Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

[gedanjj]

My dog, Dexter, is a stray that we picked up in 2008. We don't know what his exact age is.

On Tuesday, I'm planning on taking my dog in to have a routine exam. I've been noticing that he has been panting heavily occasionally throughout the day, has a potbelly, and he pees, but I don't know if "excessive urination" means he takes at least 30 seconds to pee? He pees a lot, but not a lot of times when we let him out in the backyard.

I was reading about Cushing's, but one website says to rule out diabetes, or if it is diabetes, to get it under control before even attempting an initial Cushing's test.

We don't have lots of money, so I want to maximize my vet visit. I'm sure that I'm going to spend at least a couple of hundred bucks for a "complete blood work" test. Should I be asking for that, or should I be asking for a specific blood exam?

Thank you.

[KristinMarie717]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

I just went through all of this with my lab Jackson who is 10 years old.

He started drinking a lot of water, having accidents in the house and he was super lethargic and just looked depressed. He also lost about 12lbs in a 4 month span.

The best thing to do is a urinalysis and and full CBC blood work up. This will show you just about everything.

My initial vet thought Jackson had Cushings as well because of an elevated ALP liver enzyme but his blood sugar was 545! Normal high for a dog is 110. So we are working on getting that down and he has been put on insulin. The vet is confident this will bring down his ALP level.

I believe I only paid around $100 for the blood work. I don't have the paperwork with me for exact numbers.

You have come to the right place for all the support you need if it ends up being diabetes! Let us know his results and I am sure one of the veterans on this site can point you in the right direction!

Good luck!

[Judi]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

yes, testing the blood sugar can be pretty cheap. Let them start with that. A lot of vets want to jump right on the cushings thing but what you read is correct. My dog had both-even when she lost weight the pot belly stayed until we got her cortisol under control.

My vet is pretty good about not having me spend money for extra tests. Just be up front about it and hopefully your vet will be too.

Let us know what happens! Judi

with my dog's "excessive urination" she couldn't always control it. She slept on my husband's pillow and wet the bed LOL and we watched her walking through the living room when she just had to stop and go. she looked mortified because she really tried to be a good girl. so for her it was frequency and inability to hold it.

[gedanjj]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

Thank you for your advice and help!

I'm watching Dexter right now from work via webcam, and he's panting heavily from time to time in the garage we have which is air-conditioned. Currently the temperature is 78 degrees in the garage.

Is there anything I can do prior to our vet appointment tomorrow afternoon to help his panting? Ice in the water? I read online that rubbing their feet with rubbing alcohol helps cool them down. I did that prior to going to bed at 2:00AM this morning.

[KristinMarie717]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

Thank you for your advice and help!

I'm watching Dexter right now from work via webcam, and he's panting heavily from time to time in the garage we have which is air-conditioned. Currently the temperature is 78 degrees in the garage.

Is there anything I can do prior to our vet appointment tomorrow afternoon to help his panting? Ice in the water? I read online that rubbing their feet with rubbing alcohol helps cool them down. I did that prior to going to bed at 2:00AM this morning.

The panting might be more of a distressed panting than a temperature panting. Best bet is to get him to the vet as soon as possible and extra love!

[Eddie]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

I took a pee sample with us to the initial appointment and our vet did the preliminary diagnosis with just a test strip dipped in that sample. He confirmed it with a blood sugar test but didn't do anything more elaborate so it was pretty cheap.

We had noticed him drinking more than usual and doing longer individual pees. It was not particularly excessive but just more than usual.

He also did a lot of panting at first. We never really knew why but it stopped as we got his blood sugar down using insulin. It doesn't seem to be heat related although encouraging drinking might help.

Let us now how he gets on

Antonia

[gedanjj]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

I took a pee sample with us to the initial appointment and our vet did the preliminary diagnosis with just a test strip dipped in that sample. He confirmed it with a blood sugar test but didn't do anything more elaborate so it was pretty cheap.

We had noticed him drinking more than usual and doing longer individual pees. It was not particularly excessive but just more than usual.

He also did a lot of panting at first. We never really knew why but it stopped as we got his blood sugar down using insulin. It doesn't seem to be heat related although encouraging drinking might help.

Let us now how he gets on

Antonia

Thank you for your response. I'm curious....how did you obtain a sample of his urine? Did you just like follow behind him and just quickly pulled out a cup and tried to collect it mid-stream? I'm thinking of doing what you did....getting a sample of his urine and bringing it to the vet tomorrow. Should I get it today, or get it tomorrow before his appt?

[MomofGus]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

You should get your urine sample as close to your vet appointment as possible. My vet won't accept anything more than 30-40 minutes old. Otherwise, we wait until we get to the vet and get it just before we're seen. And, yes, follow right along with them with your sterile container to capture it. I've gotten to where I just get the sample when we get to the vets. I'd been advised to make sure his bladder was full and not to let him go at least 2 hrs before trying to collect the sample. Doing it there at the vet's yard, they want to pee where other dogs have peed and it's much simpler to get the sample and I just carry the container back into them. They provide me with a collection container when I check in. Good luck, because it's not often very easy. Their legs go up and back down so fast!

[KristinMarie717]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

I had to do the urine sample the morning of his appointment which was at 830am.

I followed him around with an old thermos and caught as much as I could before he knew what was going on.

[Judi]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

I know when they've checked for a UTI putting the sample in the fridge was a big no no

I bought some of those little aluminum pans that you use for cooking that are disposable and push them under my dog's legs. Our vet has yardsticks with cups attached

[Auddog]

I duct taped an aluminum pie pan (the disposable kind) to the end of an old broom handle. My boy really liked his privacy when he went potty, so I'm glad I only had to do it once or twice with him.
I hope Dexter feels better soon, and that the blood work will give you some answers.
Audrey

[Rover]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

Hope you find some good advice soon.

[gedanjj]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

Okay, well, today was appointment day. I was able to get Dexter's urine in a clean plastic container. I was following him around like an IRS agent trying to get back taxes from someone. LOL At first, when I tried for the urine, he immediately stopped and had this, "What do you think you're doing?" face. Then he went around the backyard with me in hot pursuit. He lifted his leg again, but this time, I went from under his tail and reached over and got it.

Went to the vet, told him we don't have much money, want to maximize our visit. He said that Dexter should get the $313 senior blood panel. I said no due to obvious financial reasons. Asked him how much urinalysis cost ($69). Visit was $35. Did the urinalysis. Results came back negative for diabetes. Doctor then said it could be hypothyroidism or Cushing's. At least he doesn't have diabetes.

What I'm going to do is shop around. I'm going to reach out to every single vet clinic in my area (Palmdale, CA and surrounding areas) to get an idea of how much a full senior blood panel costs. If not, I'm going to have to save money. And no, I wouldn't be eligible for Carecredit because my credit is shot to pieces.

[Judi]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

I'm so glad it wasn't diabetes. Hope you get some answers soon

[jesse girl]

Re: Have an appt on Tuesday, what should I ask the vet?

i had good experience with palmdale veterinary hospital i would ask to see dr mcEwan (he is the owner and well experienced ) talking to the staff or secretaries isn't going to get a discount . their prices were reasonable and they got it right the first time which of coarse saves you bunches of money .

not sure if you looked at our sister sight k9cushings they maybe able to help you through that possibility

diet has transformed my jesse so those are things to look at and may help .