[Captain22]

Hi,
Captain just turned 6 in June and has been healthy up until the last few weeks
The last few months his behaviour has changed, not interested in any toys, slow, and is now part of our furniture
In the last few weeks he's drinking excessive water and then urinating everywhere!
He can't hold his bladder for more than 1 hour
He pee's while going outside to his pee spot, he pee's while he's eating, he pees just sitting there
Urine test came back negative
Blood test came back with nothing alarming
Now waiting for more in-depth blood test to rule out or confirm low Thyroid
We are already $600 in and if his Tyroid comes back normal, I'm not sure what else we can do but throw $ down a rabbit hole

 

[Matt74]

Was he tested for Cushings? Symptoms are pretty similar.

 

[Captain22]

Was he tested for Cushings? Symptoms are pretty similar.

Thanks! I will ask the vet this evening. I am expecting a call from the vet with results from the Tyroid test

 

[196348]

definitely test for both diabetes and cushings disease as both of those disorders can cause these symptoms

 

[Matt74]

Thanks! I will ask the vet this evening. I am expecting a call from the vet with results from the Tyroid test

Good luck!

 

[[email protected]]

Did they test his urine for an infection? Boys get those too my female had one not too long ago she would pee alot but didn't notice her drinking alot as well Thyroid would be easy to deal with and those meds are relatively cheap, Is he overweight? I hope his tests come back with nothing serious.

 

[NJBoxerMom127]

Yes cushings and diabetes testing. Please let us know how he is.....

 

[Captain22]

So it's been 1 month of thyroid medication. It's made no difference
He has zero energy (super slow walking and difficult getting up, no interest in toys or guests anymore)
Drinking excessive amounts of water and then peeing excessively everywhere
So for now we just don't give him a lot of water, a quarter of a bowl, pee every 2 hours and no water after 8pm (once we all go to bed)
It's really, really frustrating! If we don't time it or give a little more water he's peeing in the condo
I will call the vet tomorrow and write up what she says
But she said definitely not diabetes or else sugar would be in his urine and it would've shown up on blood work

 

[mta]

i don't really have alot of knowledge or expertise with this one... but i've been dealing with something similar with my 11 1/2 male boxer. he hasn't peed in the house yet. he does drink a good bit of water through the day, and has regular potty breaks outside. sometimes he drinks so much water a good bit comes back up a few moments after drinking... just clear liquid. he's had just about every check... all kinds of lab work, xrays, ultrasounds, urine tests, etc. the vets had same thoughts as mentioned in previous replies... uti, cushings, cancer, diabetes. my guy was ruled out for the first 2... and no mass found in full abdominal ultrasound so hopefully cancer out of the picture... but the diabetes the vet was considering was actually diabetes insipidus (google it for more info). they first started by doing a water deprivation test... checking specific gravity of urine samples spaced 12 hours apart with no food / water in between... so urine sample around 7pm then no food / water and a sample at 7am. that was fun. the morning sample should have higher specific gravity as their body should concentrate urine overnight. my guy didn't. vet is giving a few more weeks to see if he resets on his own, and probably do another water deprivation test. if that fails again... i think there is another test for the hormone ADH.

the sugar in urine check might be a sign for the other type of diabetes in dogs... diabetes mellitus (DM).... but not for diabetes insipidus (DI). DI has to do with certain hormone (ADH) produced by pituitary gland that the kidney responds to... so i think in this disease it could be pituitary gland not supplying the hormone or the kidneys have stopped responding to it. i am not sure how common this disease is... i've heard / read it's not very common... so i'm hoping myself is not another rabbit hole for me. just as you... have spent quite a bit of money chasing this down and don't feel i've really gotten anywhere yet except ruling some things out.

also... make sure they did a cultured urine test when checking for uti... not just a basic lab test. those do cost more and take a few days as they usually send out to a lab to culture the sample to see if anything grows.

 

[196348]

So it's been 1 month of thyroid medication. It's made no difference
He has zero energy (super slow walking and difficult getting up, no interest in toys or guests anymore)
Drinking excessive amounts of water and then peeing excessively everywhere
So for now we just don't give him a lot of water, a quarter of a bowl, pee every 2 hours and no water after 8pm (once we all go to bed)
It's really, really frustrating! If we don't time it or give a little more water he's peeing in the condo
I will call the vet tomorrow and write up what she says
But she said definitely not diabetes or else sugar would be in his urine and it would've shown up on blood work

Did you test for Cushing's

 

[Kaco Boxers]

This really sounds like Cushings disease and I would have your vet rule this out.

Cushing's Disease - Testing

Cushing's disease is a condition caused by an increased production of the stress hormone cortisol by the adrenal glands. There are various reasons for an increase in cortisol production. The clinical signs of Cushing's disease are similar, regardless of the underlying cause of disease. However...

vcahospitals.com

 

[Captain22]

Hi everyone, providing an update on Captain and all the tests...
So it wasn't thyroid
Captain had an ultrasound and no cancer/kidney issues etc.
The vet says that his adrenal glands are swollen and his

pituitary gland (something I can't even remember what) is not normal either. She is almost certain it's Cushing's; however before she puts him on life long medication (treatment) she wants to do a Dexamethasone Suppression, Low Dose test for $227 just to be 100% sure. Then the approx. estimate monthly cost of the medication Vetoryl 30mg is $135. Then 10 day after the medication it's recommended to do a ACTH test to ensure the medication and dose is working. And if everything goes well and he's responding to the medication, it will be a $350 test every 6 months...SIGH​

 

[[email protected]]

I am glad they at least found out what was causing his problem. I know the meds are expensive and the testing but when my dogs were on cardiac meds I just had to find a way to afford them there was no choice meant cutting back on some of the things I liked but were not necessary but we managed to do it. Things are alot harder now with COVID interrupting people lives and income so I understand but I hope you will be able to find a way to do it. I always say to myself my dogs love me enough to do anything for me I should do the same for them! Keep us posted on how he does. And on the bright side the Suppression test may show he doesn't have it. Looks like your Vet is covering all the bases and trying to make sure he gets the right treatment. Wishing you guys well!

 

[Lindar51]

Good luck and I hope Captain will e fine. Sounds to me like to have a very good vet.

 

[Captain22]

Hi everyone, here to provide an update and seeking any kind of advice...
Captain started 30mg of Vetoryl to control/treat Cushings on October 1st. There was no improvement so 1 month later his dosage was upped to 40mg. Still zero improvement so 2.5 weeks ago his dosage has been upped to 50mg. In between he’s been treated for diarrhea twice and has started to get these infections/lumps on his body, oozing out puss that smells horrific. He’s been treated for that too but more are growing. Vet thinks this is all due to stress on his system. Like I said there has been zero improvement (still uncontrollably pees every 1-2 hours, desperate for water and food, cannot lift himself off the carpet, no energy etc.) I asked the vet if we should up the Vetoryl to 60mg now. She thinks that at this point, we should’ve seen some improvement so upping his dosage might not be the answer. 1 month supply of 60mg is approximately $400 Canadian. She thinks he should see a specialist. Just for a specialist to look at his is $325 and who know how many thousands in tests. We are so stressed and confused on what to do.

 

[[email protected]]

I think at this point your best bet would be to see a specialist your Vet is basically saying they don't know what else to do. I have found out the hard way sometimes the specialist is the cheapest way to go rather than buying expensive medications someone is "guessing" may help while the dog continues to be sick. I have had this happen before so I know what you are going thru and times are very tough right now for everyone.