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Pawbly | 11 years ago
My Dog, Buttons Is A 12 Year Old Sheltie. She Is Is In Good Health…

My Dog, Buttons is a 12 year old Sheltie. She is is in good health with no ailments. Recently we discovered a small tumor like projection from her right leg, it is pink and about the size of a penny. Upon going to the local Farm Vet we learned that it is a "hemangioma" of some sort. He gave her prednisone to see if it would shrink it down. She has now taken the last of her prednisone and it has not shrunk but has not gotten larger, but has a small hole in the side of it. I am attaching a picture of it, for advice as to what you all may think this could be and what I can do for her. I cleaned it with peroxide and put Triple Antibiotic Ointment on it. Any advice or comments are appreciated. Thanks and May God fill your lives with Blessings!

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    I think it is best to have it removed and biopsied.

    It is almost impossible to know what a mass is without a biopsy. An impression smear can help but a biopsy is more definitive.

    There is unlikely anything that will remove it without knowing what it is, especially if it has not responded to prednisone ( a steroid).

    If you need any help from us at the clinic if you are close enough we would be happy to help.

    Sincerely.
    Krista.

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

  2. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    I think it is best to have it removed and biopsied.

    It is almost impossible to know what a mass is without a biopsy. An impression smear can help but a biopsy is more definitive.

    There is unlikely anything that will remove it without knowing what it is, especially if it has not responded to prednisone ( a steroid).

    If you need any help from us at the clinic if you are close enough we would be happy to help.

    Sincerely.
    Krista.

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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deehoeck1 | 11 years ago
Hi Dr. Magnifico, For The Past Couple Weeks, I’ve Caught My Black Lab "scooting.&quot…

Hi Dr. Magnifico, For the past couple weeks, I’ve caught my black lab "scooting." What causes her to do this?

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Dee,

    Thanks for your question.

    This is a common complaint from clients, and I have to admit a common activity of my beagle in my own home. He prefers the ‘sit-and-spin’ versus the scoot, but the underlying causes to scoot are universal.

    They are three primary reasons that pets scoot.

    They include, in order;
    1. Anal sacs are full.
    2. The butt itches, (specifically the rectal tissue).
    3. Worms, although honestly, I have never seen this.

    I have a few blogs written on anal sacs, you can find them at KMDVM.blogspot.com.

    <a href="http://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2012/12/anal-glands-scoot-story.html&quot; target="_blank">Scooting, Anal Sacs</a>

    The best way to check for why your pup is scooting is to have a veterinarian or veterinary technician check.
    You can call the clinic and make an appointment anytime.

    Let me know if you have any other questions.

    Take care,

    Sincerely,
    Krista

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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Steve Hatchett | 11 years ago
I Recently Heard That Rescued Pets Are Incapable Of Showing Emotion When Taken To Their…

I recently heard that rescued pets are incapable of showing emotion when taken to their forever home. This seems contrary to my own observations. My most recent adoption, the kitten I named Scout seemed overwhelmingly happy coming into our home and is basically all over me with affection.

From your professional standpoint, is the happiness they show have any scientific basis?

Best regards,

Steve Hatchett

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Hey Steve!
    That has got to be one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard. I’ve met quite a few rescued pets and they are some of the friendliest, happiest, most loving critters on the planet. Of course, there is an adjustment period while they get used to you and their new digs.

    Dogs who are rescued may have come from neglect or abuse in their past, but it doesn’t condemn them to having no connection to the people they live with going forward.

    I don’t have any scientific basis for my opinions, just observations like yourself.
    May not have been the answer you were looking for, but I hope it helps!
    All the best,
    Sandy Kempton
    Barks and Blooms

  2. Kelly Furgason

    Hi Steve,
    I agree with Sandy in her comments. I think that it is untrue to state that rescue’d pets are incapable of showing emotion. I think it depends on the pet…many are happy go lucky and whatever they’ve been through doesn’t faze them, while others take a bit longer to come out of their shells. Actually, from what I’ve experienced, a rescued animal can be more loving and almost seems grateful for the new love and affection of a new person in their life. Congrats on your adopted kitty!!
    ~kelly

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
I Rescue Dogs. I Am A Foster Failure. My Recent Foster Failure Is Shelby. I…

I rescue dogs. I am a foster failure. My recent foster failure is Shelby. I have had her for a year now. She is a border collie mix who was rescued at 1 1/2 years old at 7 lbs. (should have been 25 lbs.) with no shelter, no food or water, and on a chain. Couple of things that bother me and what I think attributes it. I want to get your opinion.

First, she licks constantly. If she can’t make contact, she licks the air. I attribute this to anxiety from her past. She has no reason to be anxious since being with me, she is treated like a queen !!

In public and around other people/strangers, she squats a lot. I have checked her for urinary tract infections….all negative. I, once again, attribute this to anxiety.

She constantly tries to herd everything. I know its in her blood lines but she never stops. She has an older brother she herds and she even herds me. ?? How do I correct the behavior with me ??

Lately I have noticed her humping stuffed animals in the house. I assume to establish dominance. I find this weird for a female dog. How do I correct this behavior ??

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Ed!

    Thank you for your question but THANK YOU even more for being a foster parent to Shelby. Without people like you countless pets would never get a second chance at finding someone to love.

    I hope that you can understand how grateful I am for your kindness, care, compassion, and generosity. Please don’t ever underestimate how special a person you are for giving your time, attention and home to a pet in need. You are not a failure!! You are just being challenged..and what’s worth achieving is only gained through challenges. So don’t give up and don’t beat yourself up..I will help, and I know of an army of people who have insights, experience, and ability to help you and your puppy. Best yet, Pawbly has a world of people to jump on board and be your support staff, your cheering squad, and even your safety net..

    OK, here’s where I would start. It sounds like you have done some medical work-up, but if you haven’t done a complete physical exam, especially with a veterinarian who either focuses on behavior and/or neurology this is a very good place to start.

    Secondly, I think it is very important to talk about this breed. Border Collies are very very (like THE MOST very) active dogs. They need constant exercise and a serious job.

    I agree that the licking might very well be anxiety (if the mouth is clean, the physical exam,blood work, and all other diagnostics are normal), a veterinarian or behaviorist can help diagnose this. The squatting, humping, and maybe even the herding are all examples of exerting or claiming dominance. They all could be anxiety, or magnified by anxiety also.

    I think that you are providing a loving, caring, and compassionate home to Shelby, but I do think that you and Shelby might need some help in figuring out what needs Shelby has that you might be able to resolve and also help her deal with her anxiety.

    As a last note I want to add that ten years ago very few of us vets ever thought about prescribing anti-depressants to dogs. I have changed my tune over the last five years. I now urge my clients to consider using this when we have a pet who seems to be struggling to be calm and happy. They are relatively inexpensive and I promise you I have seen miraculous results in some dogs. All of the clients I spoke to about trying this drug were very very skeptical, but ALL of them have come back to me saying that their pet is so much happier. I am not suggesting that this be the answer for Shelby but it might be a discussion to have with your vet along with a behavior plan.

    Try to find a behaviorist that is local, reliable, and works with a veterinarian. They are incredible resources and can help immensely.

    I hope this helps, and I thank you again for your question and your helping Shelby.

    Please don’t hesitate to ask me for any additional information, or to find me at the clinic.

    Have a wonderful weekend..go out and play some fetch, and see if Shelby is calmer afterward.

    Best of Luck and warmest of wishes,

    Sincerely,
    Krista

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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Gary Thomas | 11 years ago
I Have A Feral Cat That Has Given Birth To 5 Kittens In A Old…

I have a feral cat that has given birth to 5 kittens in a old shed out back. This was 5 or 6 weeks ago.

There was another cat that is much more tame that also gave birth to 4 kittens in our yard leaves. These kittens and the mother were brought inside about 1 – 2 weeks old. They were exposed to people and are pretty tame. The mother comes in and out by the cat window. We did this so that we could possibly find homes for them.

We would also like to do the same with the other 5 kittens but the mother is very feral. The 2 mother cats I believe were from the same litter and live in the woods out back.

The cats in the back began to escape and wonder. 2 were abandoned and we thought we would try to incorporate them with the other litter. It was easy and we have made sure the other mother is not overwhelmed. They immediately began to eat solid moistened kitten food. They are a little older then the others. They are all now very friendly with humans and again hoping to find them homes. They are all in a childs play pen, modified, doing well and all beginning to try solid food. Mother is still coming in to check them and feed them. Sometimes we have to remove the 2 "outside" cats so that the mother is not overwhelmed and the cats not really eating solid food have milk, the "outside" cats are at least a week older and stronger.

So.. We happened to come across the other 3 kittens under a palate of landscaping stone. The mother was still around and had not abandoned them like we had thought.

We moved them back into the sheltered shed. They hissed a lot but once we were handling them they were ok. We have been going out there and holding them whenever the mother is not around cause she gets bent out of shape and attacks us.

FINALLY THE QUESTION.
We would like to remove the kittens in the shed and put them in a crate to acclimate them to humans in hope of finding them homes. They are all very beautiful and unique kittens. So we have a separate crate for these cats and I am pretty sure they have learned to eat solid food cause the other 2 from this took to it and had learned. We did not want to put all 9 kittens in the same pen now cause we did not want to overwhelm the one mother, what are your thoughts? Should we put them in a crate where the mother cant get to them and feed them food an water, making sure they do eat?

Any thoughts?

Also, we would like to trap and get this feral mother fixed so there are no more kittens from her, any thoughts about how we should do this or a place that could do this inexpensively? When can we do this? Did not want to do it while she was nursing.
Same goes with the other mother cat. When can we get her fixed, how old should her kittens be and when can we give them away?

I live in Delta PA area.

Thank you

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Gary,

    Thank you for your question, and thank you for being so proactive and compassionate to these kitties.

    I think that in general you have a very good plan and it sounds like you are doing everything just as I would recommend. I think that 9 kittens is too much for one mom if they are all nursing (it sounds like they are not though). A mom that has too many kittens nursing can get hypocalcemia (we call it eclampsia). This can be life threatening.

    By 4 weeks old the kittens should be able to be transitioned to kitten food. I would recommend leaving dry kitten food, wet kitten food, or softened dry food with kitten formula out every 4 hours. If the kittens continue to nurse I would start to rotate them so they have more individual time with you and a better ability to be encouraged to eat.

    We estimate the age of kittens by one pound per month of age up to about 7 months old. A one pound kitten is about 4 weeks old.

    If a kitten is not socialized and tamed by about 6 to 8 weeks old it gets increasingly more difficult. Spend as much time and attention that you can with them before this age.

    Please be warned that unvaccinated cats and kittens can carry rabies. It can be deadly to them and to you.

    I would also recommend that you contact your veterinarian and any local rescue groups for help in humanely trapping, spaying, vaccinating, de-worming, feline leukemia and feline immuno-deficiency testing, and microchipping. Many of the non-profits or rescues have low cost options for these.

    I have included information about some local groups below.

    Of course, if you would like to talk to me, or anyone else at Jarrettsville Vet about any of this you can find me at the link below.

    For help on affordable pet care;
    http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

    Alley Cat Allies;
    http://www.alleycat.org/

    Animal Rescue in New Freedom Pa;
    http://www.animalrescueinc.org/

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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Pawbly | 12 years ago
Hello,

My Dog Recently Had Part Of His Tail Amputated. We Were Told To Look…

Hello,

My dog recently had part of his tail amputated. We were told to look for a number of symptoms and one of them was colorful discharge. He has not really had any excessive bleeding episodes with his tail,just a little blood softened at the tip (assumed to be from dryness). Now the area has turned to a darkened red, and we can no longer see his stitches. Is this normal, or should we bring him in?

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Anna,

    Thanks for your question.

    This is very hard for me to answer because I don’t know how long ago the surgery was, and I don’t know why the tail was amputated.

    Here is the advice I give all of my clients,

    "If you ever have a question or a concern you should come in so I can take a look at it."

    For any surgery that I, or any of my other doctors do, we do not charge for a re-check. We want you to feel completely at ease with coming to us with any question post-operatively, and we never want you to hesitate to come in. We also know that any problem is easier, safer, quicker, and cheaper to fix sooner versus later.

    With that said, and without knowing all of the information, and most importantly, without being able to see the tail (which I think a veterinarian needs to do ASAP), dark, almost black skin is a sign of necrosis. When tissue dies it turns a dark red and then a black color. So anything other than nice fleshy-colored pink skin is a reason for a quick re-check with the veterinarian who did the surgery.

    Normal helaing tissue stays a nice healthy color and does not get dry.

    If your pup is acting normally then you are probably safe to wait until your vet is back in the office (like Monday morning), and I don’t think that you need a trip to the ER for this.

    If the tissue is dying and not viable then the tail may need to be re-done. This sometimes happens (especially with the dogs who have amputations because of "happy tail").

    If I can be of any help you can find me at Jarrettsville Vet on Monday, but we are also open tomorrow for walk-in appointments from 1-3…

    Best of luck with your dog.

    Sincerely,
    Krista

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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Pawbly | 12 years ago
My 1.5 Year Old Yorkie Poo Is Finding Rabbit Poop In Our Yard And Eating…

My 1.5 year old Yorkie Poo is finding rabbit poop in our yard and eating. So far my 11 month old Maltese has not started this habit. Is it dangerous? And how do I get the Yorkie Poo to STOP? Thanks for your help. Dawn

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Dawn,

    Thanks for your question.

    I have to tell you that I hear you! I understand your dilemma and I want you to know that you are not alone!

    Many of us move to no area that has amenities for us. I moved to the country for the open spaces, peace, solitude, and love of nature. BUT, I moved to a part of the country close to two major metropolitan cities so I can sneak in for the arts, the culture, and the gourmet food. I have the best of both worlds. For my pups they got open fields, and an ever abundant supply of things to play with, chew, and also a smorgasbord of wonderful things to eat.

    My dogs have a long and varied list of delectable tid bits that they can find right outside my front door. Of particular delight is the ever abundant wildlife feces. My dogs are not discriminating. They love to eat rabbit and deer feces and they roll in ground hog poop, (which I will add is the most vile excrement imaginable).

    Because we are both in the same boat I will tell you what I do and what I recommend.

    The consequence of eating rabbit poop can be gastro-intestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, etc), parasites, and some diseases.

    The only way to avoid these consequences of feces ingestion is to keep them from being accessible (keep the wildlife out), or keep your pet from eating them (by picking up feces, pretty much impossible with deer and rabbit poop, or keeping your pet on a leash with you and under constant supervision). In all honesty I will tell you that I am not doing either.

    What I do is keep my dogs on a heartworm preventative that also protects against intestinal worms, and I check a fecal sample every six months, or anytime I get a bout of diarrhea.

    In reality I will also confess that I know all of my patients eat poop, (in Northern Maryland we are buried under wildlife and there resultant waste products), and most do very well. When we get diarrhea we check fecals and de-worm as needed.

    I would recommend you discourage your Yorkie Poo and see your veterinarian if you have an ill pup.

    Once again thanks for your question.

    I hope this helps.

    If you need any assistance from me you can find me at Jarrettsville Vet.

    Best of Luck,

    Sincerely,
    Krista

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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Pawbly | 12 years ago
Hi, My Cat Dewey Was Treated At Jarrettsville Vet At The End Of February B/c…

Hi, my cat Dewey was treated at Jarrettsville Vet at the end of February b/c his eyes were swollen, red, itchy, tearing up. He was also sneezing. He was given an antibiotic, antihistamine, and eye ointment. His sneezing cleared up, but his eyes were still itchy, swollen and red so I took him back on 2/28/13. He was given a different eye ointment w/a steroid for 3 days.

He finished the eye ointment on 3/3 and the antibiotic and antihistamine on 3/10.

Yesterday, 3/20, his eyes were swollen and itchy again. But he has not been sneezing.

Could I give him another 3 days of the eye ointment? It’s called Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates, Bacitracin Zinc and Hydrocortisone Ophthalmic ointment USP.

Thanks!!!
Beth Campbell

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Beth,

    You can resume the eye antibiotic but I am concerned that once you stop it you will be right back to where you are now. It sounds like there is an underlying allergy? or something going on, and that the steroid is just quieting it down or masking it while you are suing it, but the underlying problem remains.

    IF the eye returns to being swollen and itchy make a re-check appointment (preferably) with one of the doctors that you have seen already and keep investigating the underlying cause.

    Sounds ike it is time for an answer to the problem because the medicine we prescribed hasn’t cured it yet.

    Thanks for your question! And please don’t hesitate to call for a re-check.

    Sincerely,
    Krista

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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Pawbly | 12 years ago
Hey Krista,
I Am Struggling To Find A Good Quality Food For The "kids". I…

Hey Krista,
I am struggling to find a good quality food for the "kids". I was using Iams senior for Murray and Iams adult for Minimoo. The started turning their noses up and we not thrilled with it. I switched to Iams premium protection which they loved but it is very hard to find. I tried beneful and they liked it but now am hearing scary things about that brand. HELP!
I do not have to have a senior plan for Murray but would like to keep his fat content at 10 % if possible. Thanks for your HELP!!!!!! You are awesome!
Cybil

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Cybil,

    I hear you! I am continually playing the same game at my house.

    The puppies (my two three year olds) seem to go through periods of food boredom. They will go over to the well researched, expensive, high quality, commercially available, age and breed appropriate dog food, that I special order, deliver to their home, carefully measure, prepare with time, attention and love and then deliver by hand on their set structured time, and they will sniff the bowl, grunt in disgust and walk away.

    It’s frustrating!

    But, like every good mommy, and my mommy did for me, I will force them to sit there, nose to stainless steel bowl and watch it. They, just like the stubborn, fitful, ungracious child that I was, will sit until the adult, me, caves. Brats! I will then proceed to buckling and open a can of cat food to cover the offensive dog food smell, in as limited amounts as is possible, until they decide it is now prehension-worthy, and scarfe it up.

    This has led me to do just what you are doing. I search for variety to try to coerce them. I am now mixing Iams Premium Protection (available at the clinic) with Chef Micheals, and a 1/4 of a can of Iams, Science Diet, or Purina low residue canned food.

    I usually recommend that cients add some canned food to the dry. I tell them to add a little bit of water to turn the canned food into a sort of gravy to coat the dry food. I think it smells more interesting and appears to be more palatable to our pups. It also allows us to keep the dry food more consistent while we can vary the flavors of canned food.

    I also tried the Iams gravy. I even tried every flavor. It is now being used as a condiment coverage/frosting in Strawberry’s (my pig) lunch.

    So, my official, non-hypocritical advice is..stick to a good quality commericially available, readily available and consistently affordable dog food. And then offer variety (it is the spice of life) in the way of canned food. If you are still being met with reluctancy add a small amount of their version of Lucky Charms.

    I talk about pet food like kids cereal. If it has fnky colors, cartoon characters on the box, or a prize inside and if it is available at every local grocery store then it is NOT a high quality pet food. You get what you pay for and you are what you eat. Ask any kid what kind of cereal they want and it is colored marshmellow sugar-laden leprechaun schlepping Lucky Charms. Dogs aren’t any different. They want sugar, smelly, junk food. How to convince them to eat healthy stuff? That’s the dilemma of every good parent.

    Life’s all about compromise. Try to keep them as close to the optimal dog food in the highest amount as possible and then add ‘sprinkles’ to make the ‘salad’ seem not so boring.

    As with everything else, you do the best you can, and then you try to coerce, cajole, and compromise without the other side knowing that you are letting them get their way. Wait is that my dog food advice or marriage? Gosh it gets to hard to distinguish the difference these days.

    Oh, one last thing, I think that all of the foods you have been on are good. Be very very careful who you listen to for food advice. Very few are unbiased. I have a large number fo clients seeking a good quality food at a local boutiquish pet food store being told some outright litigious unfounded, uneducated, incorrect things. IF you aren’t getting advice from a veterinary nutritionist or your vet you are getting biased advice from what I consider to be a uncredentialed layperson. (Stepping off soapbox now).

    I’m at the clinic tonight, and Tuesday nights. So you can always stop by and we can dig through dog food labels together. Or call and ask for Melissa. She’s my resident food expert.

    Hugs annd Kisses to you, Roy, Minnie and Murray!

    Love,
    Krista

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

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Jana | 12 years ago
What Are You Reading From This Urinalysis?

collected Sample Via Free Flow @ 7:00am
Odor: Urinoid
Color: Yellow
Clarity…

What are you reading from this urinalysis?

collected sample via Free Flow @ 7:00am
Odor: Urinoid
Color: Yellow
Clarity: Clear

STICK
Leukocytes: 1+
Nitrite: Positive
pH: 6 pH
Protein: 2+
Glucose: Negative
Ketones: Negative
Urobilinogen: Negative
Bilirubin: Negative
Blood: 3+

SEDIMENT
Specific Gravity: 1.024
WBC: 1-2 per HPF.
RBC: 3-4 per HPF.
Bacteria: None seen
Casts: None seen
Epithelial cells: 2 per HPF.
Crystals: None seen
Other: Granular debris 1+

3 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello!!

    Well, let’s see..

    I in general do not use the stick information for too much other than the glucose, ketones, bilirubin, and pH. The rest of the info is far more accurate if read under the microscope.

    I want to see white blood cells, red blood cells, and bacteria, casts, cells on the urine sediment under the microscope, and not read it on the stick.

    By the numbers listed above there the RBCs (red blood cells) and the WBCs (white blood cells) are within normal ranges.

    But the specific gravity is a little lower than it should be. Especially if it is a first morning sample (it says 7 am, so I am guessing it is). The specific gravity is highest in the first morning sample because the urine is the most concentrated then.

    In general we want dogs specific gravity to be 1.030 or greater. If you get serial first morning samples of less than 1.030 ( I would recommend taking it again over the next few mornings to check the specific gravity), then I would check a full blood work, to look for any signs of renal impairment/insufficiency.

    I don’t usually put too much weight on the stick, but if the stick says 3+ blood, check the sediment over the next few days also.

    Other diagnostics to consider for any urinary issues are ultrasound, radiographs, and urine cultures.

    I hope that this helps.

    Thanks Jana for your question..

    Best wishes to you and Jasmine.

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com

  2. Jana Post author

    Our vet says it indicates possible infection, so we’re going on from that. Yes, it was an early morning sample, but she goes outside at night also; recently she started the habit of going to poop around 3AM so she pees then as well.

    Her symptoms are very ambiguous, I had the urinalysis done really on a feeling.

  3. Jana Post author

    Urinalysis yesterday; seems issue has resolved. Specific gravity not as high as she typically has but 1.038. Rest is clean. So it looks like it was just UTI after all. Best disguised UTI I could imagine.