The road to today has been a bumpy one. I'll simply summarize it here:
She has refused all of the special diets. We've tried: k/d, Royal Canin LP and MP, and Purina NF. There were a couple she sort of ate, but now she refuses them all. She still seems hungry...she'll walk up to the bowl, sniff it and then walk away. She lost a couple of pounds in only a couple of weeks, and she only weighed 19 to start. The vet gave us a handout that suggested Tapioca and Beef. She ate that for a few days and gained 1 lb back. Unfortunately over the last couple of days she's not been interested in what we've given her. Including the Tapioca & Beef. So it's been another game of figure out what Gabby will eat today.
She's also started having incontinence issues (it began last Thursday). She had 6 accidents between now and then. Usually when she's laying down relaxing. She seems to have no idea it is even happening. She's taking DES and hopefully we will get that under control. I've also ordered diapers, someone recommended Female Pet Bloomers from Drs Foster & Smith. I also ordered a waterproof pet pad to put on the couch. Not the most fashionable thing, and I'm sure there are some people who would say "don't let her get on the couch". I guess that's just not me. I'd rather her be able to be on the couch and be comfortable.
Her neck injury seems to be all better, so that's good.
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Letting my heart grieve and heal as we help Gabby in her battle with chronic kidney failure
Living with and Loving a CRF dog
Gabby and I met in 1993 at the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines, Iowa. She was 8 weeks old, tiny and scared. As she cowered in the back of her cage, my heart went out to her. Her cage card said that she was on hold, but we noticed it had expired the day before. We decided to ask about her. Someone was interested in her, but they never came back for her. She was available. Little did they know they had just missed out on the best dog ever. We all went into the meet & greet room and I fell instantly in love. She was still fearful, but warmed up slowly. There was no question she was going to go home with us that day.
Now, almost 16 years later, my best friend and I are still together, but on December 19th, 2008 we were told that she has chronic kidney failure (we are likely in stage 2). She could have a few months, or even years left. We don't know.
While I can't say explicitly what this blog is for, I have theories. It's a place that I can let my feelings out, where I can talk about what's happening, maybe someone who is going through the same thing can relate to and know they aren't alone.
Please note: I am not in the medical field. What I may include here is what has worked for me and we work with our vet. Always be sure to check with your vet before making any changes to diet, adding supplements and so on.
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