Good day,
Unfortunately I have no russian keyboard. hope the doctor understands english. Otherwise, I will try to translate.
This is Xose, German shepherd mix, nearly 5 years male (photos attached). I took him from municipal shelter of Tbilisi were he was taken from a street in an awful condition, presumably dropped their by his ex-owner, hit and lamed by a car. In shelter, because of the overpopulation, big size, infections, and his defects: half deaf and blind with nose without nostrils, he was easily death-sentences. Euthanasia date was July 18, this year. I took him 8 days before.
He was coughing and had temperature, afraid of everything, even my rescue cats. Our doc said it was nothing serious but the stress and the light infection which was the best from the shelter diseases. We treated him with antibiotics, nearly three weeks. Usually this infection needs maximum 5-10 days of antibiotic therapy but Xose’s immune system was too weak and we needed more time. After a month we started vaccination and finished it at the end of august. Doc said Xose needed castration but was too weak for the operation and we planned it in October. Castration was not easy: more than two hours of narcosis as one testicle was grown outside and one inside and was degenerated. 5 centimetres of Prostate with adenoma was seen in ultrasound of stomach before the operation. 3 weeks after operation the size was reduced to 2 centimetres. Doc says it will continue reducing in size in future.
All this time Xose was drinking a big amount of water but first we thought that the reason was his infection, then hot summer. At least we decided to check blood glucose (I myself have sugar diabetes from the vey childhood and live on insulin for already 30 years).
Tests were done on professional glucometer for dogs:
7,2 – before breakfast
7,0 – 2 hours after breakfast
7,1 – 2 hours after sweet meal (specially given to find out if the clucose level goes up)
doc said it is not sugar diabetes.
But the thirst and urination increases more and more. The amount of water he drinks is more than 5 litres a day. We came to the fact that I no longer sleep at night to take him out in every 2-3 hours. If I suddenly fall asleep for more that 2-3 hours, I find lots of urine on the floor and Xose hidden in the closet with my another rescue dog which also has a chronic kidney disease and is on ‘epakitin’ for more that 3 years but that’s another case. I can’t say that Xose can not control the urination but only for 2-3 hours, it depends on how much water he has drunk.
Blood total test and creatinine and urea tests are in classic norms, as well as the general analysis of urine. Doc says we have “diabetes insipidus” (non-sugar diabetes) which is very rare here. Nobody knows how to handle. Xose gets worse day by day. Today doc offered me to do urine test once again in another clinic cause we need to catch low specific gravity as a confirmation of disease. It was in norm two weeks before. Surely I will do, but what after? No one has any experience in handling this disease here in dogs.
We need an urgent help! If you can consult us what to do, we will be very thankful. Xose just begun to believe in people again, he started sleeping normally without nightmares, he even began to cry when I go out. As for me, I love him more than you can imagine, but my not sleeping at nights and nervousness has already damaged my health and I look forward with fear, not knowing what to expect for me and for Xose.
UPDATE: today we repeated urine test. special gravity is 1020. do not even know what to do, what kind of a disease we have... Xose becomes worse and worse each day(((
Thanks you in advance for any kind of help.
Tamara S