Crystalline Fears
Benny's in-house marking behavior has
gotten significantly better since I've started using
MarkOut Wraps, but he's still
occasionally urinating during the night--enough to soak his wraps
all the way through. Before assuming that this was simply a
behavior problem, I took him to the veterinarian for a thorough
examination.
The vet took a urine sample and several cultures, and found a few
problems. Firstly, Benny's urine is alkaline instead of acidic,
which may indicate a problem with his body chemistry. Secondly,
urinalysis showed crystals in his urine, which may be an indication
of kidney or bladder stones.
I've got another appointment for him on Monday, where the vet will
take some X-rays to check for uroliths and other abnormalities. If
Benny is stone-free, then we'll need to examine other
possibilities.
Meanwhile, I'm crating Benny at night without his wrap, and making
a point to take him out at least once in the middle of the night.
Hopefully, in a few more days, I'll know more about what's going on
with him.