Stones

I could drag this story out and bore you with every fine detail (which I'm more than happy too do) but you probably would quit reading, so I'll keep it short and sweet.

Last week when I took Max for a walk I noticed blood in his urine (yes, I got all up in his business to make sure I did see blood).  I took him to the vet the following day so they could take a sample of his urine and see if he had some sort of infection. They thought it was most likely a urinary tract infection. They did an exam and said everything looked fine and they would get back to me once they got the results back. 

Turns out he had crystals in his urine (???HUH???) and they needed to do an x-ray of his bladder to check for stones as well as check his prostrate. OMG... freaking out!!! Something major could be wrong with my first born!!!

this photo suggests that Max doesn't feel well and is in pain, but he's not. I just thought it was cute that he was all curled up in Taylor's chair

X-ray came back and sure enough he has bladder stones, but everything else is fine! Thank you Thank you Thank you! In the past, the only way to remove large stones (as in Max's case) is through surgery. Fortunately veteranarians have come up with a special dog food that will shrink the stone in 90% of cases and allows the dog to either pass the stone, or they can remain in the bladder. 

Great, easy fix, right?!? The doc said he can't have any treats or food other than this dog food. I immideatly pointed to the little rug rat in the corner and said that's going to be a problem (Taylor loves feeding Max). Doc said that is going to have to stop if we want to help Max. 

So I said ok, lets do this. 

Next question: How long does he need to be on this special diet?

Answer: FOREVER!!!

Really?!?

My dog lives for his treats! If you forget to give him his bone after he comes inside from a potty break he wants back out so he can come back in again so you will realize you forgot his treat!

Needless to say it's been hard watching him run over to the treat cabinet, but in time I know he will learn he's not getting one. Now I have to make sure I really watch Taylor when she has food, which is more of a pain than anything. I'm sure it's ok if he gets a piece here and there, but I'm trying really hard. We go back in 3 months to do another set of x-ray's to see if they have shrunk. I will let you know the results!