Written by Laura Friis, Legende Let Lydighed, for 101dogspots.com
Do you struggle with housetraining?
Here on DT101, one of the top thing we suggest when people struggle with house training is a vet check. Often posters come back to us, saying “he just got his shots and vet said he’s healthy” or something like that. We absolutely believe that your vet told you that, but… bladder issues are not something the vet checks for, unless you bring it up.
Let me tell you about Nikuya. Nikuya is a 5-month-old Boxer puppy and in general, she is healthy, well-fed and happy. She did, however, still have some potty issues. She needed to get out at least once a night, sometimes more and sometimes I would come home to a puddle on the floor. This might not seem like a lot, but I rarely sleep more than 6 hours and I only work part-time. When we were home, she would need out once an hour at least, and had trouble settling down in the evening. Now, puppy evening zoomies are normal, but this wasn’t zoomies. It wasn’t boredom either – it was restlessness. Overall she just didn’t seem… happy.
We were due for our other dogs 10,000-mile annual check-up, so I called the vet and shared my concerns. He didn’t think twice: “Bring her along.” he said. So off we headed, both dogs in tow. Akira, my terrier got her shots. Then the vet examined Nikuya. He did an ultrasound… there were some itty-bitty dots in her bladder! Then he drew a needle and pulled a urine sample. This might sound barbaric, but it ensures a clean sample and only takes a few moments. Just as he suspected, there were little crystals in her urine.
We went home with some painkiller and antibiotics. For good measure, we sandwiched the pills in a bit of meat, and called in a friend for mid-day walkies. In a few days we had results. Nikuya started to perk up and we had a zero accidents inside. She started to sleep through the night and was calmer in the evening. She became a happy puppy again!
The take away from this is that when we ask you to contact your vet, we mean it. Even if your puppy just cleared and has all the shots. We can’t see all from the outside, and it’s hard on the puppy, and on us, to continue the uphill battle to housetrain with an untreated UTI. So help your puppy, help yourself: call your vet.
As for the cost, I can’t share that. It’s 12 days since we were at the vet’s, and I still haven’t seen the bill, however, with health insurance on both my dogs, I don’t worry about it much.
Do you struggle with housetraining? Check out our unit on puppies for some extra free help. If that and a trip to your vet doesn’t turn the tide, message us! We have additional tips and tricks just for you!
