Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with urinary problems linked to eating poop with carprofen
By Hutchins, Rae G et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2013·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Suspected carprofen toxicosis caused by coprophagia in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old spayed female mixed-breed dog was brought in for urinary incontinence, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. Tests showed high liver enzyme levels and low urine concentration, leading to the discovery of carprofen (a pain medication) in her system. It turned out she had been eating the feces of another dog in the house that was taking the medication. After preventing her from accessing the other dog's feces, her symptoms improved significantly within a week, and her liver enzyme levels returned to normal after five weeks.
People also search for: dog urinary incontinence treatment · carprofen side effects in dogs · why is my dog drinking so much water
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 1-year-old spayed female mixed-breed dog was evaluated because of urinary incontinence, polyuria, polydipsia, and minimally concentrated urine. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Markedly high circulating alanine transaminase activity, mildly high circulating alkaline phosphatase activity, and low urine specific gravity were detected for the dog. Results of ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen and cytologic examination of liver samples were unremarkable. Carprofen was detected in serum and plasma samples obtained from the dog. Exposure to carprofen was attributed to ingestion of feces of another dog in the household that was receiving the drug daily. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Access to feces of other dogs in the household was prevented; no other treatment was initiated. Urinary incontinence, polyuria, and polydipsia resolved, and urine specific gravity increased within 7 days following discontinuation of consumption of feces. Alanine transaminase activity was substantially lower than the value determined during the initial examination, and alkaline phosphatase activity was within the reference range 5 weeks after discontinuation of consumption of feces by the dog. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings for the dog of this report suggested that carprofen toxicosis can be caused by consumption of feces of another dog receiving the drug. This cause of adverse effects should be a differential diagnosis for dogs with clinical signs and clinicopathologic abnormalities consistent with carprofen toxicosis.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23971852/