Yeah- that's what I would do.

Storm is going to see Dr. Miller today at 3pm....
I just don't want to find out 3 months later that he has a medical issue that could have easily been resolved had we just brought him in 3 months ago....at the very least, I have been keeping Dr. M up to date with this issue since it first started in April.

That makes me feel better, Claudia. I'm glad you made a sooner appointment.

well i hope dr. M can find out whats going on with storm!

Got back from Dr. M and there's definitely something medically wrong

We discussed what happened overnight, and decided to start with a sterile urine sample and go down a lists of tests to rule out illnesses.

When she brought Storm back into the exam room, she said his urine is SO dilute it is almost water. As she was saying this, Storm peed in the exam room and she was so impressed with the amount he peed that when I said this is how he has been peeing since I first mentioned it starting in April, and sometimes he pees more, she then said, 'There is DEFINITELY something wrong. It's not behavioral at all.'

So, the possibilities that we need to test to rule out are (according to his symptoms):

Kidney failure

• Diabetes

• UTI

• Liver disease

• High blood calcium

• Uncommon abnormalities of the pituitary gland

The next step would be blood work. He is due for a semi-annual check up next month so we'll do it then if we have to. We have baseline blood work from him when he was hypothyroid so we'll have something to compare results to.

I'll keep this updated as we go along....

So sorry Claudia,

You are in my prayers!

Thanks, Megan.

I had a feeling it was medical

I wonder, Claudia, if it isn't diabetes? He was SO overweight for so long (clearly at no fault of your own), I wonder if it can be caused that way like it is in humans?

He's in my thoughts, poor guy. You guys are GREAT doggy parents and you'll get this figured out!

Yes, Tori!

Dr. M has mentioned that previously because he is borderline. But when we tested back in April, blood and urine came back normal. This wasn't a sterile sample, so this is a more formal urine test than the first. I think she mentioned it's called diabetes insipidous. And if I remember correctly, it's an abnormal function in the pituitary gland that effects some other bodily function that allows him to hold his pee until he's in an appropiate place to pee. She threw out a few scientific terms that I have a hard time keeping up unless I have a notepad to jot some of this down!

Good luck Claudia

Thanks Jennet!

When will you know what the test say? Hope its nothing to bad! Poor storm can't catch a break good thing he has great parents to take care of him!

Poor Storm.. do let us know when you find anything out from the tests.

I would put him on distiller water if he isn't currently, with my kidney issues that's what I mostly drink.

Poor Storm

arooroomom wrote:

I would put him on distiller water if he isn't currently, with my kidney issues that's what I mostly drink.

Poor Storm

Don't mean to hijack, but do you think its necessary to always give dogs distilled water? I have been woindering if tap is safe, even though we use a filtered waterer.

mheath0429 wrote:

arooroomom wrote:

I would put him on distiller water if he isn't currently, with my kidney issues that's what I mostly drink.

Poor Storm

Don't mean to hijack, but do you think its necessary to always give dogs distilled water? I have been woindering if tap is safe, even though we use a filtered waterer.

I don't think so. I think Kristina was merely suggesting this because of the potential for kidney issues. With his health, it's best to go as easy on his body as possible. Distilled water prevents the body from having to work to filter impurities. On a healthy dog, this isn't an issue, just like it isn't an issue for people

That is also to say that your tap water is safe for human consumption. If it's not, I would of course go with distilled for my pups too.

We drink it, so I'm assuming it's safe

jbealer wrote:

When will you know what the test say? Hope its nothing to bad! Poor storm can't catch a break good thing he has great parents to take care of him!

The urine analysis will take 3 to 5 days to come back. We're hoping to hear back by Saturday - I'll update as soon as I hear something back.

I just want to figure out what is wrong as soon as we can so we can treat it while it's in it's early stages. However, some of the tests, such as kidneys and/or liver, sometimes cannot detect illness or disease until it's already 25-50% damaged So my hope is that we rule out as much as we can as soon as we can.

Koda wrote:

mheath0429 wrote:

arooroomom wrote:

I would put him on distiller water if he isn't currently, with my kidney issues that's what I mostly drink.

Poor Storm

Don't mean to hijack, but do you think its necessary to always give dogs distilled water? I have been woindering if tap is safe, even though we use a filtered waterer.

I don't think so. I think Kristina was merely suggesting this because of the potential for kidney issues. With his health, it's best to go as easy on his body as possible. Distilled water prevents the body from having to work to filter impurities. On a healthy dog, this isn't an issue, just like it isn't an issue for people

That is also to say that your tap water is safe for human consumption. If it's not, I would of course go with distilled for my pups too.

Denver tap water is supposed to be one of the best but that doesn't mean to say that it is free of any and/or all impurities.

I could start giving him filtered water (from the fridge) or is distilled water better? (I always seem to get confused or forget on what the difference is).

I would still go with bottled or distilled water. Filtered water is actually just filtered. Distilled is a process (I believe) involving boiling.

I would go with distilled even over bottled. Obviously when you can, it's impossible to make everything he drinks or eats come with distilled water.

Ok, so now I'm a little more confused because there are disadvantages to both filtered and distilled wated - but which is the lesser of 2 evils?

Filtration

Water is purified when passed through filters that trap contaminants, absorb harmful chemicals, remove chlorine and chlorine byproducts and filter out volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).


Distillation

The contaminants -- or heavy metals -- in regular tap water are separated from water molecules using extreme heat until it evaporates, is stripped of its minerals and processed back into liquid form through steam. Distilled water is used mostly in laboratories or in the printing business.



Benefits

Water filters are able to remove far more contaminants than any other purification method. Filtered water is economical and minimal water is wasted during the purification process. Activated carbon filters, such as those used on countertops and attached to faucets, remove odors and give tap water a better taste.

Distilled water is often consumed by people in developed areas where contaminated drinking water would cause illness.


Disadvantages

The distillation process does not remove chlorine or other VOCs found in municipal drinking water. Distilled water is highly acidic and mineral-free, making it unhealthy for people to drink.

The filtration process that uses granular filters doesn't absorb all harmful chemicals.

The majority of my water is distilled- when I don't have any I just buy bottled water. It's a precaution and takes away work from my kidneys which aren't too great.

Urine test came back negative for infection.

Since Storm's urine is very dilute, we at least know that his kidneys aren't able to concentrate the water he takes in which in turn in urinated out.

Since Dr. M. was in the office today (she's normally closed on Mondays) she asked if I wanted to bring Storm in to get blood drawn for testing and she would then be able to get results back by tomorrow morning.

At this point, we are now testing for any diseases that could be a result of the pituitary gland not working properly. This would include forms of diabetes and Cushings for the more common diseases, among a few others. Since we had blood drawn/tested in April as part of his yearly exam (which is a requirement for him at his age being hypothyroid borderling), we have baseline tests for comparison. If there is a spike in certain level (I can't remember which levels! Too many scientific/medical terms thrown at me in 15 minutes), or a trend of increased levels, we would then at least have some sort of diagnosis and be able to figure out a treatment plan. This would also tell us if he is dehydrated even after all the water he is drinking. If it's normal, then we try a diuretic hormone to see if he responds. If he does, then he's back on medication to help him out.

As a last resort, if all tests come back normal, and he's not dehydrated, then we SLOWLY decrease the water available to him to the amount he should be drinking in a day to see if we can 're-train' his body/kidneys.

I'm sure I'm not explaining all of this correctly and I'm missing some things but unless I take notes or record her, I can't seem to repeat it back once I finally get to update this post!

I should have blood test results posted tomorrow.

Good Luck, Claudia. We are all rootin' for Storm.

Good luck. Hope it all turns out to be easily treatable.