wierd bladder control problem, please help.

RG5384 · 01-12-2007, 06:28 PM

Thank you for taking the time to read this, i have an approximately 2 year old treeing walker coonhound that i adopted from animal care and control 7 months ago. Throughout the time i have owned her, roughly once or twice a month she would leak clear, oderless fluid from her "peeing area". She does not seem to notice she is doing it, but once she becomes aware of it she constantly licks herself as well as the object she has leaked on(be it carpet, her bed padding, her chair etc). This wasn't really a huge problem(she isn't allowed on furniture or the bed) until recently when she has started to do this on a daily basis. Additionally, about two nights ago she peed right in between my roommate and I, which is very out of character for her as she has been completely housetrained for almost 5 months. Also, in addition to her leaking being much more frequent now, it has also changed from being clear and oderless to actually being yellow urine. I have a vet appointment set up for monday morning, but would like to avoid paying the vet fees if this is something i can take care of myself. I suspect a UTI or ?? but i really have no basis for thinking that. Any thoughts or ideas are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much,
Ryan

britishbandit · 01-12-2007, 06:42 PM

Get her to the vet! It could very well be a UTI, but it might not be, and she needs to be properly diagnosed, and not being "best guessed". For me, I don't penny pinch when it comes to the health of my pets. Vet fees aren't that outrageous that it should put you out much.

RG5384 · 01-12-2007, 06:53 PM

As stated i do have plans to take her into the vet on monday( the soonest appointment they had), but i was also thinking that maybe someone else had ran into a problem similar to this in the past and could provide some insight. The vet fees arent outrageous(will probably be around 80-100 dollars or so), but being a college student with an unpaid internship 100 dollars is a considerable amount. I dont' want you all to think i neglect the dog, she is fed a premium food, kept on advantage flea control, and all of her shots are kept up to date, but i also don't want to throw money down the drain if i don't have to. At this point i obviously plan on taking her to the vet unless i come accross information that proves to be effective. Thanks again,
Ryan

britishbandit · 01-12-2007, 06:56 PM

I didn't say that to be offensive, just so you know.

Maybe ask if your vet will do payments, where you pay so much a week or something, or half now, half later on. Most vets will do their best to accomidate your situation.

RG5384 · 01-12-2007, 07:02 PM

no offense taken

The vet that i go to is very nice and accomidating, but i personally HATE making payments on things, so i would rather just pay it all up front. The estimate the vet gave me is as follows:
Exam Canine Comprehensive 30.00
Urinalysis complete 0.00
Urinalysis multi-strip test 15.75
Urinalysis specific gravity 5.25
Urine Stain with microscopic exam 8.75
Total: 60.15

Does this sound like a fair price? it seems to be to me, but this is the first dog i've owned so i have no prior experience with vet bills. I should also note that the total DOES NOT include medications, so that could drastically run up the bill. Is there anything else i should ask the vet to do when i take her in? I figure the 30.00 canine comprehensive occurs every time you take the dog in, regardless of the reason, so if there was something else i should be checking i'd rather do it all at once to save paying that twice. Thanks again,
Ryan

Lorina · 01-12-2007, 08:05 PM

That's about what would be average price around here, which is a small podunk mountain town with a fairly low cost of living.

My guess would be either a UTI, or estrogen responsive incontinence. Both would require a checkup, U/A and medication. If it's a UTI, she'll need to be on antibiotics. If it's ERI, she may need to go on long term medication. The good news is the long term meds are pretty inexpensive, possibly less than $10/month.

Dogged · 01-13-2007, 12:45 AM

Those fees are cheap compared to where I am. It sounds like it could be a bladder infection, and those are painful. You need to get her in as soon as possible. This shouldn't wait.