Not sure why each update whilst at the AHT posted twice?! Stupid phone!
Anyway, long post alert - get yourself a cuppa now!
Wow - they were really thorough and the vet was absolutely lovely. It wasn't the man we were booked to see originally, but a lady who was also a specialist in internal medicine and just really, really nice. Appointment started with a good 30-45 minutes chatting about everything to do with Alfie's life/routine etc... she wanted to know what he ate, which treats he got, where we walked each day and for how long, which flea/worm control we used, which vaccines he has had and when, which supplements he gets, the detergents/cleaning products I use at home, all his previous medical history, about other dogs he has contact with and their health/vaccine status, and so forth. She didn't leave anything out and said there was nothing from what I said that stood out to her a possible cause for concern. I have to take a sample of his dry food and his treats, and also of his Yumove (and details of batch numbers for all) so they can be sent for testing - they said this isn't something they do in-house but will find out where they can get these tested externally for contamination or toxins.
She looked at the blood results from my vet and said there wasn't any need to repeat them as they were so recent and she was happy with them. All looked absolutely normal. She did draw blood for a full blood count though.
She took a sterile urine sample directly from his bladder and sent this for urinalysis/culturing and will compare with the culture results that from the sample my vet sent off earlier in the week (this was done from a sample that was collected in a pot).
Unfortunately the lepto test my vet done earlier in the week was pretty pointless. She said that as Alfie has received a lepto booster every year of his life, and only had this years booster three weeks ago, that all a blood test would show is a high titre reading as he will have lots of lepto antibodies in his blood. She said the proper way to test for a case of lepto is to screen for the lepto virus DNA in his urine, so this is being done.
Nothing of concern found on general examination - no lumps or bumps, lymph nodes not swollen, not tender in the tummy, said breath was fine as dogs with kidney trouble often have foul breath!
We then left him for an ultrasound scan on his abdomen and this is what took so long. Obviously they're really busy and Alfie didn't have an appointment to be scanned so he had to wait and they slotted him in when they could
He had an ultrasound back in September after his pancreatitis and this showed a thickening of the stomach lining but there was no evidence of that today.
Urinary tract, stomach, liver all looked ok. Kidneys were not swollen and no visible lumps/growths on them but she did say they looked slightly darker in colour than they should. She said this is often seen in older dogs and is not, in itself, a cause for concern.
There is very slight traces of blood in his urine and when he was sedated for the scan, they were able to examine his prostrate internally too (total no go when he's awake!) and this is swollen which she said is very common is older dogs who are entire. She said she strongly recommends the hormone implant for Alfie but to discuss it with usual vet once current problems have been investigated.
The main reason we went there was for the venous blood gas testing and this was totally normal
He has a healthy blood pH and a normal amount of electrolytes in his blood which means he is not drinking so excessively he is throwing his body salts out of balance, nor is he loosing too much in his urine.
So right now we are waiting for the results of the full blood count, the lepto titre blood test from my vet (expected to be a useless result), the lepto DNA urine test from today, and the full urinalysis/cultures from the sample from my vet the other day and the sample taken today. Vet will call tomorrow when she has blood count result and possibly urine cultures, but the lepto test may take longer.
She said Alfie himself is in very good condition and whatever is going on, is not affecting him too greatly as he is bright & well and in good physical shape. Weighed in at 6.8kg and he was 6.4kg before he even got ill with the pancreatitis so he's put on all he lost and more, which is great - she said try to get him to 7kg. She said ill dogs loose weight, not gain, so we can take this as a very big positive.
So where we are now is that there is nothing glaringly obvious standing out on any tests! Apart from very high levels of glucose in his urine. No firm answers yet either, but vet said when we have to search this hard to find something, that's usually a good sign. She said this could all just be age-related general changes, but it would be irresponsible to just assume so will wait for all test results and then we will have a clear picture of where we go next.
I don't think I've forgotten anything! Lots & lots of info to take in today
Alfie is ok this evening, very tired from the sedation and very cold too, so he's snuggled in his Equafleece onesie in his bed. Tummy sounded like a washing machine where it was so empty and gurgly! Had some plain chicken which seems to have settled it.
Frustrating not to have any firm answers yet of course but I feel like no stone is being left unturned and all bases are being covered, the vet today was incredible and so much more positive than my vet who said there is nothing that can be done. Vet today said she said it's fair to describe Alfie as having ''fanconi type symptoms'' rather than fanconi syndrome as such.
Sorry for such a long post but so much went on today! Will let you know as & when I hear back from all the test results and thank you so much for the well wishes & keeping him in your thoughts xx
he's settled now but keeps giving me the eye to make sure I know he's very displeased!
(((((((((BIG GIANT HUGS)))))))))) to you both ~ everything WILL be ok hun xxxxxxxxx
