# Good news bad news?



## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Why cant she go outside and not have fun??? I completely agree with the no treats. Does she eat things outside? If so then this is a Great time to teach her the leave it command so she wont! I hope the food helps her. Which kind is it?


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

*Mumzilla, * so glad you found the health-related reason for this. Hope the change in diet is successful.


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## Mumzilla (Aug 4, 2010)

We don't have the food yet - I will be picking it up at the vet tomorrow if they have it - if not then they have to order it. My understanding of her new diet will be absolutely no extras for a minimum of 3 weeks, and yes she eats stuff outside - she sneaks in the barn and eats cat food and other 'treats'. She also has an incredible prey drive and she has gotten a rabbit before! She knows 'leave it' she just chooses to use her selective hearing if she really wants to eat it - or she drops it and then picks it up again or eats half and spits out the rest. We are working on it, but her attention span is still negative at this point. She had NO socialization as a pup and she was 3 months old before I got her, so it is a long haul. We will still have some fun, but she won't be able to run because I just can't trust her yet and she LOVES to run.


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## SnorPuddel (Jul 8, 2010)

I am happy that you have found the issue, what kind of crystals are these ?

I know that cats, especially the males have problems with ash in their food as they can develope struvite crystals which are made up of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate.


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## jade cat (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi,
Not sure if it would be of use, but have you tried a basket muzzle for those outside romps?! Our Eddy would eat every thing given the chance! so we often have to use a muzzle on him to stop him eating bottle tops, cans etc as he has pica, we think the pica was due to some food intolerance, it has got much better since he has been on an elimination diet.


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

One more thought..... has your vet ever considered that this girl might have Juvenile Renal Disease? Leaking urine is one of the early symptoms:

In standard poodles with JRD, symptoms can be noted as early as a few weeks after birth; and affected puppies are almost without exception symptomatic before two years of age. Some puppies are seen because of a failure to thrive: most grow normally until symptoms appear. Puppies with renal dysplasia may appear clinically normal for extended periods of time before developing signs of chronic renal failure. The rate at which renal dysplasia progresses to overt renal failure depends on the severity of initial renal lesions and factors resulting in progressive loss of renal functional mass. (1) Larry Cowgill, DVM, (University of California, Davis), told me that many puppies born with renal dysplasia do better than dogs who acquire kidney disease later in life. He said that these puppies are able to plateau until a small insult occurs, and then they decompensate.

Early symptoms of juvenile renal disease include polydipsia, polyuria, and dilute urine which has little color or odor. Some affected puppies leak urine, many do not. Often a puppy owner's earliest complaint is about the difficulty of housebreaking a puppy later discovered to have JRD. The volume of water consumed, and, in some puppies, leakage of urine can make housebreaking a formidable task. As the disease progresses, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, lethargy, and muscle weakness are seen. There is sometimes a chemical odor to the breath as a result of metabolic waste not being excreted by the kidneys.


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## Mumzilla (Aug 4, 2010)

I had the vet test for JRD first visit I brought her in because so many of her symptoms were similiar. Her bloodwork was negative. I didn't hear from him today so that means he has to order the food. I am calling him tomorrow or Monday to get the exact crystal - I know it was one of the calcium ones. I am going to be better prepared to discuss options. I got a vibe like he wasn't sure the test was legit because the crystals were so unusual.


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## Mumzilla (Aug 4, 2010)

The crystals are calcium oxylate. So we are going to give her a mineral restricted diet (Hill U/D). I talked with the vet about her diet and my reluctance to restrict her completely as it will mean no off leash so no running and play time. He agreed and said we would try the food and being careful with treats, but not worry about her outside as long as we watch her. Her PH is crazy - it has been tested about 5 times and has varied from 5 to 9. So getting her PH right seems to be what we are going to work on for now.


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