I have a 2 year old dog who I caught consuming the neighbors garbage that contained week old meat and other particles. He had a few accidents in the house, which he never does. He also is drinking excessively. Should I be concerned?
Allison Williams, DVM says:
January 08th, 2009 at 11:13 PM
Yes - I don't think the meat is related but it sounds like he may have a bladder infection (cystitis) or something going on in his kidneys. Excessive drinking is a clinical sign with kidney infections and bladder infections (can also be a sign of diabetes, Cushings disease and other endocrine disorders). My advise would be to bring him to the vet for a urinalysis and antibiotics since it sounds very suspicious of a urinary tract infeciton. When they screen his urine, they will do a test called "specific gravity" which tells us if his kidneys are functioning properly. If the test shows kidney insufficiency, I would recommend bloodwork to make sure his internal organs are functioning correctly.
Spoiled meat can be dangerous (gastrointestinal signs such as diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration) but if infected, can also have effects on the liver and sometimes kidneys. Again, to rule out the correlation between the meat and incidence, I would bring him to the vet tomorrow.
Either way, bladder infections won't heal without antibiotics and if you allow it to go untreated, the infection can travel up to the kidneys and then it gets pretty serious.
Bring him in tomorrow - you'll be glad you did.
Best of luck (cute picture by the way)
- A. Williams, DVM
Please click on the right star (10/10) of the "star ratings" if I was able to help you today.
Aimee says:
January 09th, 2009 at 05:26 PM
Dr. Williams Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I appreciate the detailed information and advice regarding Bailey. I took the monster to the vet this morning. They were not too concerned about his frequency in urine output and the accident he had yesterday. However, they did say that he probably just had an upset stomache from the garbage and were confident that he would be fine. They said that he looked good. While I was there, I had them check his nail due him licking it all night-they gave him antibiotics and steroids for that..he had a tore in his nail. If he does have a UTI then the antibiotic will kill both, I guess..thank you again!!!!
Allison Williams, DVM says:
January 09th, 2009 at 10:45 PM
So happy to hear that everything was ok w/your pup.
Have a great weekend - AW
Aimee says:
January 11th, 2009 at 10:45 AM
After two days of being on the steroids and antibiotics, Bailey's breathing seems off. He is wheezing and it appears that he is having a hard time breathing through his nose and/or catching his breath in general. Is this a side effect of the steroids?
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