Poor Raustyk girl * update on pg 5, not too good *

[dragondawg]

When you visit the Vets quiz them as to specific steps that can be taken for the chronic kidney failure. For example one of the contributing factors for poor appetite in kidney failure is the subsequent development of ulcers. Use of surfactants such as Sucralfate can protect the stomach from irritation, and also serve as a phosphorous binder. Not only is a low protein (hydrolyzed) diet important but also a low phosphorous diet. If it were my puppy, I'd have it on Hills k/d, until the BUN and Creatinine values were lowered. Then if you wanted to give a home cooked diet, consult a Vet nutritionist. You can give up on the idea of feeding raw and being able to control the protein/phosphorous levels. Fish oil is good, Flax oil is bad. You are wise in holding off on any other supplements. Also ask the Vets about an ACE inhibitor. Sometimes lowering blood pressure helps the kidneys function better.

The liver elevated enzymes could have been due to prolonged use of the NSAIDs for arthritis(?), and may go back down in time. Liver problems also will affect the appetite. This is assuming no other cause.

If the hind end turns out to be vestibular disease, then recovery would be slow over a few weeks of time. It doesn't take too long off feed for an older dog to become weak. So anorexia isn't helping the hind legs.

Probably if you can get the kidney disease stabilized, puppy eating, then the other two problems will lessen. Hopefully any additional ultrasounds or other tests will not reveal any other underlying causes.

[Kfamr]

I've been watching this thread, Sue, but hadn't posted until now. I just want to let you know that I'm thinking of you and your big girl.
{{HUGS}} to you both.

[shais_mom]

I saw your comment on myspace and came right here.
I will keep you and Raustyk in my thoughts and prayers.

{{hugs}}

[lv4dogs]

Well tomorrow is our big day, wish us luck. Hopefully the specialists can shed some light on what ever is wrong with my baby girl.
As time goes by, you get a better outlook on the entire picture. I've noticed some things that I didn't at first. Some good, some bad. Sadly I have to admit that I honestly feel like this is going to be some sort of non-curable, horrible thing. I just hope & pray that it is at least treatable. To give her back a little bit of her old self & to give her the opportunity to stay here a little longer.

Her appetite did improve for a little while there, and at that time I really think she just did not feel good. Now her appetie is slowly decreasing a little bit. But this time I think it is mostly because she is so frustrated with herself. So lately I've been feeding her laying down in the living room. She still probably feels a little under the weather though, as she turns down some of her treats that she used to eat. (but she won't turn down the good treats lol). And some of it might just be because she likes the royal treatment. lol (although I try not to cater to her needs too too much, I don't want or need a picky dog at this point).

Her gait on the other hand has not improved at all. It never did. I think for a little while there I thought it too was improving slightly, but I think I was wrong. I think she just learned how to move around better. Like she walks along surfaces like walls, couches, tables, etc... to help balance her better. And that if she keeps her back legs far apart when standing/walking she has better balance. She has learned to even play with Kaige a little tiny bit (she mostly lays down but hey, she's at least enjoying herself a little more).

Raustyk gets her blood drawn again tomorrow to see if mainly her bun & cre levels have decresed.

I'm very nervous about tomorrow, or actually I am more scared I guess than anything. Scared that the outcome will not be good, scared that I will forget to ask important questions & give important information. I have a list going & believe me I am using it. I'm bringing a note pad so I write a lot of things done.

It's really scary because she has seen 3 different vets over the last few weeks many times each. She's had ultrasounds, x-rays, extensive blood work, tests, treatments, drugs, fluids, therapy & we were still unable to really pinpoint the problem or the treatment.

Hopefully it's just me being paranoid & nervous. I keep trying to tell myself that. lol

So Raustyk & I would like to politely ask yous to keep us in our thoughts tomorrow. Our appt. is at 11:30. We thank you (in advance), from the bottom of our hearts!

[wolf_Q]

Thinking of you and Raustyk, I hope you'll be able to figure out whats wrong and she'll be feeling better soon.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Waiting for some encouraging news, Sue. Please update as soon as you can.

[Vela]

Good luck today! I hope everything goes okay and you get some good information you can use to help her feel better!

[lv4dogs]

Well, we had our appointments today. I am absolutely drained & busy studying about the results from today, so I will say in advance that this is just a really brief summary of today.
jist
gist

First of all though I want to thank, and I am sure Raustyk does too, all of yous who have kept us in your thoughts & prayers. Sorry but I copied this from my lj post.

The Dr's think that she most likely has a compressed disk(s). Which I believe is otherwise known as disc disease (will ask the docs tomorrow). Although there is still a possibility that it could be a few other things. No definite diagnosis can be done without an MRI (which is $2000). There is talk of surgery (if the mri is done) which could help her with a couple of the possible problems. If I decide not to go with the mri then I will have to at least try physical therapy with her, mostly heat & massage with a small bit of water therapy. On top of that she needs to be on quite a few supplements, especially so with her elevated bun & cre.

edited to add that we did either diagnose "part" of the problem or diagnose "a" problem (she could have more than one things going wrong with her). We found out that a nerve in each of her legs, that controls her inner 2 toes on each of her back legs, is either dead, pinched, something, it is pretty much denying her brain the information it needs to tell her where her feet actually are and/or tells her brain that those 2 toes are not even really there. We won't know unless we do an mri (or if time catches up with us first).

Which we found out that her kidney & appetite problems are probably related to each other but we think her "movement" problem is a separate problem all it's own. We drew some more blood from my girl today (gosh she's like a pin cushion lately, we also biopsied 2 new lumps on her today ) and i'll have the results by tomorrow afternoon. She's been on a mostly home cooked meal the last 3 weeks, no antinflamitories, tons of fluids, etc.. etc.. so we are hoping & praying that some of her levels will be decreased some.
There's a lot to learn about what it is & how to treat possibly cure it. (most likely what ever she has is not curable though, I am heartbroken, but at least we have a chance at treating some things.
There are not a whole lot of drugs we can use so she's on a lot of supplements and special diet. Hopefully they really start to kick in soon and hopefully physical therapy will help. Its so hard because unfortunately my finances are limiting some of my possibilities. I'm making it work so far though thank god. The outlook still isn't all that great though. This is tough.
I'll write in more detail later if yous want it but I'm just not up to it.

[Daisy and Delilah]

{{{{{{{More Hugs}}}}}}}

[Vela]

I'm so sorry it's not conclusive and she's having such difficulties. Hugs to you and her. I hope she improves soon on her supplements and meds!

[chocolatepuppy]

I will continue to keep sweet Raustyk in my prayers. I hope the therapy helps her to feel better. I also hope she is with you for a long time to come.{hugs}

[luvofallhorses]

I will continue to keep lovely Raustyk in my thoughts and prayers. (((HUGS)))

[Jakesmom]

Hi. I didn't read the entire thread, so don't know all Raustyk's symptoms, but my dog Jake has thoracic and lumbar disc disease. We did not do the MRI because we had decided that we would probably not do surgery (surgery in the thoracic area is more risky, with a possibility of paralysis, and he was still functional. Lumbar surgery is not as risky because the spinal cord is not usually involved). In any case, we have used many modalities to treat him, and almost 3 years later, he is doing pretty well (running some, walks, loves to ride in cars, etc). The thing that has worked absolutely the BEST, has been acupuncture. Jake has pain/weakness and proprioceptive defect (doesn't feel where his feet are in space) and both are helped by the acupuncture. He has been doing acupuncture for almost a year now, and goes every 2-4 weeks (weekly for the first 4-5 to see if it would help). He does well during the treatment, and it clearly makes him feel better (though you sometimes don't see the effect for a couple days. I also had acupunture for a cervical disc, and can verify that it helps the pain tremendously. He is also on glucosamine and metacam (with famotadine so his stomach doesn't get upset).

Good luck.

Jake's mom

[angelchampy]

These decisions are so hard to make. When my Sherry had back/leg problems at 10 years old, I was told she had spondylosis. That's where there is a (sort of) bone spur or extra piece of bone that grows into a claw-like shape off of one of the vertebrae and eventually, it pinches the nerve. It doesn't always get to that point, but it can. It wasn't that bad yet and they told me not to do anything at this point. At 12, it started to get worse. They wanted to operate. I was not going to let them operate on a 12 year old. The recovery time would be terrible for her and there's no telling if she would make it. I didn't want to put her through it. They said if I did operate, I would need an MRI. THE $$$ were going up, up, up. I would spend anything on my pets, and believe me, I have, but I could not put her through the pain. So, I opted for holistic methods. I got her supplements like Cosequin and at 13, started bringing her to acupuncture every week. I drove over an hour every week and had to take off work one day a week to do it, but I did it. My baby was worth it. She was like a puppy when we first started going. You wouldn't believe the energy and she would run through the rooms. I was so happy, I cried. After a while, it wasn't working as well, but it was stable. At 14 1/2, she died of liver cancer. I believe the reason it appeared not to be working so well after awhile was b/c she had cancer, but I didn't know that yet. Whatever you choose to do, see what you can do naturally. See if there is an acupuncturist in your area that specializes in animals - don't go to one that just does humans. My Sherry was a different girl - just like a puppy. I didn't use any prescription arthritic meds b/c most either destroy the liver or make the stomach bleed. Try to stay away from meds like that and do research on the meds before you give them. In the meantime, I will keep you both in my prayers. I feel for everyone that has to go through decision-making times like these. It brings back sad memories. Good luck and look into that.

[K9karen]

Hugs and Prayers still heading your way