Can I be stressing my dog out?

Hello Adriane, one key question I would ask is how much time do you spend with her/walk her. Some dogs if they feel they aren't getting enough time with their owner playing/walking/cuddling may start feeling depressed and do things they didn't in the past. If you are able to when you are home take her out more, play with her more. If your work doesn't really give you that ability a professional dog walker can help fill in those extra walks/playtime when you aren't able to. I have had some pet owners try this and it has helped. Hope this suggestion helps.

I would try the change in management. My thought, since nothing shows in blood work is your dog is making sure she doesn’t pee in the house by not drinking water while you are not there.

So having someone come in and do a drop in visit or even a walk so the dog can go out and pee would likely change the behavior after a week or two.

One other thought is that a treat or food gets her really thirsty. I know after a specific type of chew my dog will drink a lot of water.

Let us know how it goes. :)

Hi Adriane,

How old is Honey? Is she spayed?
You mentioned that nothing has come back positive but some of her levels may be slightly elevated which alone is not triggering any red flags but there may still be a reason that your Veterinarian is recommending an Ultra Sound. There are a few things that an ultra sound can tell us that the blood work could not. When you are not home she probably is sleeping which may be the reason that you notice her not drinking a lot of water while you are at work. If she was my dog, I would play it safe and do the Ultra Sound. Rule out everything medical first.

And yes, I know $500 can be a lot of money for an ultra sound. You can always ask for a copy of your pets medical records ( making sure you get a copy of the the most recent blood work and urine analysis report) and go to another vet for a second opinion. (I don't know if you have Bandfield Pet Hospital in your area? but they offer free exams to new clients. or if not I am sure you can google free exams and see what in your area pops up.) A lot of animal hospitals offer discounts for first time clients, something to consider. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully they figure out what is going on with Honey soon. -Erica Marie