May 5 2009 - took Sam to our local Vet - Hanover Regional Animal Hospital - Dr. Joanne Thompson for his annual senior physical and to ask her about what might be causing his urinary incontinence & extra drinking. She did a phyical exam and Complete Blood Count (CBC). She found nothing on physical exam and called the next day to say his blood work was normal.
NOTE: Found out Sept 2009 his blood work was NOT normal when we forced them to give us the actual paper work
Calcium was high
Why is having high calcium bad for my dog? Pets with abnormally high calcium levels may show signs of illness such as weakness, listlessness, increased drinking and urination, and loss of appetite. In some dogs, prolonged hypercalcemia may contribute to formation of bladder or kidney stones. Even more importantly, high calcium levels may signal the presence of serious underlying disease including kidney failure, adrenal gland failure (called Addison’s disease), parathyroid gland tumor, or cancer.
Potassium was high
Potassium works in combination with sodium and is very important in maintaining normal function of muscle and nerves. High levels indicate diabetes, certain toxin ingestions, urinary obstruction, acute kidney failure, severe muscle damage and Addison's disease.
MCHC was high
MCHC is an abbreviation for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. This is the average percentage of hemoglobin in each red blood cell. A high MCHC indicates that there is too much hemoglobin in the red blood cell, indicating a high iron level since an important component of hemoglobin is iron. Iron excess is just as damaging to the body as iron deficiency. A low MCHC indicates anemia.
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