believe he has a spastic bladder and is on medicine for that which is helping but also his cortisol level was low..causing symptoms...but not the typical,Addison's disease..but secondary Addison's which is also a pituitary problem just like Diabetes Insidious is.

My only thought was if her bladder was inflamed only, that would not explain the excessive urination unless it was causing a spasm..I don't think.


Hope you get answers soon....if it is DI it needs to be treated ,,,

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Thanks Jennifer.  I'm not really to sure what exactly the Inflammatory bladder disease is supposed to mean.  I can't find too much on it so I'm not sure if that alone would cause the excessive urination.  I'm still researching and trying to find more about it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Perhaps the vet was talking about interstitial cystitis, which ix an inflammation of the bladder wall.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I'll read up on that also.  Thanks so much.

[Sue Z. + Finley]

Our last dog (Australian shepherd) had diabetes for the last two years of her life. I gave her two insulin shots per day. It can be restrictive for your lifestyle to be available to give the shots, but if you have a support system it I'd definitely manageable. Good luck.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Insulin is used for Diabetes Mellitus. This dog may have Diabetes Insipidus, which is entirely different.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Sue -- I like you thought the same thing when the vet first said Diabetes but she was quick to point out that Diabetes Insipidus is very different and has nothing to do with their sugar levels.  Strange as that seems.