Sorry, meant to add that Shannon781 has also suggested the right approach, particularly in properly identifying any kidney function problems and upper urinary tract issues. Don't hold back asking your vet about this and about how they intend to deal with it. If you feel the vet is under-performing, get a second opinion elsewhere - this could be something very simple and straightforward, but if it is either the start of diabetes or very early kidney failure, time is of the essence. Tony x
Ask the vet to re-check Urea level. It may have been a blip (hopefully), but if it is the early onset of kidney disease, the urea will be the same or higher. You can prolong your dog's life substantially, if you can catch kidney disease early. Fingers crossed it isn't, but even if it is, there's lots you can do to keep her with you for quite a while yet. It could just be a urine infection, in which case antibiotics should clear it up - the real question would be what's caused the infection - and will it occur again if the cause cannot be found. Either way, a good vet will be exhaustive in their attempt to identify and diagnose properly, so do come back after the visit and let us know what they do and what they suggest the diagnosis is. Fingers crossed. Tony x
Thanks everybody. It will be the vets on Monday. All your comments are really useful. Will post after vets visit. Just hope she is ok. You know what it is like, as your dog gets older, you know things can start going wrong. By the way she is fairly subdued today. Roll on Monday.
There are also tests to check for diabetes insipidus if everything else is normal. They can check to see if she is able to concentrate her urine or if it is always dilute, and can check some other levels as well. It isn't a common disease but if nothing else shows I would ask about testing for it.
Also, your vet should do a urinalysis along with blood work to accurately evaluate kidney function. He/she should also do a urine culture to make sure the dog doesn't have pyelonephritis which is an upper urinary tract infection in the kidneys. It can be tricky to diagnose without a urine culture because many times, the regular urinalysis shows no abnormalities other than a dilute urine, which predisposes to a kidney infection. It may be a primary problem or a secondary problem from something causing her to drink and urinate more. It should definitely be looked into further!
Thanks Tony for all your useful comments. I will be taking her to the vet. She did have bloods done, but vet said glucose levels were ok. I was worried about diabetes also. The only thing was the slightly raised urea. I have looked at the questions which you have raised, so over the weekend I will attempt to find some answers prior to going to the vet.
I will let you know how we get on.
Thanks again.
Marian
Hi. It could indeed be a urinary problem, but I'm also a bit suspicious about diabetes. Did the vet do a glucose tolerance test? In the first stages of diabetes, the most obvious symptom is excessive and almost unquenchable thirst ... and the fact she has been incontinent is also an indicator, as she could have been having a nocturnal hypo or (more likely) hyperglycemic attack.
There are many other potential reasons for her symptoms, but diabetes certainly needs urgent investigation as a first priority (and hopefully discounted through blood testing).
You are also right to question a link to her being spayed. hormone-responsive incontinence is not unusual in older female dogs that have been spayed, which account for about 20 per cent of all spayed dogs. The good news is most dogs with this form of incontinence respond favorably to medication.
One of the many sites that deal with canine incontinence suggest preparing a document of answers to the following questions, which can then be given to your vet - and which will help in the diagnosis and accurate treatment afterwards:
When did the incontinence begin?
When is the leakage typically observed- during sleep or with activity, before or after urinating outside?
Is your dog drinking more water than normal? Ideally measure how much water she drinks during a 24-hour time period. Normal water intake during 24 hours should be no more than one ounce per pound of body weight per day.
Does the act of urination appear normal in terms of time spent squatting, strength of urine stream, and appearance and odor of urine?
Are there any other observed symptoms such as difficulty passing a bowel movement or hind end weakness?
Has there been a recent change in diet or addition of medications or supplements?
Hope this helps ... please come back and let us know how you get on. Tony