A Trip to the Doggy ER

Tank seems to have taken on the responsibility of getting us ready for kids! In an earlier post, I mentioned Tank keeping us up all night wheezing one night. Well, Josh and I thought Tank was acting a little funny Friday - a little extra snuggly. Tank is usually a pretty spunky dog - he loves to play. Saturday, he continued to lay around and constantly wanted to go outside. Josh had also started to note that his tummy felt really full. By Saturday evening, he was going outside and peeing over and over again! He was also walking around with his tail tucked. Finally, he came inside, went to the back bedroom, would walk and few feet and spread his legs like he was peeing, but only a few drops would come out. He kept doing this over and over again. Tank is completely housebroken, and I can't remember a time when he peed in the house! He looked like he was in so much pain. The thought was he probably had a UTI and needed some antibiotics. I couldn't watch him in so much pain until Monday, so, we took to the emergency clinic.
Well, the vet was concerned that he was constantly trying to pee but nothing was coming out. He felt his belly and said is was hard as a rock. So, our little man got a couple of xrays. Oh, vet ER's work like real ER's, dogs are seen in order of severity. While we were there, a dog came who possibly drank antifreeze, another one who was having puppies but stalled during labor, one who was vomitting, and then a really cute american bulldog puppy for something and Tank wasn't an "emergency" so, we were there for a long time!
The x-rays showed that his bladder was HUGE, taking up half of his body. While the vet couldn't see any blockages, he wanted to pass a catheter, drain his bladder and see what he finds. They had a hard time passing the catheter, but were able to relieve his bladder, and found some crystals in his urine. These crystals were causing the inflammation and making him spaz up every time he tried to pee. A couple cribs worth of a bill later, the vet sent us home with some antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and pain pills.
Tank seems to be perkier today. He is back to hiking his leg. His appetite is back as well.