Canine Renal Failure (A Personal Story) July

July 6 (originally posted by Mary)

Late last month, Gracie had another blood test to see how she’s doing. Her numbers indicate that she’s stabile:

• creatinine at 3.5, down from 5 at the last test;
• BUN at 82, which is a little high but acceptable; and
• her calcium level is at 11.7, 1.2 for the ionized test.

This is all very good news. The vet said to do a retest in three months unless she seems to be declining. We have our fingers-crossed that she will meet this milestone.


Gracie remains alert and interested in her toys and walks. She gets a little sleepy from both the arthritis medicine and the blood pressure medication but is still willing to roll the fuzzy soccer ball for a little game of easy fetch. Meal times are still trying – she needs incentives in her food and she has a tendency to spit out the rice as she walks away from her bowl. Grains of rice can be found all over the house.



Mealtimes are time-consuming. She gets her pills first thing, then her food, but she can’t be fed too close to the time she has her pills because the AlternaGel she must receive shortly after eating to coat her stomach must be given at least an hour after she receives her meds. Warming the subQ fluids, then administering them to her takes another 20 minutes or so in the morning every other day. So, her morning meds-meal-and fluids routine can take about 90 minutes to complete. She needs a mid-day dose of AlternaGel with some food, again to coat her stomach and protect against ulcers. Evenings repeat the meds-meals-AlternaGel routine.

Canine Renal Failure - some resources

The number of posts we have now about Gracie’s Chronic Renal Failure (I’ve also used 'kidney failure' to refer to the condition, and notice that that is one of the web search terms readers frequently use before arriving at the Hawksbill Cabin blog) is up in the teens.



We certainly appreciate all the interest in Gracie’s progress – for the record, she’s pretty stabilized for the moment, getting about a half liter of sub-q fluids every other day, along with all the other meds, and the special diet. I also hope that readers who find these entries on the web find some useful, or at least, reassuring information here on the Hawksbill Cabin blog.



One thing I wanted to be sure to highlight is a comment that reader “Linda” left a few weeks ago – it was reassuring and provided additional resources that readers may want to check out. A quote from her comment:



“I have been dealing with my dog's renal disease for three years. I was wondering if you had found the website http://www.dogaware.com/? It has a lot of good articles…”



I’ve spent some time on that site, and there is plenty of useful information here. To get right to the point on canine kidney failure though – follow this link: http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html#protein .

Snow Safety For Your Pets

What with the large amount of snow occurring in the United States and other parts of the world, pet owners may not be aware that there are dangers lurking on sidewalks and driveways that could cause your pet discomfort and severe issues.

A lot of pet owners aren't aware that the types of de-icers used on roads, sidewalks, driveways, and other areas can be dangerous to their pets.

De-icing agents such as salt and salt-based ice melting products can contain harmful chemicals that can cause (among other things): dermatitis, inflammation of the paws, gastrointestinal issues, burning and irritation to the mouth and intestinal tract if licked or swallowed. The salt or product can get on their paws and later, when licked, cause burns and irritation on the paws and in the mouth, eyes, and intestinal tract. Some de-icers warm up to 175 degrees.

If you walk your pet on city streets that have been treated, you can purchase dog booties to keep their feet from touching and coming in contact with the de-icer. Don't let them lick or eat the snow if you think its been treated (and remember, even snow that is in yard could be contaminated from snowplows throwing treated road debris into yards), and in your own household, use "Pet Friendly" products to de-ice.

If you don't have booties or your dogs doesn't like to wear them, when you return from your walk, rinse your pet's feet off thoroughly to make sure there are no residual chemicals on their feet or fur that they can later lick off and become sick.

While this is not an endorsement for a particular product, nor is Gimpydogs paid to endorse this product, the only "pet friendly" non-salt container de-icer currently on the market is a product called "Safe Paws", and is available in most large pet retail stores.

If your pet comes into contact with de-icer agents and is experiencing skin irritation, or vomiting, please consult with your vet on the next step of treatment.

Canine Renal Failure (A Personal Story) June

Some Down Time with Gracie and Sofie (originally posted by Jim, June 15, 2009)

It was a rare weekend not heading out to the Hawksbill Cabin, with me just getting back from being on business in San Antonio, and Mary headed up to NJ to visit some cousins preparing to relocate to Germany. Besides getting nine holes of golf in, and catching up on some reading (I’m currently reading Michael Perry’s Coop), I’ve been spending some quality time with Sofie and Gracie.

The girls were recently groomed. Because of the trauma bath time imparts, I haven’t given Gracie a bath in more than five years. We have a service that comes around twice a year in a converted RV, called “Bubble Buddies,” that actually specializes in older dogs, like our two. Gracie, the Border Collie, is 14 and a half; Sofie, the Chow mix we found as a stray in the DuPont Circle area of DC, is older than that. In fact, it has been about 13 years since Sofie joined our pack.

They don’t really get dirty and smelly like younger dogs anymore, so the twice a year schedule works out well for us. They actually seem to like it when the groomer hooks up the leash and leads them into the van – it’s an amazing difference from the “flat Gracie” routine I would experience when I tried to get her into the bathroom. Who knew a dog could actually expand to cover so much square footage, so that she couldn’t fit through a door?

When the groomer leaves, the dogs have been bathed and trimmed, and their nails are clipped. They get a special bandana, and they seem to like the extra attention we give them afterwards.