Boxer_21
Boxer Insane
This is an update to: Thread #1 and Thread #2
It seems as though every time we get his urinary incontinencet under control it ends up acting up once again. This past bout started on 10/25/08 when he peed on his peed during the day. I didn't call the vet right away because I wanted to see if this would be just a fluke thing. I decided to monitor him to see when/if he had another accident.
Come 11/6 (a Thursday) he peed twice on his bed, peed like you wouldn't believe outside throughout the rest of the night, and then he even leaked a little bit on the floor while he was still awake. I was going away that weekend so I couldn't bring him to the vets right away. So, this time I tried something different. My vet has tried everything that she knows of (urinalysis, urine cultures, bloodwork, X-Rays, etc) to figure out what's wrong with Riley. Unfortunately, he's obviously still not fixed. Or at least now there are other issues going on with him. So what I ended up doing was I wrote up a very lengthy email with as much detail as possible and I emailed about 40-50 veterinarians throughout the US and Canada. I started it off saying that I wasn't a current patient of theirs and that I understood if they could not spend time answering my email. I also told them that I understood they couldn't give me specific advice without examining him and seeing his records, but that any input or suggestions would be welcomed. When I came back home on Monday I was surprised to see that I had gotten about 30 responses back with very helpful info. Among the suggestions were that he be tested for Addison's Disease, Cushings Disease, Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, having an ultrasound done on his bladder, and seeking the help of an internal medicine specialist.
I did some research on internal specialists and I found one in Boston, MA that sounds very promising. They obviously want me to bring Riley in for a consultation so they can examine him and look over his records. The Dr. said that they typically start out with the basic bloodtests and work their way up to the more rare and expensive tests just in case the answer can be found early on. They're also willing to discuss the financial situations of their patients because they know it can be costly and a lot of people plain out can't afford it as one lump sum. I was very glad to hear that because I've been feeling very anxious over how much further these tests will put me into debt. I can only imagine what all of this will cost. So, this Monday I'll be calling our regular vet to fill her in and to ask for a referral to go the specialist.
I'm very eager to get this started because I want answers, but at the same time I'm terrified at what these answers will be. He'll be 7 in March so I know that he's getting up there. I know this is probably over reacting, but I know that he won't be with me forever. I know that dreaded day is coming faster than I want it to. I've been thinking about that a lot lately especially with his health issue and the fact that he's turning gray. It really scares the crap out of me. Riley is the first dog that I've had that was truly mine. He's 100% my responsibility and he's a mama's boy 100%. I don't know what I'm going to do without him when that day comes...
It seems as though every time we get his urinary incontinencet under control it ends up acting up once again. This past bout started on 10/25/08 when he peed on his peed during the day. I didn't call the vet right away because I wanted to see if this would be just a fluke thing. I decided to monitor him to see when/if he had another accident.
Come 11/6 (a Thursday) he peed twice on his bed, peed like you wouldn't believe outside throughout the rest of the night, and then he even leaked a little bit on the floor while he was still awake. I was going away that weekend so I couldn't bring him to the vets right away. So, this time I tried something different. My vet has tried everything that she knows of (urinalysis, urine cultures, bloodwork, X-Rays, etc) to figure out what's wrong with Riley. Unfortunately, he's obviously still not fixed. Or at least now there are other issues going on with him. So what I ended up doing was I wrote up a very lengthy email with as much detail as possible and I emailed about 40-50 veterinarians throughout the US and Canada. I started it off saying that I wasn't a current patient of theirs and that I understood if they could not spend time answering my email. I also told them that I understood they couldn't give me specific advice without examining him and seeing his records, but that any input or suggestions would be welcomed. When I came back home on Monday I was surprised to see that I had gotten about 30 responses back with very helpful info. Among the suggestions were that he be tested for Addison's Disease, Cushings Disease, Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, having an ultrasound done on his bladder, and seeking the help of an internal medicine specialist.
I did some research on internal specialists and I found one in Boston, MA that sounds very promising. They obviously want me to bring Riley in for a consultation so they can examine him and look over his records. The Dr. said that they typically start out with the basic bloodtests and work their way up to the more rare and expensive tests just in case the answer can be found early on. They're also willing to discuss the financial situations of their patients because they know it can be costly and a lot of people plain out can't afford it as one lump sum. I was very glad to hear that because I've been feeling very anxious over how much further these tests will put me into debt. I can only imagine what all of this will cost. So, this Monday I'll be calling our regular vet to fill her in and to ask for a referral to go the specialist.
I'm very eager to get this started because I want answers, but at the same time I'm terrified at what these answers will be. He'll be 7 in March so I know that he's getting up there. I know this is probably over reacting, but I know that he won't be with me forever. I know that dreaded day is coming faster than I want it to. I've been thinking about that a lot lately especially with his health issue and the fact that he's turning gray. It really scares the crap out of me. Riley is the first dog that I've had that was truly mine. He's 100% my responsibility and he's a mama's boy 100%. I don't know what I'm going to do without him when that day comes...
. My Lucy turned 8 a couple of months ago, and I'm keeping her at 8 as well. You just have to do whatever it takes not to think too much about it and like ELubas said, enjoy the moment.
