Renal Failure Claims 2 More of My Patients...

I do not know why I claim to like this disease...it is brutal, it takes lives of innocent little kitties and doggies who have done nothing but try to drink enough to satisfy the kidney beast's thirst!!! Why do I end up with all of these patients? Ok so I guess I do preferentially select to take on those cases...additionally everyone knows how much I like a good poor prognosis kidney case...so I end up with them that way as well. So, I lost another little female kitty to renal failure today...granted she was 18 years old and so had lived a pretty good long life!! But, she just had used up all of her 9 lives on her kidneys and so had no more to give today. Her name, Gabby...what did she look like? Apache minus 20 pounds...yes she was skeletoneske...and she was laying in lateral recumbancy...not able to get up...not able to move around much. Her BUN was 312 when I met her and 314 when she left this world (yea that is after a day of IV fluids and yea that is even more elevated). Unfortunately her old little kidneys had lived their 18 years and just could no longer give any more. Owner decided to let her go, I discussed peritoneal dialysis but with a poor prognosis that function would return..the owner elected to let her go. As I was waiting for the owner, I was called in to the ICU by the technician because she was breathing really heavily...she then gets up and walks to the water dish, sits down, and starts slowly drinking...then when all her energy was gone she collapsed...face first into the water dish...so I had to reach in a pull her little head out. It was very sad. Mom then came in and we spent some time petting her and talking about her life...then, with one injection mom said goodbye to her friend of 18years and Gabby Kitty got her halo. Ok, deep breath, and on to my next renal failure...a Sharpei dog. He most likely has amyloidosis (it is genetic for these breeds)...and so really likely not a chance. I talked a lot with the owners because he was not urinating all day - over 12 hours...discussed placement of a central line to monitor his pressures, discussed urinary catheter placement to monitor urination. Owners were really money constricted but really did not want to give up if there was any chance. I discussed placement of a urinary catheter because at least then we would be able to see if he was making any urine and that might help with prognosis. Owners agreed and I placed one around 2pm....after 21 hours of high fluid rates...and urine slowly dripped out the end of the catheter...not good...all in all, he ended up not producing as much urine as he should, got a little marshmallowish, and started to vomited profusely. Owners elected to take him home and will euthanize tomorrow with their vet...so, he too will get his halo. On the positive side... I did send home a working dog (owner is deaf). Her name was Peaches and she was a Golden Retriever who had exploratory surgery to break down adhesions that had formed within her GI tract...not good because since we are not sure how they formed, they may likely form again. But, she did go home for a little while...to help her owner...painful from surgery but willing and eager to be united with the human she do fiercely protects and leads safely through life...for a little while longer... And then there is Zach, my African Grey patient...he cares for his owner in a more unusual way...by giving her a reason to smile despite the fact that life has been unfair and taken away her ability to walk...Zach does not see this though as he sits lovingly upon her shoulder and she wheels him around with her in her wheelchair...he knows that they reason she wakes up every day is to listen to him and his 4 other bird friends he lives with (a parrotlette, a macaw, a cockatoo, and an amazon parrot)...and so he strongly fights to live, despite the fact he has a bad fungal disease taking over his body. And there is Hazel Pabst...yes that is Pabst Beer...she is indeed a heir to the Blue Ribbon!!! Sweet little Corgi...had a cervical disk compression and so needed neuro surgery to fix it and was touch and go for a couple days but is now doing great. She is only boarding with us because Mr Pabst is on a business trip...and this dog, funnily enough...is his life. He used to drive in with his Mercedes Benz and expenxive clothes and...yes...lay on the dirty ICU floor next to her cage for hours!!! It is so amazing how much our animals come to mean to us. I may hate the hours, and I may hate the work...but never in an million years could I hate the pets I take care of....I love them all...sick, healthy, big, small, friendly, and mean...and so it is because of this that I gladly put on my white coat and hang my stethoscope around my neck. Like I said, if it means someone will get to enjoy one more meow or another tail wag...then it is ALL worth it.