Adult Dog Peeing in Sleep??? .... And Recent Coat Changes.... Update

[Stella]

Hi Guys,

I thought a few of you might like an update on the goings on with Chase!  He finished the course of anti-biotics for the suspected urine infection, and I started him on Cranberry capsules to try to help stop this from happening again.  Since then he hasn't peed in his sleep, but it was only happening intermittently anyway, not regularly.  We tested a third urine sample a week after he finished the anti-biotics and there were no crystals, no increased white blood cells (which there had been in the first sample) and the pH had come down from 8 to 6.  So, at least the test results look better.  We'll just have to keep watching to see if the peeing starts again.

His coat continues to look bad.  He has a distinct line at the base of his neck/ top of his shoulders where his coat changes from thick and curly to thin and whispy.  I am attaching a couple of pictures, one from last summer before all this started, and one taken at the weekend.  You can see that the areas where his coat is a slighty different colour (lighter and more gingery/ blonde) in the first picture match up to where he has hair loss now, which is weird.

 

It is hard to see in this picture just how thin his hair is (sorry I don't know how to turn the pictuer the right way around!).  The vet isn't too concerned, she recommended that we wait it out for a few months and see what happens.  His bloodwork was all normal, skin condition is good, so she feels we shouldn't be overly concerned.... just keep an eye on things for now.  As we live in Canada and it gets cold here in the winter, I bought him a lovely coat from Ruffwear to keep him warm!

So, we continue to worry about him but are trying to be patient and give things some time to see how it pans out.

[Kyoko]

So happy to hear that he is feeling much better now. But seems strange about his coat,... I hope everything turn out OK.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so glad that the UTI is cleared up.  Please keep us informed about Chase's coat.

[Pauline Rackley]

Was he tested for hypothyroidism? This can cause symetrical hair loss with no itching.

[Stella]

Yep, he had bloodwork done to test for thyroid and other endocrine changes.  They just did the regular bloodwork and everything came back within normal limits.  The vet did say we can do more detailed testing if things don't improve.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm happy to hear that the infection has cleared!  What's going on with his coat certainly is a mystery...maybe you just have to wait and watch it for now, especially since he seems to feel fine.

[Lee Seidman]

Our Lexi had similiar symptoms.  It was almost impossible to find the correct anti biotic to cure her urinary infection until she got on to a very expensive, effective  injection that finally cured it. The coat, leaking of urine etc. turned out to be Addissons disease. Not all Vets are familiar with this and we almost lost her while she was being treated by our three EX vets. We took her to the hospital not expecting her to last the night where she was properly diagnosed and has been under treatment. That was over a year ago and thank God she is incredible, beatiful and active today. Ask about Addissons,  it is fairly common and easy to control once diagnosed.

 

[Stella]

Thanks for your reply and information about Addisons Disease.  Karen and Jack had ages ago when this began suggested Cushings, which I think is the opposite of Addisons.  So, if things get worse or his general health starts to deteriorate, we'll definately push for more detailed testing.

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

It is so hard to not worry about them sometimes isn't it?  Glad the urine infection is clearing up.  My own doodles coat is not growing back the way it usually does but it is due to allergies.

[Stella]

Yep, it is so frustrating knowing that something is going on that is causing his hair to fall out, but not having an identified cause!  These doodles sure do cause me a lot of worry!!

[Stella]

I know!  It is such a wierd distribution, unusual that is has such a defined area.  Until his coat began to change, Chase was part of the 'naked doodle' crew!!  Now we put a coat on him outside to keep him warm!