For a while we had wondered if Gabby was getting doggy dementia. She had started to bark or wag her tail at people, animals (or things?) that didn't exist. Sometimes she would stop in the middle of the hallway and stare off or run outside and seem to forget why she was there. On Tuesday of this week she had gone outside, but when it was time to come back in she ran head first into the door as though she thought it was open. She bounced off, but didn't yelp and didn't seem to be in any pain at all. We thought she was ok. The next evening she started yelping in pain. On Thursday morning I called the vet to make an appointment that day. 15 minutes later I was calling the vet back to see if I could take her there immediately...the occasional yelp had become screaming.
He did x-rays and say that there were 2 points in her spine. One in her neck, the other in her back, where she was showing signs of degenerative disc disease. Based on the exam, he said that she was likely suffering from a slipped disc as a result of the impact with the door. He gave her steroids, muscle relaxer and pain meds.
She was due for her semi-annual geriatric blood test, so we had that done as well. On Friday I missed the vet's call, but he left a message. The radiologist had confirmed his theory regarding her xrays, but there was a problem with her bloodwork. Please call back. He called again later, this time giving his cell number because he was leaving work. When the vet leaves a cell number, it's probably not good news. As soon as I got the messages I called him back.
I've had to stop writing this entry a few times, because I've started to cry...
He told me that her bloodwork indicated that she was in kidney failure. He said that we should give her fluids. We could either do that at home, or at the hospital which would require a 48 hour stay to be most effective. Obviously I was having trouble processing it all, because he said if it were his dog that's what he would do. I wish I could give more information here, but I can't remember any more of what he said. It felt like my heart stopped. My eyes welled up with tears (like they are now yet again). I've never been through this before. I had no idea what it meant, what would happen. I am still learning what it all means. He said to bring her in on Monday and she would come home Christmas Eve.
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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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