Another post from Mary with details on Gracie's progress with Canine Renal Failure. If you are finding this from a web search, click on the "canine renal" label below to find additional posts on this topic.Late last month, Gracie had another blood test to see how she’s doing. Her numbers indicate that she’s stable:
+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.
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