This gorgeous girl, Coco, came in to visit us recently for her vaccination and Seniors Health Check. Coco is a 10 year old Pug who appeared happy and healthy on the outside.
As part of our Seniors Health Check, we ran comprehensive blood and urine tests, as Senior Pets can often be experts at hiding disease. Evidently, this was exactly the case with Coco! It turns out that Coco was suffering from a severe urinary infection, that if left untreated would have resulted in invasive surgery or a strict prescription diet for upwards of 6 months.
The picture shows Coco’s urine under a microscope. Coco had contracted a bacterial urinary infection, which had caused the pH level of her urine to change from acidic to alkaline. This change in pH causes crystals to develop – which are the squares we can see. If left untreated, these crystals stick together to cause stones, which can be incredibly painful for the animal and require surgery to correct.
Luckily for Coco however, these crystals were detected early, and she was simply prescribed antibiotics for a week to clear up the infection. A much better outcome!
For more information on our Senior Health Program, visit willoughbyvet.com.au/senior-health-program/
