Yogurt, meatloaf, lasagne: If it isn’t one thing, it’s another
Posted in Animal on September 25, 2011
A few weeks ago my 14-year-old Sheltie, Drew, started to increase his drinking and decrease his eating. Shortly after, my veterinarians confirmed my sad suspicion: My dog’s kidneys were shutting down.
As deaths go, kidney failure isn’t a bad one. A couple years ago my father faced the choice of dying of kidney failure or liver cancer, and after being completely informed about them both, he chose the former and refused dialysis. He passed peacefully at home a few days later, and I’m still in awe of his brave decision to choose the time, place and manner of his demise.
Of course, that’s what many of us do with our companion animals, and I’ve seen enough people bungle the decision to know how difficult it is. Over the years I’ve made the decision for all of my own animals and a few belonging to friends and family. I’ve come to believe that I won’t personally make a Hail Mary pass for myself or anyone else, animals included, and that I would rather help an animal to the other side a week early than a minute too late.
That said, I truly believe in hospice. For people and for pets.
I recently wrote for Vetstreet about the hospice movement in veterinary medicine, focusing on Nancy Hurley, a woman who had cared for her own 14-year-old Sheltie for months after a diagnosis of cancer in the dog. She and her husband had to have Savannah euthanized on the day Drew entered a state of hospice, a situation which I found incredibly powerful, as if Savannah’s fight had moved across the country to my own dog.
Hospice is often about managing pain, and I’m glad that I’m not having to do that with Drew. I went through it with my retriever Heather a couple years ago, and it wasn’t easy for either of us. Like Savannah, Heather had cancer, and like Savannah, I had to let Heather go when we couldn’t control the pain any more.
For Drew, hospice is considerably less stressful. Every morning he gets 500 ml of IV fluids, delivered from a bag hung from my dining-room chandelier through a needle to a spot under the skin and over his shoulder blades (top picture, but you have to squint a little to see the clear IV bag). Drew usually falls asleep on a towel on the table while getting his fluids, a process which, thanks to a nifty product called a pressure infuser, takes just a few minutes. A couple weeks after starting with daily fluids, Drew’s kidney values are normal. It won’t last, I’m told, but it was very good news indeed to get last week.
While Drewbie doesn’t mind the fluids at all, we are having one hospice difficulty: Getting him to eat. Pets (and people, for that matter) with end-stage kidney disease typically don’t have an appetite, and not eating can hasten their deaths – rather quickly, I’m told.
Drew is on a prescription appetite stimulant, but it doesn’t seem to help much. He is also getting a little medicinal marijuana (legal here in California), which appears to help with nausea but not with appetite, at least for Drew.
Typically, he’ll eat a little of something really yummy for a couple of days, then stop. Rare roast beef, deli turkey, yogurt with peach slices, beef lasagne, pasta with beef balls, cheese, baby food, apple slices with peanut butter … I’ve been rotating through them all. I’m afraid the other dogs and I will put on some weight snarfing down the leftovers when Drew walks away from something he ate happily the day before.
Friday night, my housemate (Ed Murrieta, who’s a writer and a trained chef) made him a special meatloaf, after Drew showed enthusiasm for store-bought meatloaf from the Whole Foods takeaway counter. That’s a picture of it. It’s made from ground turkey, Honest Kitchen‘s Embark dehydrated raw food and Nuzzles treats, eggs, and my friend Jill Gibbs’ JillCookies, chopped fresh tomatoes, grated apple, and cheese.
Today, Ed’s experimenting with some sort of baked liver puree.
So far, so good …
Hi Gina:
I am the the mom of a 14 1/2 yr old Sheltie and I am really wondering what update there is on Drew.
My boy is having the same issues of what tastes good today is not at all acceptable tomorrow. But, he does seem interested what I am doing at the kitchen counter.
He did this last year and got better on antibiotics – confusing to all. Kidney failure has not been diagnosed this time.
Since are kids are about the same age, I was hoping to learn more from you.
Thank you
Suzy
Drew is doing great. His lab values are normal, and his appetite is good. He get 500 ml lactated ringers subQ every morning and I haven’t worried about him for … well, I worry all the time, but he’s doing great. That banner at the top of the page is him from a couple weeks ago. He looks and feels great.
That could change anytime, I suppose, but he was diagnosed in August and has been doing very well since we got the fluids going.
Thanks for asking! He’s a darling dog.
Gina,
I am sitting here reading your site…crying, laughing thinking God! you and I are so much a like. Your dreams are mine…only i am having bit harder time…but so happy for you!
I have not read your stuff in so long and realized how much i missed it. You just capture exactly how i feel about my critters!
What Drew ate today: Nature’s Instinct grain-free kibble. Kibble. Go figure.
He has been so interested in hard treats (Honest Kitchen Nuzzles, and my friend Jill’s homemade cookies) that I decided to offer him some kibble. And he ate it.
Kinda surprised, really. But not complaining.
First, I’d like to say: beautiful post. I was very touched. Drew is such a little gentleman. =)
“I’ve come to believe that I won’t personally make a Hail Mary pass for myself or anyone else, animals included, and that I would rather help an animal to the other side a week early than a minute too late.”
I agree completely. I just had to let my bunny go last Wednesday. I tried to keep her going and help her get better for over a week, but you know when it’s time to let them go. Sometimes it’s selfish to watch them continue on in pain. Best of luck and lots of hugs your way for you and Drew.
Gina, I’ve had really good luck with my “Fussy Frenchie Meaty Muffins”. They’re a sort of turkey/corn muffin that I make for my pregnant girls, and they LOVE them.
I also have had really good luck with a canine version of steak and kidney pie.
Let me know if you want recipes!
Please share!
Today, it’s dried bison liver treats.
The idea that marijuana is toxic to animals is because vets usually treat dogs who have scarfed down maybe 50X the recommended dosage. The affect is extreme dizziness, vomiting, like if you drink wayyyyyy too much. Same as people who try edibles and eat up their whole stash.
I’m on the FCR Cancer Support Team and was recently asked about medical marijuana for the dogs. I’m thinking if it helps with the side affects of the chemo, that’s a good thing. I know it’s pretty good for pain management, so that’s a good thing. Figuring out dosage may be tricky, but the dispensaries ought to be able to give you a formula for that.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Gina. I remember when you got Drew. Sort of amazing the way we come to love people and their pets without ever having physically met.
I don’t do marijuana myself, but it’s always in the house because of the housemate. He makes the most awesome from-scratch fruit popsicles, and one day decided to try turning them into “edibles” without warning me.
I ate two of them that were laced with an especially strong variety called “Russian Concussion” and whoa … bad trip!
Now, he warns me when he makes something for his website o’ pot recipes.
Interested with the use of medicinal marijuana. I was under the impression it was toxic to dogs, obviously not the case. Is it more a case of it is more comforting and the damage done wont change his condition or was I wrong about it being toxic?
If by toxic you mean deadly, then no.
If by toxic you mean there are consequences if the animal gets way too much of it, then yes.
But the same is true of many medicinal substances, no?
I have seen side effects of it in reptiles and well obviously people.
I assume that this isn’t something that would be used long term in a pet? Dunno, will have to wait and see what your article on it says! Of course we do not have the option here.
Beautiful post – and I love the term “love in action” in your response to Nancy.
May you and Drew have many more weeks and months together, but even more than that, may you both enjoy each and every moment together to the fullest.
Thank you! I hope so, too.
gina, was just reading this to catch up on Drewbie’s situation and of course cried at the mention of Savannah. Thank you for honoring her. my love and any strength I have left are being sent over the miles to you and Drew.
Nancy, what you did for Savannah is the ideal of what I am trying to do with Drewbie. It’s love in action, as far as I’m concerned.