I was slow to notice the excess peeing. We have wee wee pads by the front door of the apartment, despite taking the dogs out four times a day, and over the summer we noticed that the wee wee pads were getting filled faster than usual. But I couldn’t determine which one of the dogs was peeing extra, and it didn’t really seem important, except for the cost of the wee wee pads adding up.
But then there were tiny puddles, not even puddles, just wet spots really, on the dog beds, on the couch, and Cricket was licking herself clean more often, and Mom was getting concerned. So we moved up Cricket’s yearly Vet appointment from December to November and had the doctor check her out. He did pee tests and blood tests and checked her ears (both ears were infected after so long without the hair being removed) and her teeth (a mess), and her spine (she’s had lower back issues in the past). But the Vet said she was in good health and most likely the problem was incontinence related to aging. He made an unfortunate comment about females tending toward incontinence in their older years, but at least he was awkward about it.
He prescribed a medication to help relieve the incontinence, and cleaned Cricket’s ears, and told us to schedule a dental cleaning, despite her advanced years (she’s thirteen and a half). He also told us to keep her away from the groomer for ten days, because of the medicine he’d put in her ears, even though a haircut was clearly overdue.
We started Cricket on the incontinence meds, twice a day, and watched for any improvements, but if anything the peeing issue got worse. We finally got her to the groomer a few weeks later and by then her hair had to be cut very short, but more than that, the groomer said that her pee smelled bad and the hair in that area was discolored and it seemed like an infection. We called the Vet and he told us to switch from the incontinence medication to an antibiotic for the next ten days.
But again, nothing improved. The pee puddles got bigger and more frequent. We were doing an enormous amount of laundry and found reusable dog diapers at Petco, but they didn’t work (the pee leaked through the hole left for her tail).
We called the Vet again and he suggested a urine culture, more sensitive than a regular pee test apparently, once she’d finished the antibiotics. We made an appointment for two days after the last dose of antibiotics, but then the snowstorm intervened and we got a last minute appointment on that Wednesday afternoon, right before the snow was supposed to start, with one of the other veterinarians in the practice.
Cricket was anxious in the car, as she always is before going to the Vet, and shaking, but when the Vet Tech came to get her through the car window, Cricket went without a fight. They only needed a pee sample, so we expected the visit to be pretty quick. I wandered over to the CVS next door to get some colored markers and butter cookies, to get me through the snow storm, and I was surprised that Cricket wasn’t back in the car before I was. Mom was starting to get a little bit worried about the delay, but not too worried, yet.
The substitute Vet came to my window a while later, after the snow had started to swirl. I didn’t recognize her with her mask on, even though we’d met her once or twice over the years. She wasn’t acting like herself, though. She was sort of hysterical. At first I thought she was telling me that Cricket was a difficult patient, which I knew very well, and that Cricket had been anxious during the procedure, but then the Vet said, “I thought she was going to die!” and everything changed. She said that Cricket had peed all over the place, including all over her, and there was blood in the urine, and then she seemed to go into shock (Cricket, not the Vet) and, the Vet repeated, “I was afraid she was going to die right there!”
I was having a very hard time following her narration, because it was out of order and unexpected, and it seemed like the Vet was angry or scared or something else I couldn’t pinpoint, and I couldn’t make sense of any of it given that Cricket had only gone in for a urine culture. She told us that they’d been sitting with Cricket in the office, monitoring her vitals, and she was going to give Cricket subcutaneous fluids, and medication for shock, and then she could let Cricket sit with us in the car, as long as we didn’t leave.
Cricket came out in the arms of the Vet Tech, looking listless and frail. She sat on my lap and seemed to weigh nothing at all. I kept talking to Cricket and petting her and trying to reassure myself that she was going to be okay, but I really wasn’t sure. I could feel the pocket of liquid under her skin from the fluids. Mom and I went over the things the Vet had said and shared our confusion. I was on the edge of tears, constantly rehearing “she’s going to die!” and Mom was trying to keep things together and stay calm, but it was rough.
Gradually, Cricket started to recover and look around. When she climbed behind my neck, readying herself for the drive home, I knew she was out of danger, but we still had to wait for an okay from the Vet before we could leave. She came outside as the snow was getting thicker and she checked Cricket’s gums, and looked in her eyes, and said we could take Cricket home as long as we promised to call in half an hour with an update, or else she (the Vet) wouldn’t be able to get to sleep that night.
It took most of a day for Cricket to recover from her urine culture, but she did recover. We ordered new diapers, measured to fit Cricket’s shape and not just her weight, but with the delays in shipping for Christmas we had to make do with spreading towels everywhere for a while. It took five days to get results from the urine culture – positive for two infections – and a prescription for a stronger antibiotic. There was no explanation for the episode at the Vet’s office, though. And it was still unclear if the incontinence was caused by the infections, or if the infections were caused by the incontinence.
I kept thinking about my friend Teddy, the black miniature poodle, who died over the summer at age fifteen from a sudden onset kidney disorder. He was a little bit older than Cricket, and had a little more blindness and deafness going on, but still, his death was unexpected. I’m not ready for Cricket to be an old dog. The way she allowed me to put the reusable diapers on her scared me – normal Cricket would have tried to rip my fingers off for trying such a thing. She even let us wash her, occasionally.
The new diaper arrived, a light pink with Velcro straps, and Cricket let us put that on her too, though she made it clear that it was not her preference. There was only one diaper in the package, instead of the three we expected, so there was still a lot of washing and drying to do, with one memorable night spent hurrying the process with a hair dryer.
About a week into the second course of antibiotics Cricket woke up shivering one morning, similar to the way she’d done during her Vet visit for the urine culture. We sat with her and massaged her back and whispered to her until she seemed to be okay, and then we called her regular Vet. He said to take a video if she had another episode, but he wasn’t too worried. He was more concerned with her continuing pee puddles and he wanted us to start the second incontinence medication right away. Mom drove to the Vet’s office that afternoon and we gave Cricket the first dose of DES, a synthetic estrogen meant to tighten the urethral sphincter, with her antibiotic and hamburger, that night.
Within twenty four hours of starting the DES Cricket’s puddling stopped. It’s possible that the antibiotic finally kicked in at the same time, but the correlation with the start of the DES was convincing. Cricket got through a whole night with a dry diaper, and then a whole day without a diaper and without any accidents. We put the diaper on her for the next two nights, just in case, but she had figured out how to take it off and she would leave it, still velcroed closed, on the edge of Mom’s bed while she went to pee on the wee wee pad.
She’s feeling much better, and she thinks she still deserves hamburgers every morning and very night, despite finishing the second course of antibiotics. She’s back to peeing only on the wee wee pad and outdoors with no accidents. But, this was not the answer I was hoping for. I wanted so badly for this to be a one-time infection, because incontinence, while treatable, is a sign that she is really aging now. I want to celebrate and feel the relief that she is back to normal, or normal for Cricket, but I’m worried about what might come next.
Ellie has found the whole situation confusing. On the one hand there have been many more treats to go along with Cricket’s medications (hamburgers, peanut butter, chicken livers, anything to get Cricket interested), and Ellie always gets her share, but there’s also been a lot of extra attention going to Cricket instead of to happy little Ellie. For example, Ellie was very jealous of the diaper. For a while there she reminded me a lot of Dobby the House Elf, from the Harry Potter Books, desperate for a piece of clothing of her own. But then our neighbor found out that the sweater she’d ordered as a Christmas present for her brother’s dog was too small for him, and she offered it to us. Cricket, feeling much better already, refused to put her paws through the armholes to try it on, but Ellie was thrilled! Finally, a present just for her! She wore it for a night and a day and had her picture taken and celebrated with some zoomies out on the lawn. The only problem with the sweater is that it covers all of the places where she wants to be scratched and petted, and she eventually decided that scratchies were more important than fashion. So the sweater has been put aside, awaiting the next snow day, when she can wear it out in public and run around in circles and get all of the attention she craves.
I’m sure Cricket will be fine with that. Maybe.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, please check out my Young Adult novel, Yeshiva Girl, on Amazon. And if you feel called to write a review of the book, on Amazon, or anywhere else, I’d be honored.
Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish teenager on Long Island, named Isabel, though her father calls her Jezebel. Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes it’s true. As a result of his problems, her father sends her to a co-ed Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, and Izzy and her mother can’t figure out how to prevent it. At Yeshiva, though, Izzy finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment. The question is, what will Izzy find?
rachelmankowitz 
I was relieved to have a happy ending, happy that Cricket is doing better, at least for now. Also saddened to know our sweet pets don’t last forever, then remembered that grief is the price of love.
‘grief is the price of love’ — Oh! Tears!!
That’s a beautiful quote.
It’s so hard to accept the price.
Yes it is. So we love as much as we can for as long as we can. 😍 I hope you have many more years with Crickett.
Me too! Thank you!
It is so scary when our pets are not feeling well. Hope she is back to normal now.
She’s totally herself again, loud opinions included.
Oh, my. My heart was in my throat as I read. Those experiences are so very scary and difficult. I’m relieved Cricket is doing better and appreciated the laugh about Ellie and her jealousy and the sweater that made her so happy. Whew. Sending all good thoughts for Cricket to continue feeling okay.
Thank you so much!
Your story had my heart pounding at several points. Our fur babies are so precious. ❤
They are!
I’m glad there is somewhat of a happy ending here, but poor Cricket! I understand what the vet said, but I stopped dentals for my dogs at about 10 years old. Both of them (RIP Daisy and Muffin) were having a harder and harder time coming out of the anesthesia. I finally decided enough is enough and stopped the dentals. Cricket is having enough issues. As long as she enjoys her chicken and peanut butter, I think she’s doing fine.
I agree. I think a dental treatment would give ME a heart attack, no matter what happened with Cricket.
I am happy to know she recovered well. It is hard with an older dog when they get sick. I know with our mini schnauzers ,if they were in their teens, I always feared any illness would be the last one. So it is good that Cricket has pulled round!
It’s an incredible relief!
Glad she’s doing better. We put down my husband’s dog at 15 this fall. It was heart breaking. Sending you positive thoughts.
Oh no! I’m so sorry for your loss!
Scary! I’m glad she’s doing better. Little furballs 💖💖💖
Thank you!
Very glad to read that Cricket is doing better and that it was treatable.
Thank you!
You had me scared for a few minutes there. You are a great Mom to Cricket (and Ellie) and kept at it until you and the vet found what worked. So happy that although her age is showing, she has regained her health.
The transformation was so fast that I wasn’t sure I could trust it. I’m still watching her carefully, for possible side effects of the mess or for recurrences, but we’re all starting to breathe again.
Also, I’ve never heard of a vet behaving the way you described – and I worked for one for 5 years – and it was very unprofessional with TMI. She was rattled, and needed to have composed herself before speaking with you.
We made sure the regular vet was there for Cricket’s next appointment, and everything went fine. It really scared me.
What a stressful experience for both you and Cricket. I’m glad she’s so much better now, and hope you’ll have more good years together
Me too! Thank you!
Scary times for all of you. Hopefully she will continue to rally!
We are sending good thoughts to you from your friends in South Carolina. Bless your hearts.
Thank you so much!
Traumatic for all involved! Glad Cricket’s better, and hoping you and your mother are too, now.
We are recovering, thank you, though much more slowly than Cricket.
I hope Cricket continues to recover quickly!
Me too! Thank you!
I’m so glad that the DES did the trick!! We all get older, though we’d rather stay forever young. I’m glad you’re willing to support Cricket through the trials and tribulation of old age.
Always! Thank you!
So glad Cricket is feeling better.
Me too! Thank you!
Very relieved that Cricket is doing better. That was a tense read this week. Glad for all of you that Cricket is on the right track.
Thank you!
Wow! Just wow. I honestly thought that was not going to end well. So glad it got sorted!!
Me too! Thank you!
I hope to hear that Cricket is soon back to normal. It’s so worrying when our pets are threatened by sickness.
She’s feeling so much better now, Thank you!
Oh my goodness! I don’t know what else to say!lol
Your dogs are so cute!
Thank you!
It’s a relief Cricket eventually improved and the medication appears to be working.
Such a relief!
I too, am so glad that your precious fur baby is better. I was worried as I read your post. They are such an important part of our lives.
Thank you!
So glad that Cricket is doing better. Sounds like it’s been quite traumatic for you all.
Thank you!
It’s at this time in their sweet little lives that we get to give back to them all the love and companionship they so freely offered us. Blessings for that dear Cricket ♡
Thank you!
What a worrying time for all but I’m glad to hear that things have returned to normal.
Thank you!
God bless Cricket. I hope she fully recovers.
Thank you!
Stressful times. I hope it all calms down soon.
Me too!
Dogs are such a worry. Our second dog, Ben, was a gentle little soul who suffered ill-health all of his short life (we lost him at the age of three), so now whenever there is the slightest hint of any problems with Eddie I instantly tense up and stress over it more than I possibly should. I’m so glad your post had a happy ending, and that Cricket is on the mend.
I totally understand that tension! I’m still on my guard, even though Cricket is back to “normal.”
Sending ‘pawsitive’ healing thoughts for your Cricket.
Thank you!
Fur babies are definitely members of the family. When they hurt, we hurt. We have lost several over the years, despite lots of love and regular veterinary care. It is always heartbreaking. May Cricket live a long and happy life. She is obviously in good hands w/ you. ❤
Thank you so much!
I was getting close to the end of the post, feeling really worried, and expecting worse news. That ‘hysterical’ Vet should have a course in being more professional! Glad Cricket is on the mend.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you!
So glad to hear the vet found meds that seemed to resolve the problem. (The temporary vet was not at all appropriate in sharing her fear, but escalating yours! I’m living with a very ill cat, but it’s time to let her go in her own time, and give her all the love I can.
I’m so sorry for what you’re going through!
That was a tense read! I’m so glad Cricket is getting better. My mini Schnauzers are 13 1/2 & 11 and I held off getting their teeth cleaned for a couple years. They recently started having problems with infections caused by their teeth. My vet said the complications from bad teeth are worse than the anesthetic so I anxiously had their teeth cleaned last week. They came through with no problems and they are much happier, playful, more active and eating better now. Although I’m glad it was done, I still won’t do it annually, if I don’t have to.
Your second vet was totally unprofessional and you should mention the episode to your senior vet. I’m guessing she’s young and less experienced and needs to be reminded to keep her cool.
I’m still too anxious about the dental procedure, for now. I’d like to see Cricket staying in good health for a while before even thinking about another procedure. It’s just so hard to see them suffering!
I agree completely.
A worrying post Rachel, but so glad Cricket is OK. Maggie was prone to UTIs, and would lick herself so much, it was a vicious circle as she was a megga sniffer too, so picked up anything left by visiting dogs. Incontinence is a thing with older dogs, wee better than the other though. The second vet was a bit panicky. Hugs to them both.
Thank you!
My goodness, no wonder you were alarmed. I’m glad Cricket is on the mend 🙂
Me too! Thank you!
Sending healing thoughts to Cricket. I experienced similar with my two dogs and it is both a heartbreaking but heart-filling experience to navigate these beautiful animals through old age.
It’s so good to see her thriving again!
I hope Cricket feels better for a while!
Me too! Thank you!
I felt the fear right along with you. Your readers have come to love your dogs as you can tell from our heartfelt concerns stated above.
I had a draft of the post a few weeks ago, but my Mom said I couldn’t worry everyone before we found out how the situation would end.
Well I guess she had a point. Too much drama right now.
😥What a story, hope the old girl feeling better
She is! Thank you!
So relieved to hear that Cricket is feeling better after such a scary time!
Thank you!
I’m so glad everything turned out well! You must have been crazy with stress! Hope you’ve both recovered from the ordeal.
Thank you! Cricket is feeling better, and I will get there eventually.
Scary! I am glad she is better. I am sorry, pets getting old and having issues is such a terribly difficult thing. I wonder why . . .sometimes . . . we put ourselves through it. Hugs to Cricket and to you and mom . . . and Ellie to so she doesn’t get jealous!
Ellie appreciates the love!
I’ve learned to handle the aging process in myself, my parents, and family pretty well, but when it comes to our pets I find myself wishing they had a bowl of water from the fountain of youth to drink from, especially when reading what you experienced with Cricket. I’m so glad your vet landed on a treatment that is working for Cricket! I don’t want to give too much attention to Cricket so please let Ellie know that she looks absolutely smashing in her new sweater and Adi sends Labby licks to them both.
Ha! Ellie appreciates the licks! Cricket is pretty sure she’s still a puppy, but she definitely noticed that she was feeling ill. She’s pretty sure it was my fault.
Sorry to hear about Cricket. I hope she continues to improve. Getting old is HELL! Or so they tell me.
Cricket thinks the answer is to be spoiled rotten, and then the aging goes a little smoother.
🙂 ::thumbsup:: You go, Cricket!
I don’t have a Kindle, but I do want to purchase your book. PayPal?
Amazon sells both an ebook and a paperback version, if that helps.
Success! The first time I tried it, the price had a line through it. So I wrote my question. After your reply, I tried a second time and it was available. Looking forward
Thank you so much!
Aw… sad. Hope it’s just incontinence and not repeat infection. My first dog, female terrier-German shepherd cross, developed kidney infection and passed away.
Good luck
Oh, I’m so sorry!
So glad Cricket is okay. This was a gripping read. Bittersweet!
Thank you!
I’m so glad Crocket is feeling better at last. That was a real emotional rollercoaster for you, wasn’t it?!
Cricket!
It was really scary! But it’s such a relief to see her healthy again.
I’m so glad she is better. It’s so hard when you can’t explain things and/or they can’t understand. Here’s to Cricket’s wellness!
Thank you! Cricket is pretty sure the hamburgers are what healed her.
I would believe that. 🙂