The Spaniel Annals

One thing that has slowed my energy level way down for any kind of thoughtful posting is Kani’s diagnosis of kidney failure.  This occurred a few weeks ago when I took her in for yet another blood panel.  Things just weren’t right, and she wasn’t keeping on weight, despite my upping her food level far beyond her daughter’s.  The diagnosis I feared a year ago has now come true.  Here are the two facebook postings from that first week, just so I have them documented here:

Oct. 7, 2012: Bad news. Kani has kidney failure. I’ve had a feeling we’ve been heading in this direction for a long time. Lots of muscle loss, lethargy, and now the high blood counts. She still eats happily (good sign!), and so I’m switching over to a “kidney disease” diet this week. Vet wants to do IV fluids for a week to see if we can get the blood numbers turned around. I just want her to feel good as long as possible. Love you, sweet girl.

 Oct. 9, 2012: Kani home from her day of IV fluids. Doin’ pretty good, even a tail wag. She’ll get 5 days of fluids, with some checks on her kidney values. By the end of the week, the vet will show me how to administer fluids myself. She was already perking up on the renal disease diet I started her on over the weekend. Here’s to lots more tail wags in her future!!

As of today, Oct. 27, Kani continues on a bit of a roller coaster ride. She perked up with the initial fluid treatments.  Then she started a downhill slide this week, beginning to turn down food and getting more lethargic.  On Friday her fluids and B-12 shot came around, and she became bright and happy again.  I suspect we’ll be on this cycle for a while, but I’m not sure how long.  If it’s only the fluids that are keeping her functioning, that’s not a good sign.

She sticks close with me now.  At night she sleeps right by my side.  Sometimes I wake up and can’t get back to sleep, and I just stroke her belly and tell her I love her.  I try not to cry.