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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 5, 2013 10:07:15 GMT -7
Where to start? Faith's BUN continues to come down, now at 59. Her creatinine went back up to 3.7 and this is discouraging, as is the fact that she wouldn't eat anything yesterday. they were going to try syringe feeding her some of the food I made for her last night. She looked good, but sleepy when I saw her yesterday. She's all plumped up with IV fluids and it looks good on her. I think we've figured out that she has polycystic kidney disease. In people, it usually results in end stage kidney disease at 50-65 years old. Faith is about 12-13. This presents an unknown twist to our situation. I know lots of end stage kidney dogs do very well on some of the great new products such as Azodyl and Epakitin. She has been on Azodyl for 2 years and I'm going to add the Epakitin now, as well as do the Five Leaf Petpharmacy program very intensively when she comes home. The Dr. on duty this weekend is driving me crazy. It's so hard to feel out of control of her care. I had to talk her into giving Faith an enema yesterday. She hadn't pooped for 5 days and all that Azodyl was sitting in her colon where she could reabsorb the uremic toxins it absorbs because she wasn't eliminating it. Dr. finally agreed and I was told by the late night Dr. that the enema went very well and wasn't a stress for her. She pooped!!! Yay!!! I'm hoping this will help her numbers come down more. On the bright side, the Dr. last night was also open to investigating a new medication (the first one - there has been no treatment for polycystic until now) my husband found out about last night. I'm not sure about it, it can be dangerous and has to be started in the hospital to avoid the dangers. It also makes you pee ALOT, but hey, what are potty pads for, anyway? What I liked about the med is that it appears to help patients in whom the disease is advanced the most. And Faith is advanced. The difference in her kidneys as compared to a year ago is dramatic and not in a good way. I've arranged for the hosp to fax her records to the Dr. who first diagnosed her 15 months ago. Unfortunately, at that time, he didn't think the polycystic was affecting her that much because her kidneys looked pretty good. But, even if he had foreseen the deterioration that's occurred, there wouldn't have been a difference in treatment because this new drug is very new, just in the last few months. And I'm not sure I want to use it anyway. I think I'm more comfortable with the more natural products I've been using and adding to those.
One concern is that they have increased her blood pressure meds, which can really hurt the kidneys further. One that they added is processed by the liver, Amlodipine, so that's good. her BP rose to 220! And they didn't check it until two days ago when I asked them to. Sheesh. I told them she had high blood pressure when she was admitted.
I've arranged to have her records sent to the doc who diagnosed her last year. He'll call me tomorrow.
Faithy and I sat in the sunshine together yesterday and the day before. The weather here is very nice this weekend. I miss her and really want her home. I do want her to be stable and eating though. I know they'll suggest she stay the night again tonight. It's a tough decision, because she's getting the benefits of IV fluids there, but not the benefits of her support program I'll do when she comes home.
Thanks for listening/reading. Her back seems to be doing well. No pain and that is always good!
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on May 5, 2013 10:24:24 GMT -7
Wow you really have been riding a rollercoaster of emotion! IVDD is hard enough to deal with, and can be even tougher when you add other serious medical conditions on top of it. You are a terrific advocate for Faith and I hope that she gets to come home soon, so you can sit in the sun together some more. Keeping you in thought and prayer
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 7, 2013 9:06:59 GMT -7
Well, despite my many attempts to get the staff at the hospital to carry Faith out to potty, they walked her. I brought her home yesterday and was so distraught at her discomfort and look of misery that I thought I'd have to euthanize her. Then I looked at how she was holding her left hind and read on the Dr's flow sheet that her tummy was tense yesterday morning. I realized she was having back pain. I called to check that it wouldn't interact with her other meds and gave her 12.5 mg Tramadol. She slept for a long time and now feels much better. Then I looked at her flow sheet again and saw they walked her to potty almost everyday. I'm so mad at them. She's comfortable now, though. I'm taking time off work to get her care routine down. It's a busy schedule! Lots of meds to give at different times, subcu fluids (which she is wonderful about getting), hydrotherapy three times/day for her kidneys and heart. I have moments when I think it's too much to put her through. She lays in her crate with all her blankies and I keep shoving things down her throat. I have to syringe feed her if she isn't wanting to eat. That's going well so far. She pees in her bed and I have to bother her to get her rinsed off. But I keep reading that many kidney dogs in chronic failure go on to live for a year or even years. Last year, her kidneys looked good on ultra sound and she was considered borderline renal failure. Now they're shrunken, mineralized and scarred. All of her other organs look great. It's so frustrating. And they have her taking two kidney killing high blood pressure meds. I have to figure out how to get her off of them, by working with the vet to find alternative meds. My vet couldn't see her this week. They're booked. I'm thinking of finding another holisitic vet. I found a good online download book about kidney failure that talks about all kinds of alternative therapies. It's good reading and I'm learning a lot.
Any tips for avoiding urine scald? What is the best way to rinse her after she pees? Oh, and she has only pooped one time in the last 8 days! That was when I insisted the hosp give her an enema. She's never had one before, but I didn't want all those toxins sitting in her system. Is it safe to give her one at home if needed? Any help appreciated!
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Post by Pauliana on May 7, 2013 9:54:29 GMT -7
Hi Nancy, So sorry for all dear Faith is going through. You are such a good Mom. It is so frustrating when Vet's or techs won't listen to instructions about her being carried out to potty, among other things. That would have made me angry too. Enemas really aren't safe for IVDD dogs because it causes too much movement in the spine. Pumpkin is a magical fruit - its high fiber can firm up stools and help with diarrhea or loosen the stool to help with constipation. The amount of water in the diet makes all the difference. To loosen the stool, add equal parts water to each meal along with a teaspoon of plain canned pureed pumpkin 1x a day. ( not the pie filling) To firm up the stool add 1 teaspoon pumpkin to kibble and no extra water 1x a day. Note alternatives: really ripe mashed fresh pear, just take off the peel off; microwaved and mashed peeled sweet potato. Keep skin clean of urine, Baby wipes are easy on the skin. I would go with a version for sensitive skin or fragrance free. Did they say why they have her on those blood pressure meds? Her poor kidneys.. Find a holistic vet here: ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html www.serenityvetacupuncture.com/index.phpPrayers for Faith and for you..
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 7, 2013 11:11:01 GMT -7
Thanks, Pauliana. I know about pumpkin and forgot. Thanks for the reminder. So easy to forget when you're stressed and have too much on your plate. The biggest problem is her lack of appetite. I'm hoping it's intermittent. Yesterday she let me syringe food. Today, no dice. She's yelping and snapping at me. I have to give her kidney and heart herbs in a little food. The kidney herbs got in, thank goodness. Her normal low protein food is sweet potato based. I'll mix up a batch of that and try it later today. I had to put her in the tub to rinse her after she peed prolifically in her bed. Tramadol got in. That's good.
The blood pressure meds are for high blood pressure. It almost always accompanies kidney failure. I had it under control with a minimum of Benazepril (one every 3 days). We did this by giving her Chinese herbals and slowly weaning off the Benaz over a period of weeks with my good vet. We check her blood pressure regularly. When I asked them to check it in the hospital, she had been there 2 days. The did and found it to be very high, at 220. So they put her on the Benaz plus Amlodiapine once daily. Problem is these meds harm the kidneys further. I'm making an appt with my vet to check it and begin the weaning process again. It feels terrible giving her meds that I know are causing harm to the very organ that is threatening to fail and take her. But, I can't let her blood pressure go up, either. It's a catch 22.
Thanks for your prayers and I'll look for the vet.
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on May 7, 2013 18:39:20 GMT -7
Do you have pee pads in her crate?? They are pretty good at wicking away urine so the dog doesn't get urine scald. Something that works really great are the pee pad/ bed protectors that are used for humans in the hospital. They are huge (cover the entire bottom of your crate) and very good at pulling urine away from skin. You can get them at medical supply stores if you can't bribe a friend that works in a hospital. Keeping you in thought and prayer (((hugs)))
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 7, 2013 20:04:01 GMT -7
Progress! Faith got out of her crate outside and peed on her own twice today. Yay! She also let me feed her her herbal meds for the rest of the day. I think she has a sore tooth on the back left. Not sure what to do about it. She had a full dental surgery in January. These doxies and their bad teeth. As long as I remember to feed and pill her on the opposite side, we're okay. I'm hoping the Tramadol is helping lessen that discomfort for her as well as her back. Our weather has been amazingly nice. She has dozed in the sun in the afternoons and loves it. Sunshine therapy!
I'm researching kidney therapies in this great e-book I downloaded yesterday. The site is felinecaninekidneydisease.com. It's a very encouraging and emotionally supportive book. They say you should give your dog a chance, seek out a good vet who is open to alternative therapies and that many chronic kidney failure animals live for years. It stresses that your dog's bond to you makes them want to go on. It really helps during the moments I feel like I'm just putting her through too much. It covers lots of alternative therapies and gives great nutritional information. I'm so glad I got it and so is Faith.
Again, thanks for all of your support! When I'm a little less overwhelmed, I'll be back to contribute more to the forum.
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on May 8, 2013 6:38:49 GMT -7
That is a wonderful update!!! Way to go Faith!
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 15, 2013 21:35:46 GMT -7
Brief update. So busy with Faith's care. She's stronger each day. Went to a neurologist/ IVDD doc Monday. He was happy with her back. No pain, good healing. She is having times when her head wobbles and her front legs are weak. This really increased over the weekend. The sad news is that she may be having strokes. I'm praying it's something less serious. An MRI is the only way to know for sure. It's probably too risky for my taste, requiring general anesthesia, which would depress her kidney function further. Dramamine helps the symptoms and she feel so good after she has it. On the bright side, she is having some very good moments and days. All the hard work over the last 10 days has really paid off. I'm so enjoying my time with her. Took the week off last week to care for her. She's so happy that I've been home so much!
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on May 16, 2013 8:15:53 GMT -7
Good to hear that she is making progress and that you are getting to spend some time together. I wouldn't want to risk an MRI either given her medical history. This might be a dumb question, but did they check her ears for signs of an inner ear infection or fluid build up? Keeping you in thought and prayer
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 16, 2013 9:19:35 GMT -7
We have her on Clavamox, just in case that's it. :-)
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 18, 2013 16:57:42 GMT -7
Faith continues to get stronger. Her weight bottomed out last week at 10.3 lbs., down from 11.2. Today, she is up to 10.6. Her appetite seems to improve each day. She's getting a good organic homemade beef and rice food that she loves. I'm hoping that as she improves and feels like it, we can start post crate rest rehabilitation, so am reading up on it here on the site. I'm also going to order the DVD. This Monday, she will have been on crate rest for 10 weeks, due to her kidney crisis. She still prefers to be in the crate all the time, though I am letting her walk more when she goes out to potty. I carry her out, she walks back in. We're going to the vet every... single... day for subcu fluids. It wasn't going well at home and my husband is needle phobic and will faint, so can't help me. Ugh. It's hard on both of us, but worth it because she needs them right now.
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on May 19, 2013 8:36:38 GMT -7
You have done a tremendous job with Faith!!!
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on May 27, 2013 21:43:47 GMT -7
Hi, can anyone direct me to the spot on the board where I read about post crate rest rehab for conservative? Faith is up to 3 indoor walks per day. I'm forgetting the next step and can't remember where I read it. Thanks! Faith's energy level is up and down. It's a long road to recovery from her kidney crash, but I'm persistent and so is she. We're on day 23 of intensive at home treatment, complete with daily subcu fluids. Good news is that she h as graduated from 100% strict crate rest! She is eating well and her "wobbles" have gone away, thank goodness. Thanks for our graduation sticker!!!
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on May 28, 2013 18:40:01 GMT -7
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Post by Pauliana on May 28, 2013 20:48:00 GMT -7
Happy Crate rest Graduation Faith and Nancy!! So glad she is not wobbling now! Hope she continues to improve day by day with her kidneys.. She is always in our prayers!
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on Jun 23, 2013 21:20:48 GMT -7
Hi all, an update on Faith: I have spent the last, well, almost 2 months tending to her each day (4 months if you count her IVDD episode!) and it's a demanding schedule. Things are a mixed bag. The herbal program I have had her on isn't helping her kidneys and her symptoms are increasing, blood work kidney values worsening. But, the herbal program (fiveleafpetpharmacy.com) is really helping her heart and liver, minimizing complications and allowing us to keep doing her daily subcu fluids. Her back is doing well. No further problems thus far. Kidney wise, she's struggling and I struggle along with her. I have had many days when I have felt that the time for euthanasia was imminent. There are two things that keep me from it. One is that the vets all say she looks great for a dog with her list of problems and that, besides her weight loss an blood work results, they wouldn't know she was ill. The other is that I have been able to speak with a chiropractor who turned her cat's kidney disease around using low light laser therapy. Her cat was 15, with blood work as bad as Faith's. She had many of the same symptoms and was well progressed down the road of chronic renal failure. She helped me to find an affordable laser. I bought it and am treating Faithy twice daily. It took the cat six months. Her blood work returned to normal, she gained weight, regained her energy and is still alive today at the ripe old age of 20! She has never had a relapse of kidney disease. I am praying that Faith and I can have that six or seven months together to see if this can also work for her. Thoughts and prayers are welcome and I hope that everyone is doing well.
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Post by Pauliana on Jun 24, 2013 18:53:43 GMT -7
Nancy,
Faith is so lucky to have you in her corner.. That's wonderful how effective the laser light therepy was for the cat..I pray Faith has the same result. Please do keep us posted, I will be watching!!
Hugs to you and Faith!!
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on Jun 25, 2013 20:08:48 GMT -7
Nancy, thanks for taking the time to give us a Faith update! Keep us posted about your laser therapy, it sounds really great. Hugs and belly rubs
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on Jun 25, 2013 22:52:10 GMT -7
I think more and more about Faith's rapid slide into end stage renal failure when she had been maintaining so well at about stage 2 for so long. I very much regret that my vet unknowingly put her on Gabapentin for her IVDD pain. She was on it for about 4 weeks before I read a study that referred to the drug as "a preventable cause of morbidity in kidney patients." If you google those words, you will find the study. I want to share this and make everyone I can aware that if your dog has kidney issues, you may well want to consider using an alternate pain med, such as Tramadol, which is metabolized primarily in the liver. I think it may not be coincidence that Faith went into kidney crisis just a few weeks after I took her off the Gabapentin. Be aware.
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on Jul 2, 2013 8:23:59 GMT -7
Thank you for sharing that - perhaps a moderator could add that note to the information about medications - like the one for Tramadol and epilepsy. Give Faith a kiss and a cookie from me
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on Jul 23, 2013 19:44:32 GMT -7
Faith has come out of her crate! After 4 months! After 4 weeks if daily laser, a few acupuncture treatments and 4 weeks of twice weekly vit B complex shots, she is feeling good and is up to her old tricks! Keep us in your thoughts. I am SO happy to have my girl back, regardless of how long it lasts!
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Post by Linda Stowe on Jul 24, 2013 15:45:40 GMT -7
Hi Nancy, This is wonderful news that Faith is up to her old tricks. We are very happy for the both of you.
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on Jul 25, 2013 8:00:31 GMT -7
Wonderful update! Enjoy your time in the sun together
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Post by Nancy & Maisy on Oct 31, 2013 21:23:04 GMT -7
Hello to our friends here at dodgerslist. I wanted to let you know that Faith passed this last Saturday, Oct. 26. As you might remember, she had been fighting chronic renal failure when she had her IVDD episode last March. She graduated crate rest only to go into the hospital with her first uremic crisis a day or two later. She came home on May 6, 2013. We had another 6 and a half months together, during which I provided very intensive care for her each day. She had her good days during the summer and felt pretty good. We had our last walk on September 14. After that she spent most of her time in her bed or her stroller, except that until her very last night, she always loved to run into the bedroom to go "nite nite" on her own. She was the brightest little light and I miss her with all of my heart.
I thought you might like to know that her IVDD didn't resurface. That is something I'm very grateful for and I appreciate the excellent information, help and support we received here. You're an amazing and sorely (pun intended!) needed resource.
Once her kidney disease became a big issue, I spent my "board time" on K9Kidneys at yahoo. It's an excellent board for owners of dogs with any kind of kidney issue. I never forgot dodgerslist, but was very busy with her care and the learning curve involved with trying to extend her life.
Thanks so much for everything!
Nancy & Angel Faith
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Marjorie
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Post by Marjorie on Nov 1, 2013 8:40:58 GMT -7
My sincerest condolences on your loss, Nancy. I know how hard it is to lose a beloved pet. I can tell what a good mom you were to Faith and how much she was loved. She was a very lucky dog to have known that love and caring.
Prayers for you as you grieve for the loss of your little one.
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StevieLuv
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Post by StevieLuv on Nov 1, 2013 10:42:48 GMT -7
I am so sorry for your loss Nancy. Faith won a place in all of our heart with her brave fight against both IVDD and kidney disease. I know that you will miss her terribly, but please remember that she will be the first one to greet you when it is your turn to cross over - with eyes sparkling and tail and ears flying as she runs fast and free right into your arms. ((hugs))
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Post by Linda Stowe on Nov 1, 2013 11:48:11 GMT -7
Nancy, I'm so sorry to hear this sad news. Know that she is still with you watching over you and your family. You were the best mom and she knows how much you cared and loved her.
Prayers and healing being sent as you grieve.
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PaulaM
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Post by PaulaM on Nov 1, 2013 12:50:43 GMT -7
Nancy, my heart is broken with this news. What a good mom you were in your care to help extend her days. I know Faith could feel your love. She has not really gone far…now she is forever in a warm loving place…in your heart. May Faith soon be able to help you laugh again thinking about the funny things she typically did. There is a lovely website called the Dachshund Memorial Garden where you can pay tribute and even place a photo. Many touching poems to help in this time of grief: www.dachshundmemorialgarden.comWarmest of ((hugs)) and my condolences.
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