Why does my dog have urine sludge and chronic foot and skin problems?

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Without seeing Lucy it is hard to say for sure. Gnawing at one area could be a sign of an allergy, like a flea allergy or pain. Even if you aren't seeing live fleas it doesn't mean they aren't there. And for dogs that are allergic, they tend to lick and scratch over the tail base. If there is a painful joint or area, dogs will lick a lot. At 13 it is very likely to have arthritis pain, this would also explain the buckling in her back. I recommend taking Lucy to the vet for a thorough physical exam and blood work to start anti-inflammatories. Please do not give any medications over the counter until you talk to your vet. In the meantime, you can wash the area with a mild soap (like Dial) and water to relieve some of the inflammation. Good luck and kisses to Lucy!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a few possibilities that come to mind with what you are describing. Endocrine disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's) are some of the first places I would start. Under-devoloped or suppressed immunity can be some rare things such as bone marrow hypoplasia or a deficiency in specific cell signalling chemicals produced by the body or receptors for those chemicals. I would consider consulting with a specialist. If Hero's primary problem is with his skin, a dermatologist would be the one to see. If other infections are more prevalent, consider seeing an internist. Hope this helps!

It sounds like Lucy is in pain, poor girl! Yelping, lack of appetite, and decreased movement are all signs of pain in dogs. It's very possible she sprained or strained something, like her back or a limb, and this is her way of telling you. I'm glad the Cosequin seemed to help her, but in general, Cosequin is not a pain reliever; it's a joint supplement that provides nutritive support to cartilage, joint capsules, and joint fluid, and it's an excellent product, so I do recommend you keep Lucy on this consistently. However, I think she needs some more aggressive pain management and a check-up with your vet to make sure she hasn't seriously injured herself. Especially if her back is painful, as that can sometimes involve pinched nerves. If she has a history of bladder stones and is having inappropriate urination, that definitely needs to be evaluated as well. When you go in to have her pain assessed, bring a urine sample with you for your vet to check. It may be something as simple as a urinary tract infection or it could be a recurrence of bladder stones, but it's worth getting checked out. Good luck and I hope Lucy feels better soon!

I'm so sorry to hear that Galadriel is having so many problems. Let's talk about skin first. Dogs that are allergic to fleas can also be allergic to other things. The most common are environments allergies or food allergies (even if they have been on the same food for a long time). And dogs that have flea allergies can have problems with even a single flea bite which can occur even when they are on a regular flea prevention. I am attaching more information about skin problems and allergies below. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 The most common reason for hot spots is an allergy, so it will be important to figure out what Galadriel is allergic to in order to help prevent future hot spots. Hot spots are initially treated by clipping the fur around the area and cleaning with an antibacterial solution. Depending on the severity of the infection, your veterinarian may elect for you to treat it topically (with antibacterial wipes or spray) or may send home oral antibiotics. Hot spots can be very painful, so sometimes pain medication will also be sent home. One of the most important things in getting hot spots to resolve is making sure they stay dry. If her hot spot is in a location that she can reach, you may need to use an e-collar to prevent licking until the area has healed. The following article has more information on hot spots. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952729 Finally, the most common reason that a female will frequently squat to urinate is that they have a urinary tract infection. I am attaching a handout with more information about that below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952574 So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Galadriel's skin and hot spot to see if she needs antibiotics for her skin and evaluate a urine sample to see if she has any evidence of a urinary tract infection. You will also be able to talk to them about potential allergies and what you can do to treat and prevent them. I know she has a number of problems, but it sounds like everything is a little out of control right now, so she will likely need a medication to decrease the inflammation of her current allergy outbreak and decrease the bumps. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that she feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

If she has dermatitis really bad than she could have a bacterial skin infection, demodex, allergies, ringworm, etc. Your vet could do a skin scrape, cytology, and culture to help diagnose. If there is any evidence of a skin infection than an antibiotic should be used for at least 3 weeks. She may also need an anti-histamine long term and a short term course of a corticosteroid. If there is any chance she could have mites than your vet could also treat for that. If she is getting frequent urinary tract infections it could be related to a skin infection. If you can't take her back to your vet than you could feed her a hypoallergenic diet like z/d or d/d and keep her on that diet for a few months to see if it is related to a food allergy. Do not give any other foods while trying the hypoallergenic diet. Switching foods frequently can cause gastrointestinal problems, like vomiting and diarrhea. So sorry that she is having all these problems but it sounds like she needs some more veterinary care. You could take her to a veterinary dermatologist if your vet is not able to diagnose and treat.

Based on your post of Lucy's bloodwork she has both elevated liver and kidney values which could mean she has another underlying condition altogether that is affecting both her organs such as leptospirosis, Cushings disease (hyperadrenocorticism), or any number of tick diseases. Therefore she needs additional testing to determine what the primary disease process is. She needs to most likely be hospitalized, placed on fluids to flush her system and pain medication if indicated. while the vet runs the necessary tests to determine the underlying problem here so that we know how to best treat her. Like I said before these lab values cannot be differentiated unless additional testing is done. I would likely first start with finding the specific gravity of her urine to rule out kidney failure first. Just because elevated kidney enzymes are present it does not always automatically mean that the pet is in kidney failure. Also it is very unlikely that both the kidneys and liver enzymes will be elevated without having another underlying disease process causing this. I hope that your pet Lucy is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Take care and best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She may be leaking urine in her sleep from having urinary incontinence for example. Otherwise, other possibilities include a urinary tract infection, stones, among other possibilities. Her skin may be dry due to allergies for example. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!