The stony truth

Why is Merida smiling?

Because she's home and finally has a diagnosis.

To backtrack a little:

1. Back in November, we took her to the vet for a suspected UTI.  A urinalysis was performed and it was confirmed that there was bacteria etc. She was on antibiotics for 7 days and at the end of the course, the UTI seemed to clear up.

2. Fast forward to the end of February. On a surprisingly warm day, I took her for a walk and saw blood in her urine. Back to the vet we went and this time she received a 14 day course of antibiotics.

The course finished, another urinalysis was performed, but with different results.

There was no bacteria, but there was the presence of other foreign matter. An xray showed a small blob/lump/something in her bladder.

3. So, this past Monday, she spent a day and night at the vet's office where they cleaned/drained her bladder and scoped it. She had 3 small stones banging around in the bladder, causing irritation and bloody urine. The stones are currently in the lab and we're waiting for the results on their composition. This will determine her dietary needs for the rest of her life.

4. Right now, she's on Royal Canin Urinary SO dog food. She cannot have anything else because we don't know what caused the stones in the first place. This dog food will a) make her thirsty and force her to drink more water, which will cause increased urination. This is good to keep the bladder flushed. And b) it will inhibit the growth of future stones.

Temperament and behavior wise, she's back to normal. When we brought her home on Tuesday, she seemed glad to be home with us. It's always different when you come home, isn't it? She has shaved patches on her front legs where the IV was placed, but other than that, you wouldn't know she had a procedure done. She has one more day of anti-inflammatory meds - Metacalm, and about 8 or 9 days left of antibiotics. In a couple months she has to go back for another urinalysis test.

We are grateful it wasn't anything more serious with her kidneys and with this diagnosis, we have an action plan for the short and long term.

More to come once we have an update on the stones themselves.