Bella tackles the vet again, pt. 2

So today my darling, chubby yorkie hit the vet's office again to get a checkup on her little kidneys. She is just so adorable, even the vet said that Bella has no idea that she is sick or that anything is wrong. I think I love that. It's so heartbreaking.. Ugh but I'm trying to stay positive and not be a downer about the whole thing. Basically, her kidneys are "stable", not better but not worse. Basically, not failing. They are suggesting putting her on very low dose aspirin (which according to the vet is ok for dogs) and then some medicine to keep her blood pressure down. I just have been doing a lot of research on Holistic vet practices and the ideas of these drugs in her little body really worries me. 

 

here we are on Mother's day weekend. She's quite the fluffy daughter ;) 

So according to plenty of websites, veterinary ones included, aspirin should not be prescribed for dogs with kidney failure or disease. Thus, I don't quite understand why the vet is prescribing it to her. And so far I haven't found anything bad on the internet about this blood pressure medicine, but I'm still skeptical. I asked the vet about holistic practices, and they highly recommended getting her acupuncture and using Chinese Herbs. As soon as I have a couple hundred bucks handy I'm going to take her in for that. I planned to do that tomorrow, but now I'm not sure, because I am spending quite a lot on regular vet practices. But money is another story.. 

Basically, I think Holistic practices are going to be the winner. I have read so much about how it helps and how there are more positive results using herbs, enzymes, and natural supplements and practices. So I plan to try it, especially acupuncture, which is supposed to help with overall health and inflammation. Not sure if I'll do this whole drug thing for her. Another odd thing, regular vet practices suggest low protein diets, where Holistic practices suggest the complete opposite, and are opposed to using low protein diets in dogs with Kidney disease.

The saddest part is that the vet said that if I'm lucky, Bella will get 2 more years. But I am skeptical of that. She is so happy and has no clue that anything is wrong, and I won't and can't let that change. I can't let her get worse. I'll do whatever it takes. 

The vet said that it has happened before, but very rarely, that the protein levels just turn themselves around and even out. But in her 15 years she hasn't seen it happen. But, you're saying it's possible. And that's all I need is a glimmer of hope. Finally. And the vet even highly praised the holistic medicines and said they were known to help with overall health. 

So through all the sadness and sickness there has to be a light somewhere, I refuse to let there not be one. And I think natural, holistic medicine is going to be it. It's going to help, it's going to lengthen her life, and it's going to make a big difference. It HAS to. I have to keep the faith and cherish every single moment with her, which is what I'm definitely doing. But I can't let it appear to be a downhill battle.. because that's when I get depressed. It has to be positive and there has to be a glimmer of hope. Even if I'm grasping at straws and unusual circumstances, I have to find a way. Pray that I do. 

 "Dog's aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole." 

Well, mine is my whole life. I intend to keep it that way for a long time. 

xoxo

Kidney Disease in Dogs- Bella's battle

Anyone that knows me personally, knows I'm madly in love with my little Yorkie, Bella. She is my absolute best friend, going on 6 years. She makes my heart want to burst (in a good way), and I literally wake up and fall asleep to her every night. I think all dog lovers can relate to being smitten with their animals.

Bell and I have been through it all. And recently, she was diagnosed with kidney disease. On 4/22, to be exact. She's had kidney problems before. Last may, we took her to the beach in Corpus, and she got into something, salt water or something else, and her body just couldn't handle it. Her kidneys started to fail, she was vomiting and couldn't hold anything down. After 5 days in the vet, her being hooked up to an IV, and multiple medications, she survived. I'll never forget how the doctors spoke in "what if" terminology, things like "well IF we can turn this around, " and "IF her kidneys take to the medication.." It was horrifying. Heartwrenching, and I didn't know if I could personally make it through it. Thank God she survived that, and that was almost exactly a year ago. 

So you can imagine my distress when they diagnose her with kidney disease. And I feel the need to write about it, because it turns out this is something she could have had for a long time. I take her to the wonderful people at Banfield (In your local Petsmart), who I HIGHLY, HIGHLY, recommend. They are fantastic. And we went to get a routine heartworm test, which they draw blood for. They found in that blood sample that her kidney levels were elevated, so they had us wait a week and bring her back in. Well we brought her back, on 4/22, and they said it was Kidney disease, or at least that was the underlying thing. They said they don't know how long she's had it, she could've been born with it or it could've developed over time. They see it usually when a dog gets into something toxic, like over the counter medicine, or toxic plants. Things like that can fry their kidneys. They said her event last May more than likely wasn't the cause of the kidney disease, it was just a crisis in reaction to it. And now we are taking steps to avoid any further crisis'. 

So where we go from here:

 1) Change in diet. She is on special diet, kidney/renal disease diet, and she has to be eating and drinking a lot daily. Her body can't break down the protein, and it's getting stuck in her kidneys. So she is now on a less-protein diet. 

2) Making her comfortable. The doctor's keep using this term. After her body adjusts to the food it's all about keeping her comfortable. Keeping her hydrated and making sure she eats regularly. Dogs with Kidney disease can become lethargic. 

3) Making sure it doesn't get worse. On a scale of 1 - 4, she is a 3. Not good, at all. 

4) Bacteria infection. Today, they called and said they found traces of ecoli in her urine, basically a bacterial infection in her kidneys or bladder. From here, we go to antibiotics. This should hopefully clear up this bacterial infection, which has been agitating the kidney disease. They also found high levels of protein in her kidneys, which is not good. But the doctor said this could be skewed due to the bacteria.

5) Once the bacteria is gone, we retest her urine. They said that hopefully the bacteria being gone will allow her urine tests to come back normal. If so, we just keep maintaining her diet and keep things up as they are now. However, if they come back with high protein levels again, we have to switch her onto enzyme educed medication. Her kidneys can't bind the phosphorus in the protein properly, so she will get binding enzymes to help with that process. 

6) Possibilities: If things start looking bad, she may have to have a fluid "flush", or another stint in the hospital where she has to be hooked up to a drip for a few days. Also, I could possibly have to administer fluids to her at home. As of now, this doesn't look like it's going to be necessary. 

7) A Sonogram. I'm planning on getting her one of these as soon as I can come up with the $. This will allow the doctor's to see if one kidney is swollen, if there's kidney stones, or of a kidney needs to be removed. The doctor's said this isn't an immediate need, but will help us to diagnose the direct problem easier. 

Lots & Lots of water. And food for this little lady. 

Overall, her temperament is good. She's still loud and happy and running around. So that gives me hope. I'm really scared, and really emotional about the whole thing. 

The reason I'm writing this whole blog is to tell you, if you have a dog, to get some preliminary bloodwork done. The doctor's asked me when the last time she had "good" bloodwork, and I didn't know. I've had her on heartworm medicine for years, but apparently my old doctor's office in Corpus didn't look at her bloodwork closely for any kidney level issues. And luckily, Banfield did. This could have been treatable a long time ago, if only I had known. And now that's guilt that I have to live with. They said that it's unusual for Yorkie's to have this kidney disease, they usually have liver issues. And any article you read on the internet will say that kidney disease is usually discovered only when it's already in the worse stages. 

So:

1. Get your dog some bloodwork tests. It's expensive, but trust me when I tell you it's worth it. Ask your doctor to specifically look at kidney levels. 

2. Get your dog on a wellness plan at Banfield. I pay $33 a month, and i have unlimited doctor's visits, all her shots are included in that price as well as some routine examinations. worth it, trust me. especially when you end up in a crisis, like I am now. 

3. Look for signs. Frequent urination and drinking of water, lack of appetite, lethargy. There are tons of articles on the internet that discuss kidney disease in great lengths. Kidney disease takes years off of the dog's life span. 

Kidney disease is not curable, but it is treatable. I'm trying to view it as being one of those parents who has a child with a livable disease, something that takes maintenance and caution. If you're reading this, pray for us. My little Yorkie is a trooper, but she could use all the help she can get. We are going to get through this. 

XoXo