My dog does not like to drink water very much. I need some suggestions to get her to drink more. She will eat ice cubes that I put in the water. I thought it might get her to drink the water too but it does not.
Annie is a small Border Collie who came from rescue. The people in rescue thought she was about one year of age but my vet believes she is about three years of age based on the condition of her teeth.
She seems to be in excellent health and eats extremely well and urinates okay. She has never been interested in drinking water even on hot days. I used to add water to her food to make sure she gets enough water but I stopped doing it after a while. She drinks a little from time to time but does not seem comfortable and usually chokes or gags a little when she does drink some. She eats a homemade diet of meat and grains and vegetables and vitamins and supplements. The only other thing to mention is that she usually only has one bowel movement a day and the stool is pretty small although it looks nice and firm and full of bulk. She will pick ice cubes out of the water and eat them but does not drink much water even though I encourage her to do so. Someone suggested a pet water fountain but they are pretty expensive and I don't know if that is the answer either. Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.
My dog is a whote pure breed lab. He isnt fix as i am going to breed him down the line. He pees alot but drinks water alot as well. Not over the amount but does have a nice amount of water. The temp has been going up and down alot we came from Florida, but we now live in Chicago. was wondering if the weather changes are affecting him at all. As to the peeing alot.He pees alot more when people come in and out of the house as well but he can go all night long till the am and doesnt have to go out till the am. could it be from the weather and him not being fixed? Thanks alot for any advise you can give me
I adopted a kitten from the animal humane society about 3 months ago and she is 8 months old now. She has had 2 seizures in the past 4 days. They both lasted about a minute long and she foamed at the mouth the entire time. Her body shakes and it appears that she is completely unaware of what is happening. She snaps out of it right away as though nothing ever happened. I took her to the vet after the first one and the vet recommended I monitor her for a period of time because seizures in cats as so rare. She also recommended I bring her back for a full blood test if she experiences more seizures. How common are seizures in cats? It seemed to me that the vet was somewhat surprised that she had had a seizure. I do not have the money to get the blood tests right away, is there anything I need to be cautious of until I can get her the bood tests? Could she have epilepsy? Thank you for your help.
Our 14 year old Miniture Schnauzer has been drinking alot of water (more then normal). And he can not hold his pee. This does not happen all the time but it has been happening more frequently. We go to let him outside and before he can get to the door he has peed. Or we can be in the kitchen and turn around & he has peed. And there is alot of pee. We have been to our vet and they have done blood and urine tests for cancer,diebities,theroid and other things. And everything turned out good. Last Sunday we started him on Proin but it does not seem like it has helped yet. We need some help and so does he.
Recently, I had a client ask me what the difference is between having one blood work profile done over another. She explained that she had always thought all blood work was the same and tested for everything we need to look at. I explained that this is not the case at all.
Blood work panels can be very simple or very complex. Most basic blood work panels evaluate a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and Chemistry. A CBC looks at white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This can be particularly effective for evaluating for infection, inflammation, anemia, coagulation problems, blood parasites, hydration and blood volume, in addition to other things. A basic chemistry panel evaluates a few liver enzymes, kidney enzymes, protein levels, glucose levels and that's about it. More thorough panels will also evaluate more liver enzymes, enzymes associated with the gallbladder and pancreas, electrolytes and minerals.
Of course, there are specific blood tests that can just test for something in particular. For example, common blood work tests that we run every day in clinics include a test for Heartworm disease ( a blood borne parasite that migrates to and lives in the heart), Feline Leukemia and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), Pancreatic Serum Lipase tests, Tick borne disease tests. These simple, fast blood tests can help rule out these diseases. Other commonly performed blood work includes specific panels to evaluate metabolic changes and likely endocrine disease. These include blood work to evaluate the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and pancreatic testing. There are even panels that are designed to test for levels of medication in your pet, such as seizure medications. These are often used to follow up on your pet's response to a specific medication.
Keep these tests in mind next time you visit your veterinarian. Blood work is usually recommended once yearly as a screening profile to be sure everything is looking okay with your pet. The type of panel and cost of the panel should be discussed with your vet. Senior or geriatric panels should always be considered with pets as they age. Pre-anesthetic blood work can also add insight prior to surgery and is always recommended.
Let me know if you have specific questions about certain panels or information for pets with obvious clinical signs, such as vomiting or fever. A physical exam and history always aids a veterinarian in making a decision about blood work and helps them pick the panel that will tell us the most about what might be going on with your pet.
I have an almost 8 year old blue heller, she had a seizure last night. This is the second one that she has had in the past few months, I have been reading on line about how sometimes it is from a vitamin/mineral dificiency, or something in the dog food. What do you think?
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Questions Answered By:
Dr. Lauryn Spohn, DVM
