4th stage renal failure in my dog

[aggieone]

I have a nine year old lab  "Sandy Grace".  She is in fourth stage renal failure-Of course she has seen her regular vet for fluids-ultra sound revealed she has one kidney which is failing.   Creatine was 13-subs at home-now using hollistic and homepatic treatment.  Recently more bad days than good.    I am giving her ice chips which seem to work better for her than lapping.  Pedialyte ice is also better.  She throws up until she staggers and falls-I am continuously trying to hydrate her and giving her baby food-At times, she is able to keep it down,  other times the vomiting is horrible.  She continues to try for us, and we are fighting so hard for her-LIke others, I tuck her in at night (she sleeps on the loveseat with her "bankie" covering her).  I am sleeping in the den with her so I can give her support throughout the night.  Neither of us are getting much sleep.  I have her spoiled now with hand feeding other than her baby food, and I hold her plate while she licks it up.  I am using a recipe of egg yellow / whites, honey, and whole yogurt with a touch of dry powdered milk.  This works sometimes.  Sandy Grace is not ready to leave us-she continues to try-we try for her twenty-four hours a day.  Is there any over the counter medication that I can give her that will help with her vomiting?  We love her so much and she loves us so much-my husband and I feel like we will know when she is ready to go.  We went to grocery store yesterday to  buy more food supplies and liquids for her, when we got home, there she was looking out the window-barking for us to hurry and come inside-you open the door and there she is  - -so excited, still wagging her tail for us.  What can we do, this is our baby, she is so, so sweet-I know her days are numbered, but she is just not ready to leave. Help.    Aggieone

[Cholismom]

I must remind myself not to read this blog at work!  (Re-doing my make up is always the inevitable.)

You are all so warm and wonderful.  Your touching words always bring me to tears.

Thinking of all of you.  xxx Silvia

[amielynn24]

Thank you, Tony and Juvie!  Your kind words mean so much :)  The way I see it, when I am truly ready to open my heart, a dog will find me who is perfect for me regardless of the breed.  

It is very different from person to person - a friend of mine lost her lab 3 weeks ago and just bought 2 puppies!!  A friend at the vet lost her dog in January and rescued a cutie a few weeks ago.  She said she wasn't ready and wishes she would have waited.  I don't want to 'rush' in to it so I'm taking my time, enjoying having the bed all to myself and a home free of dog hair for a bit :)  

Even when I lost Daisy, I knew I'd have another dog.  I believe that dogs bring so much more to our lives during their short time with us than just the pain and loss at the end.  They are the answers to most of our prayers.  One day...

Thanks again for listening :)  

[AmbertjesMom]

Hi there Amielynn. You said you ask yourself "Will I get another beagle?" When our precious little Amber passed last December (she was a Yorkshire terrier), my husband and I doubted if we would ever get another dog. It just hurt so much losing her we were pretty sure we'd spare ourselves from the pain of going through the loss.

We have no kids, so Amber was, and will always be, our baby. As the days go by, we missed the life and love she brought into our lives. Little by little I was feeling that I would like another Yorkie. My husband and I are just CRAZY about Yorkies. I started looking at rescues and shelter, but unfortunately, my experience with them has not been positive (sorry Tony and Silvia -- you both inspired me to adopt). I've tried signing up as a foster first (we thought it would be a good transition) and even that, I had to jump through hoops to make that happen. Finally, after months of frustration, I gave up. Adopting a rescue shouldn't be that hard. So I guess, it's not meant to be. But I was really disappointed.

My husband kept saying that we will not get another Yorkie until a year has passed. About a month ago, we went on vacation and he got to interact with Yorkies several times and he realized that he's ready (I was ready a month or so ago). And last Sunday, after some search and screening, we got two puppies from a responsible breeder. We couldn't take them home yet because they're still too young but we are sooooooo excited when they can finally come home with us. Still looking out for potential adoption though.

It's different from person to person, I heard. A coworker of my husband got a new dog after three weeks. The bottom line is, you'll do it when you're ready. Us getting new puppies doesn't mean we've forgotten about Amber. We still cry (most of the time, without warning) from time to time and miss her very much and get emotional when we talk about her with other people. She's the one and only Amber in our hearts. We just decided to open our hearts to spread the love :).

Take your time, you'll get to that decision eventually.

Take care,
Juvie

P.S. Here in the Netherlands, there is Beagle rescue organization. They save them from those blasted research labs that do tests and experiments on them.

[tonyb286]

Hi. Would you get another beagle ... ? This reminds me of my last dog, BB, a lurcher, and my desire to get another lurcher some time after BB died, simply because I thought maybe they would have a similar temperament. Needless to say, nothing went to plan ... because I ended up going to a rescue center and fell in love with a 4yr old greyhound there, about twice the size of BB and with completely different characteristics. She's been with me now for over a year - and is now well and truly part of the family. Tony x

[amielynn24]

One day at a time.. reminds me of what I used to tell Daisy too often during her last month.  I can think of her now and not bawl, just laugh and smile knowing that I gave her the best life possible.  She was my best girl and one day, I hope I can love another dog as much as I loved her.

I am often faced with this question though - would I get another beagle?  Once I make my mind up on that I will start 'looking'... I'm hoping Daisy sends me the perfect pup at the right time.  She knew me so well that I'm sure she will.  

[Cholismom]

Hi TaggiesMom,

Choli lived with CRF for 6 years.  Thanks to my fantastic anal (and I mean that in a good way) veterinarian.  He suggested checking her blood work every other month. Which allowed him to adjust her blood medication, check her weight and diet.

Granted he found it in its initial stages but none the less the man was convinced that she could lead a good life by doing this.  Up until the last month for the most part she did and I did.  (Had to include myself in that last sentence because she was my life).  

Praying for Tag