Sadie's Senior Years |
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February 21, 2006: Sadie's vet visit this year was the worst so far. The news took some time to sink in and now I think I understand the seriousness of her condition but I have also determined a course of action. Forget the heart murmur, now the concern is kidney disease. Last year she had an abnormal test that was slightly off, they did the test again and results were normal. I wish a flag had gone up and I started a special diet then. There doesn't seem to be any medication for treatment of canine kidney disease; just diet change. There is no cure and the prognosis is months to years. That doesn't tell me much. The news definitely had not registered in my head while talking to the doctor but thank god for the internet I was able to do a lot of research.
The site dogaware.com gave me a tremendous amount of information and hope as well as a plan. Sadie's vet recommended I start feeding her Hill's Science Diet for kidneys but I wasn't thrilled about that idea since I prefer to feed her human grade dry dog food. The goal behind the diet is to have a lower protein content. Dogaware.com explained the diet needs further and indicated that lowering phosphorous intake was probably more important than lowering protein, which could lead to nutritional deficiencies. What the site said made sense. The author had a dog that lived for 20 months after diagnosis and even then did not die of kidney disease. Best of all, the recipes the author used were supplied as well as information on supplements given. Since her dog was 40lbs I was glad because Sadie should be close to that weight. I am not a great cook so simple recipes with the right portions listed are about all I can handle.
I decided that rice & beef meals prepared by me topped off with Hill's dry dog food would be a safe bet for now. That way Sadie should be getting all her nutrients. The Hill's portion is less than half of what the bag recommends for her weight and I am leaning towards minimizing the amount of dry food. In addition Sadie gets 6 vitamins and supplements a day. Perhaps I should be more concerned about overdoing it. Her supplements include:
Sadie was 32lbs at this last vet visit. This is not good for her at all and the vet was concerned. I think it was more due to her having been in a kennel for 4 days a month prior to the vet. Sadie is so neurotic she does not eat in new or stressful situations. I think the combination of kidney problems and kennel caused the weight loss. She should be at least 35lbs. On the new diet she is doing GREAT. She gets rice and beef for breakfast and dinner and LOVES it. She gobbles it up in seconds - rarely has that happened before. She started to look extra plump so I stopped putting heaping portions in her bowl. I will post more details on her diet if the next vet tests indicate she is doing ok.
Another condition she is dealing with now is incontinence. How sad it was the first time I awoke to her sitting in a puddle of her own urine. She seems to ignore the situation. Perhaps she just cannot understand what has happened or how. It was difficult at first, because Sadie sleeps in my bed, but we have worked around this. I now have several bed pads for her smaller dog beds, a vinyl blankie for her portion of my bed, a reusable diaper, and a waterproof mattress pad just in case all else fails. The diaper is like a pair of bloomers that I stick an adult incontinence pad to. Surprisingly, it works great. Sadie wears it during the day too for her minor leaks. She can even walk up and down the stairs with it on. At first she seemed embarrassed by it but I think part of her knows she needs it. Maybe she really doesn't think at all and I just make up her feelings, but it does look like a sad face for the diaper.
Of course the heart murmur is really not something I can just forget with all the focus on the kidney. The murmur is said to be about grade 3, still going up. Maybe the Co Q10 will help with that, I don't know. The vet recommends another ultrasound. She did have an xray done at this vet visit that shows no fluid in her lungs (good) and a normal size heart (good). Yes, I paid a lot for this vet visit for all bad news.
March 2, 2004:
Sadie after her ultrasound. Her chest below her
white spot is shaved.
February 26, 2004: Sadie's second vet visit during which I am told she has a mild heart murmur. This year it is a little worse, perhaps a 2. While she still has a lot of energy and looks fine, I know that at age 11 she is not young. Sadie had an ultrasound done on her heart and so far medication is not necessary.