Good news!

[minkydog]

Minky does not have Cushing disease. Or renal failure. We have done some exhaustive testing and everything keeps coming back normal, except for his extremely low urine specific gravity. It seems that he may just be drinking a lot of water and diluting his urine, possibly from the phenobarb he's on to control his seizures. I cannot tell you how relieved I am

 

[mommasita]

Awesome

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Nice to hear good news. :

 

[Jockaroo]

I'm glad you got good news. Tipper our rescue was drinking huge amounts when we got her so we did Cushings and diabetes tests with her. She was cleared of the diseases and diagnosed with psychogenic polydipsia, in other words a pathological drinker. When she gets nervous, she drinks large amounts; if she stays nervous for an extended period, she will consume such large amounts of water that she flushes the salts from her body and creates an inbalance. This makes her thirsty, so she drinks more, urinates frequently which removes more salts.

The vet had us gradually limit her water intake and bring her levels back to normal. We had to use a measuring cup to monitor what we gave her. It took around two weeks to get her levels into a normal range. We took her from around 12 cups of water a day down to 5 cups. We know this is an issue and still monitor the water bowls, but she isn't as nervous now that she has settled into her home. If you can get the salt levels back to normal, your doggie will probably feel better. Your vet can provide recommendations for your dog's weight and breed. It was pretty specific for us and not something to try without doctor approval. Good luck and all the best to Minky.

 

[ducklite]

Such great news! You must be so relieved!

Anne

 

[SUSIEQ]

Great news for your pup!

 

[Cool-Beans]

ETA - I thought Minky was a person. Sorry. Glad to hear you got good news on your dog.

 

[TurboKitty]

Oh that IS good news! I know how wonderful having Minky is for your family, what with her "alert system" for your son. I hope you all enjoy MANY more years together!

 

[DawnCt1]

Glad to hear it! Jude has about 5 seizures a year, same for Annie when she was alive. We opted not to treat them. They are petite mal with drooling and hind quarter spasticity. They don't last that long.

 

[minkydog]

Thanks for all the good wishes. I am so relieved. Minky-Boodle is almost 7yrs old. We've had him since he was 8wks, a rescue pup thrown out by his owner because he couldn't prove paternity(his mother was a registered Standard poodle.)I nursed him through 6 wks of pneumonia which scarred his lungs for life. Through it all,he's been the best dog.

As turboKitty alluded to, he is very bonded to my autistic child. Christian (almost 12) has only recently noticed that we have a dog(!) and now will walk up and pet him! Minky has saved Christian from danger several times. They frequently have seizures within 48hrs of one another . Getting Minky's seizures under control has definitely played a part in getting Christian under control. Both "boys" are under medical care due to the frequency and severity of their seizures, and we have emergency drugs for them as well.

It's amazing to me how much the DIS crowd cares about each other's pets Thank you, thank you for all the nice words.