Update on drinking

Well, I got so worried about Dylan's drinking/weeing at some point that just over a month ago, I got Ian to do another blood and urine test... both came back as perfectly normal!

So by way of elimination, we suspect that Dylan has psychogenic diabetes insipidus which means that he is drinking excessively for mental reasons. So we think that maybe the stress this year (mainly mine that he picked up on) induced the polydipsia/polyuria. As it is, he has been drinking less over the last couple of weeks and isn't in a rush anymore all the time to go to toilet.

I have upped his Aktivait to full dosage and have also given him CSJ Calm Down herbs... I don't know whether either of those helped.

Dylan's thyroid seems fine now and he has definitely more energy again since being on the higher dosage.

Blood results

Just had a call from Mark. Dylan's blood test shows nothing remarkable at all re kidneys, so we shall just watch him for a bit re his drinking. But so far, it doesn't seem to be linked to any obvious problem! Great news.

However, his T4 has dropped very low... very strange as he doesn't seem to show any symptoms at all other than perhaps a couple of things that I put down to old age (like not getting up from sofa when I get treats out for the dogs)... perhaps the are not after all age related, but thyroid related. So we are going to put him on a higher dose of soloxine and retest him after a few weeks... Very strange that!

Drinking

Dylan seems to have been drinking more over the last few weeks. It isn't the heat because he seems to drink regardless of the temperature now, not huge amounts but definitely more than "never" which is what he did before. So I took a urine sample in this morning which shows protein in his urine, so Mark took some blood to check kidney function. We should have the results tomorrow. Other than that, he is well and not showing any other signs of being unwell.

12 years old! Happy Birthday!

Dylan's 12th Birthday has come round fast. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my gorgeous boy! Luckily he is still fit and healthy, so we can't complain! He got a pig's ear to celebrate.

Dylan gave us a scare...

Yesterday Dee texted me that Dylan wasn't getting up from the sofa at all and didn't look very happy. I asked her to pop in again a couple of hours later, which she did, but there was no change. So I rushed home like a demented women worried sick about him... only to be greeted by a perfectly happy and healthy hound. LOL Naughty Dylan to worry me like that.

Vet's verdict

I took Dylan to see Mark yesterday morning. Mark wasn't worried about his lymphglands, he said they were a bit enlarged but most likely just due to his teeth (he had bad breath too - remedied now that he has had a ham bone yesterday to clean his teeth, I must get more consistent again with Dentisept too as that keeps the inflammation around his broke tooth down).

Dylan yelped however when Mark palpitated around his hip and Mark said that they should not be so pain sensitive there (and Dylan doesn't normally yelp easily). Mark thinks that he has pain in his sacroiliac joint (the joint where the pelvis meets the spine) and has put him on Rimadyl for 10 days. Dylan is also due at the chiro again in a week, so that should work out well. Then we will reassess the situation.

Mark was puzzled though why Dylan still jumps with ease say on the sofa... Never easy with Dylan to get a proper diagnosis... LOL But I do hope that this will clear it all up. Luckily Dylan doesn't show any obvious pain anymore, but better safe than sorry, so the course of Rimadyl is a good thing to do and will hopefully take down any inflammation that may be there.

Two sleeping beauties; a picture I took yesterday. :-)

Update and chiropractor

Dylan has been ok all week after his episode, but Karen thought that his lymph nodes were a bit enlarged. Yesterday, I took him to Susan, the chiropractor, and she agreed that it felt a little swollen around there. In addition she found a very sore spot on his spine which when Susan massaged it gently made him very weak in his back legs (to the point that he was almost collapsing on them). So she wants to see him back for that in two week's time. She also found the right side of his neck very tight.

Last night when I came home from training, he bounced up to me like no ones business. He seems much more comfortable already, it must have been quite painful for him.

I am still going to take him to the vet's on Saturday, but I didn't want to go yesterday as it wouldn't have given the vet the right picture right after chiro treatment. But I do want the vet to check his lymph glands out if nothing else.

Dylan a bit off colour

For a few days until Monday this week Dylan was just a bit off colour. I couldn't put my finger on anything in particular, other than he looked tired or in pain... He also yelped a few time when I accidently walked into him, but when I checked him out, I couldn't get a pain response from him. He was fine on walks though, ate normal etc. I was just about to book him into the vet's when on Monday evening, he seemed to be back to his normal self.

Though on Tuesday morning, when I was cuddling up to him he suddenly yelped when I lifted his head up that he had laying in my lap - that happened twice. Again, when I checked on him, he was fine.

Last night, he went to lay on the sofa and when he went to put his head on the armrest on the side, he yelped again. Yet in any other aspect he is perfectly fine, bouncy on the walks as normal, eating fine, jumping up when I get in, playing etc... and not tired looking or off colour anymore at all. I think he may have strained his neck or have a stiff neck like we get sometimes. So I have decided to watch it a few more days and see how it goes. I will take him to Sue, the chiropractor, on Monday though. She might be able to help if it's muscle tension or similar.

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I took a video a couple of week ago of Dylan doing some DC positions in the park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EykgW43vViY

He still loves a spot of training, does Dylan! :-)

Lump removal

I took Dylan to Mark's yesterday to check on a couple of his lumps. The one by his thigh, Mark wasn't too sure so we decided to have it removed and checked. Dylan stayed straight for surgery.

Luckily all is well, the lump is just another lipoma. Nonetheless Dylan now has stitches yet again. LOL

I'm now just waiting for the results of the general blood test that we did as well (just to make sure that all is working well).

Here he is at home again after I picked him up.

Just a picture

We had a lovely walk in the country park today. Flash is so much better again with other dogs and Dylan is just full of energy! It's such a joy to walk these too again - though of course I still need to be careful with them... I still don't trust Flash 100% and Dylan still loves chasing things that move of course. But it is overall so much more relaxing again.

Sunday morning lay in

Just a little mention to say that Dylan is doing great. The effects of Aktivait seem to have kicked in now and he is not whingy anymore or unsettled (unless it's dinner time LOL). So it seems to work. He has loads of energy, looks fit and healthy and is doing great! Love my eldest loads.