Running dog pissing blood

[sambo123 594]

Just wondered if any one could help me, i have a sal/grey x whippet and she's been fine growing up and is about 15 month old now. sometimes when shes had a good few runs on rabbits or when my terriers put a hare up and i shoot it and she has a go at retrieving it she comes back and she acts completely fine and doesnt seem like shes in pain but when she urinates theres blood in it. Why is this? like i said she only ever does this when she has ran.

Thank's Sambo123

[ferret15 0]

the most common reason for blood in there urine is infection, but it is a sign of other things as well

 

a few years ago we rescued three dogs from a abandoned caravan. and they all peed blood for about three days the vets said it was due to dehydration and overheating.

[stabba 10,745]

Could be a sign that the kidneys are taking a pounding mate. Try and get the fitness levels up mate.

[Cold Ethyl 63]

If its dehydration carry dioralyte in a bottle to give her before and immediately after and that would or should help.Id also give her vitb and as suggested get her fitter

[craigyboy 1,274]

oh do you add extras like a teaspoon of this and that, flaxseed oil, kelp powder, alfalfa powder, vitamin c and things ? as all the recipies ive found say to add extras such as these, oh and apple cider vinegar ?

get her to the vet mate,better safe than sorry

[doris 6]

I agree. . . . . get her to a greyhound vet for a check up, blood test.

[Lennard 10]

Could be exertional rhabdomyelisis...urine looks like blood but it is not, it is red due to the breakdown products of muscles due to too much lactic acid. I had it once in a dog and it can be really nasty, when mild the dog will recover but when severe there might be damage to the kidneys and the dog will turn weak/sore and it might die.

 

Basically it was my own fault, as it happens to dogs that are unfit and then run too much/hard. The enzymes can't cope and the muscles are not used to hardcore work, not enough veins were grown for extreme metabolism.

 

If it is ER...then give the dog a rest of a couple of weeks and seriously and gently work on building fitness. No hare catching before it can do 10 miles next to the bike 4 times a week for example.

 

People and horses have it too..search on the internet.

 

L

Edited September 9, 2009 by Lennard

[sambo123 594]

Could be exertional rhabdomyelisis...urine looks like blood but it is not, it is red due to the breakdown products of muscles due to too much lactic acid. I had it once in a dog and it can be really nasty, when mild the dog will recover but when severe there might be damage to the kidneys and the dog will turn weak/sore and it might die.

 

Basically it was my own fault, as it happens to dogs that are unfit and then run too much/hard. The enzymes can't cope and the muscles are not used to hardcore work, not enough veins were grown for extreme metabolism.

 

If it is ER...then give the dog a rest of a couple of weeks and seriously and gently work on building fitness. No hare catching before it can do 10 miles next to the bike 4 times a week for example.

 

People and horses have it too..search on the internet.

 

L

Thanks a lot mate, this is probably it.

[sandymere 8,263]

Could be exertional rhabdomyelisis...urine looks like blood but it is not, it is red due to the breakdown products of muscles due to too much lactic acid. I had it once in a dog and it can be really nasty, when mild the dog will recover but when severe there might be damage to the kidneys and the dog will turn weak/sore and it might die.

 

Basically it was my own fault, as it happens to dogs that are unfit and then run too much/hard. The enzymes can't cope and the muscles are not used to hardcore work, not enough veins were grown for extreme metabolism.

 

If it is ER...then give the dog a rest of a couple of weeks and seriously and gently work on building fitness. No hare catching before it can do 10 miles next to the bike 4 times a week for example.

 

People and horses have it too..search on the internet.

 

L

 

If it only happens after a hard run I'd agree in the main, though not due to lactic acid just overload and can be extremly bad if allowed to continue, as above get the dog fit for purpose. I did a post some time back on this, quick cut and paste.

 

A Run To Far.

 

It’s not uncommon for a dog, or ourselves for that matter, to be a little stiff and sore for a few days after a hard run this is often described a delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. DOMS is fairly predictable and not usually to serious a problem that is in all likelyhood due to inflammation of the muscles from damage to a small proportion of muscle fibers and the resulting pain this causes. More worrying are recently a couple of instances where owners of lurchers have noticed their dogs showing signs of severe muscle soreness and or cramps with urinating what appears to be blood the day after a hard session. This is often followed by a drop in condition for a time after wards to a greater or lesser degree. A common suggestion as to the cause of this seems to be a build up of lactic acid but in light of modern thinking, discounting lactic acid as the bad boy and high-lighting its role as an important energy source, this theory doesn’t seem to hold water. So what could be going on?

One idea is that the dark brown/red urine is not due just to blood alone but also the contents of damaged muscle cells, myoglobin and creatine kinase, that are released into the blood stream and this is known as rhabdomyolysis (RMS). When the released myoglobin is excreted by the kidneys it gives the urine a dark brown colour. The difference between DOMS and RMS is the extent of the muscle damage involved and the effect this has on the kidneys. High levels of myoglobin can cause kidney failure to the extent that long term damage or even death is a possibility.

So why does this happen? RMS was first described in the blitz when people trapped under fallen buildings suffered extensive crush type injuries which lead to major muscle damage; this led to the release of large amounts of the muscle cell contents. Since then it has been described in a variety of species with a genetic link in some breeds of both horses and dogs. But these lurchers had not suffered any such injuries and sight hounds are rarely prone to genetic faults so how had they come to cause so much damage to their bodies? A strong possibility is suggested by looking at the background. In both cases the hounds had had long hard runs at the beginning of the season when they were at less than optimum preparedness and in truth they were both weekend warriors who may lack true working fitness even when at their best. This lack of fitness may have resulted in over exertion of some off the largest muscles in the body leading to extensive damage/breakdown and so exertional rhabdomyolysis.

Conditioned muscles in both humans and dogs are usually able to cope with exercise, unless there is a genetic variance, and the body has a variety of methods to protect itself against over exertion but sight hounds have been bred for generations to push the boundaries of the possible so bringing them nearer to the red line than most breeds. This ability to push the limits may mean that, if the incentive is right, they can cross the line when unfit to the extent that DOMS is extremely likely but also doing serious harm to their own bodies is a possibility. So what can we do to recognise treat and avoids these problems.

The main symptoms are severe muscle pain, cramping and altered gait with blood/very dark urine. Early recognition is important in the long term outcome. Your vet can check for chemicals in the urine and blood to confirm the diagnosis. And the vet is the best person to lead the treatment as depending on the extent of the problem intravenous fluids with powerful pain killers may be required. Appropriate management of renal function is the major concern but also the causative muscle breakdown needs to be addressed and a regime to rehabilitation and conditioning the dog to prevent future occurrences should be instigated. Good hydration is always of great importance as dehydration may increases the risk of muscle damage and post exercise will increase the strain on the kidneys. Also concentrated urine may well be very dark in the absence of any illness so muddying the waters some what.

Any dog that seems to be suffering exercise intolerance should always have a thorough check out with your veterinary surgeon to exclude any underlying heart, lung or systemic illness and check for any structural problems. A genetic predisposition to RMS may mean an animal needs special consideration as to it’s working ability but for normally fit and healthy dogs without any underlying problems then prevention is so much better than cure. Prevention means good preparation before work after a seasonal or injury enforced lay off plus regular top ups for the weekend warriors.

 

Cheer sandy.