My heart of gold,happy,life loving greyhound is in the animal hospital and I'm devastated. They are trying to determine why her kidneys are failing. I'd thought she'd seemed slightly off for the last few weeks and wish I'd more fully believed that something wasn't right. One thing they've found she does have is lyme disease which could be a possible cause of the kidney problems they say. Where she mostly just walks along the side of the road I never thought it worthwhile to test her- thought it was just one other thing they wanted to tack on to my bill. SO, you pet owners, trust your intuition if something doesn't seem right and get those lyme tests even if it is unlikely to be positive. Although I don't have a full diagnosis yet, if any Outsporters have dealt with doggie kidney problems it would be good to have more knowledge of what I might be in for before I have to make some decisions.

So sorry to hear of your problems with your dog--you're going to get a lot of support from this site I think--lots of dog lovers. Dogs are resilient, as are humans too--and remember, it's possible to pull through all of this. It will cost some money and lots of heartache, but you can get through it. Be humane to your animal and yourself and you will know the right things to do. Best of luck.

Great advice, WChip -- very unselfish of you to share those words, especially knowing the heartache that you are going through now....I am truly sorry to hear about the pain that your beloved greyhound is going through but hopefully she is being cared for by some loving, well trained vets who will restore her back to her old self....unfortunately, I don't have any "expert knowledge" to share with you in this area but, as Shore mentioned, I know there are plenty of dog lovers on this board who I'm certain will be able to provide you with words of wisdom from their own personal experiences.

My warmest, heartfelt thoughts go out to you and your pet....I know they mean more than so many people realize as she is clearly a big part of your family.

WChip

My thoughts are with you! I hope everything works out. Good Luck. What's your dog's name?

My dog's name is Gracie. Her racing name was Fat Granny and I started off calling her Granny. That didn't work out because at the time I had too many relatives and friends with toddler age children who would get excited about seeing their grandmas when they heard the name. Plus my mom wasn't too thrlled with the whole fat granny connection since she is one. So, my sister suggested Gracie and that's been it since! She was wildly excitable when I first got her- I swore she was going to spontaneously combust one day when I walked through the door. I've had her a little over six years and she's just over nine. She's seemed so young and healthy to this point I thought I might be lucky enough to have her another six years or more. Anyway, I have to go get her before 8:30 today and then consult with my regular vet on a reasonable course of action. Just this weekend has cost me $1200 and whatever else I have to spend needs to come with a guarantee that she's not in great discomfort. Thanks for all your kind wishes! Chip

WChip:

I am a dog owner, with 2 very spoiled Labrador Retrievers. One an 6 year old yellow, and a 4.5 yr old Chocolate. I got my chocolate in May, as a rescue. He was 60 pounds overweight, and according to the vet, his life was measured in months, not years. Well. He's now lost 35 of the 60, and is a new person. Mind you, when I'm at home, he sticks to me like velcro, but that's okay.
I got the chocolate lab, to replace my other Chocolate lab who I lost to cancer last Feb 22. Ironically, his name was Chip, (as in chocolate chip). He died of a type of cancer called a nasal chondro sarcoma, or a tumour in the soft tissues of his sinuses.

Like you, I felt something was wrong. It was a gut hunch, when he got a bloody nose at the cottage. My partner said he had probably played to rough with the yellow lab (his name is Goliath), but I wasn't convinced. WHen vacation was over, I took Chip to my vet, who looked at him, and referred us to the University of Guelph Veterenary college. 3 weeks and $3,100 later, the cancer was diagnozed. There were treatment options, that were incredibally expensive, and would only have prolonged his life by 6 months, most of it in pain, so we said no, took him home, spoiled him rotten, and last Feb 22, he died in my arms.

I am not rational when it comes to my dogs. I would max out my card to find out what was wrong. BUT, I am capable of knowing when not to treat, but my opinion is you should find out what is wrong.

Hope it's just an infection.

One thing I should have mentioned.

many years ago I had a cocker spaniel, whose kidneys failed. It turned out there were crystals in his urine, that were the prelude to kidney stones. He had to go on a special diet, but that solved the problem.

Also, my old chocolate lab, about 3 years ago had a serious infection of the urinary tract, that went all the way from the penis up to the kidneys, which meant his kidneys were not filtering properly. He was on antibiotics for about 4 months, but came through it fine.

Hope this gave you some ideas

Grant

I'm now somewhat hopeful that you are right and all it is is a urinary tract infection that backed up to the kidneys. They say her platelets and albumen are both unusually low which could mean other problems. She's at my regular vets for another day, but it was good to spend a little more time with her- her eyes looked more lively, which was encouraging!

The news this afternoon isn't so encouraging as her kidney functioning is getting worse. The doctor suspects it's kidney disease brought on by the lyme disease as her values seem to match other dogs he's seen in the past with that. The treatments for different aspects of her illness worsen others. She's staying there today, but I'll pick her up and bring her home for the night. Her spirits are still good and guess that's pretty much the plan- I may bring her in again for more antibiotics and fluid treatments tomorrow, but barring encouraging signs, I'd say she'll stay with me until things have gone too far.

I hope she responds to treatment. I have no knowledge of Lyme disease, as it's not common up here in the frigid north, but you and Gracie are in my thoughts and prayers.
And you never know. Love can conquer lots of things.