Kidney Failure

[ELLIE]

My greyhound is a few weeks from turning 11. She's had a lot of problems with her teeth this last year and had to have 2 dental cleanings within a 6 month period. Over the last year, she was leaking urine when asleep. We started incurin and it has helped. Within the last few months, however, she has started urinating when she wakes up if we don't get to the door fast enough. Sometimes this is within an hour of her going out. She also drinks a ton of water. I took her for blood work even though she had it less than a year ago. Her WBC indicates an infection, the vet assumes probably her mouth again bc her breath is bad. I can't recall the value. Her BUN was 104, creatine was 6.2, phosphorus was 7.6 all which the vet said are very high and indicative of renal failure. She's supposed to be 61 pounds and is at 48 now,  with 7 of those being lost in the last six months. She offered a prescription but doesn't think it will help much. What I'm wondering is, is there anything worth trying at this point or do we say goodbye? I let my last dog hang on for about a year longer than I should have and said I wouldn't do it again. Now that we're hitting this point, however, I'm not sure what to do. She does get excited when she sees her leash, but she can't make it around a full block. She gets excited to see a treat, but sometimes just sits with it. It's very hard to know what is right. Hoping someone has had a similar experience and can shed some light on this for me. Thanks!

[Time4ANap]

It's truly a judgement call and the most difficult decision we have to make as pet owners.  We promise our dogs that we will not let them live in pain.  If pain can no longer be treated or is too intense that it interferes with the hound having a normal life, we make the decision to free them from pain. 

Additionally, if the hound is not able to live a fairly normal life doing the things they enjoy due to illness, we tend to evaluate pretty carefully to make sure that we aren't keeping them here for us instead of for their own enjoyment of life. Slowing down is expected as they age, but being unable to enjoy the things they always did is one of those things that makes me take a hard look at things. I try to figure out if the potential fix is worse than what they are already going through, or if it has a good chance of giving them a good life for more time. 

Many of us here believe that a day too soon is better than a day too late when it comes to making that decision. It looks like you have been there too, so just know that whatever you decide, we know you are doing so in your dog's best interest.  It never gets easier, but we make them a promise when they come to us that we will always do the right thing for them. 

I can't help with the blood results as I'm not that well-versed in them, but wish you and your dog the best in getting through this.

[ELLIE]

Thank you. Yes, I've been here before. And I waited much longer than I should have. I said I wouldn't this time so then I don't want to feel badly about letting her go too soon. It's hard to say if she's in pain. She takes pain meds for arthritis so I'm not sure if that masks anything. It is more difficult for her to get comfortable to sleep, but could be old age. She still jumps excitedly for the leash although she can't go far on it without stopping. She acts starving them refuses to eat. She no longer has a track in the backyard from her wild bursts of running. I might actually be answering my own question with this. Thank you. 

[GreyhndHomecare]

I still get the nagging thoughts, "did I let go too soon? Was there anything else I could've done?", even with the one that I might have put down even sooner.  I think it's natural.  Rationally, I knew it was right, but it's such a gut-wrenching thing to have to do.  {{{{Hugs, Ellie}}}}

[Time4ANap]

14 hours ago, ELLIE said:

Thank you. Yes, I've been here before. And I waited much longer than I should have. I said I wouldn't this time so then I don't want to feel badly about letting her go too soon. It's hard to say if she's in pain. She takes pain meds for arthritis so I'm not sure if that masks anything. It is more difficult for her to get comfortable to sleep, but could be old age. She still jumps excitedly for the leash although she can't go far on it without stopping. She acts starving them refuses to eat. She no longer has a track in the backyard from her wild bursts of running. I might actually be answering my own question with this. Thank you. 

I think we always have those moments when we second guess whether or not we made the decision at the right time. After several in a row in a short period, we've learned that we can't keep second guessing.  I'd much rather be able to be there with the dog to say goodbye in a calm manner and not have it be after a panicked drive to the vet when we waited a little too long and something happens. Sometimes we just need that reassurance that we are interpreting what we are seeing correctly before making the decision. Again, our best to you and your hound. 

[MP_the4pack]

I just lost a renal failure dog in January.  She was only 6. 

As long as she was eating and enjoying life she lived. And she was very happy. She stopped eating on a Tuesday and left for the Bridge Wednesday.  She had several meds for her tummy as kidney issues makes the tummy nauseous. 

I often said she eats like there's no tomorrow.  When she stops eating there's no tomorrow. 

[ELLIE]

We said goodbye tonight. For the last 3 days she was eating more than she has in a year. We went on walks and she was walking at a decent pace. She even chased our other dog in the yard last night. I had an appointment to see the vet to try meds since she seemed to be eating and playful. Unfortunately, on our walk tonight, she started bleeding from her mouth. We assumed it was her mouth, but took her to the hospital immediately. It's 15 minutes away. She was happy and sticking her head out of the window. What we didn't know is she was bleeding a lot and it was all over the side of the car. Who knows what passersbys thought of us. She was even happy going into the vet. The vet looked and it was not her mouth. He said it was clots and most likely some type of cancer but said given her blood work he would not want to sedate her to find out and recommended we say goodbye. So her last day was a day with 3 huge meals and a walk and a car ride so I guess we no longer have a decision to make. She was by far the very best dog we have ever had. Thanks for all of your replies. 

[Remolacha]

I am sorry you had to say goodbye to Ellie but it sounds like she really enjoyed her last few days, and really what more can we ask for. 

[GreyhndHomecare]

That's so sad, Ellie; my condolences .  It's of some comfort to know that she left with joy in her heart.

Gail

[macoduck]

You listened and you heard her. She had a good last day. You did right by your girl. 

Ellie, if you'd like to share your girl's name, I will add it to the list of Bridge Angels in the Remembrance section of GreyTalk.

[BatterseaBrindl]

 

[FiveRoooooers]

So her last day was a day with 3 huge meals and a walk and a car ride so I guess we no longer have a decision to make. She was by far the very best dog we have ever had. 

She had her best last day until she couldn't. Keep the smiling happy girl memories close and remember her that way. 

[EllenEveBaz]

And she left having a joyful day.  

How hard it must have been to wash her blood off the car. 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by EllenEveBaz

[teri_d]

So sorry. It’s so hard.....but the most living gift you can give.  I keep telling myself that as we just made that decision for phog 🥲. Our sympathy

[ELLIE]

5 hours ago, macoduck said:

You listened and you heard her. She had a good last day. You did right by your girl. 

Ellie, if you'd like to share your girl's name, I will add it to the list of Bridge Angels in the Remembrance section of GreyTalk.

Her name is Ellie. My name is Krista. When I joined I put her name as mine. 🙄

[ELLIE]

Thanks you guys. After sleeping on it, I decided it was a blessing in disguise. No decision to make, happy last days, and no more worrying about what route to go. She will be missed beyond words, but will be in our hearts forever. 

[MerseyGrey]

A beautiful girl. I’m sorry for your loss 

[Houndtime]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

[Time4ANap]

I'm just catching up now and seeing your update.  I'm sorry you lost her so quickly but it sounds like she had a great day, and that's what you promised her when she came to you, great days. Our thoughts are with you and your family. Run-free Ellie. 

[ELLIE]

Thank you. We were surprised too. We had only received the results of the blood work on Tuesday and we were supposed to call back and let the dr know if we wanted to try meds. I'm assuming she was much worse off than we thought and than she let us know. She was truly the calmest, sweetest dog ever. We have a rotten(but fun), little poodle mix who is pretty miserable bc she followed Ellie everywhere. Hoping she is happier soon. It'll all work out... it always does.