There's been something else going on in the background since just after Christmas that I just haven't had the energy to talk about yet. Jenny is sick. They discovered during the pre-op tests for her dental cleaning in December that her blood showed signs of kidney disease. They took a follow up urine test and confirmed it. Fortunately, she is at the point where her kidneys are no longer concentrating her urine, which means (in my non-doctor understanding) that the water she is taking in, comes right out. This explained why she was drinking so much water and often waking up in the middle of the night for a drink. This also means that her kidneys aren't flitering out the stuff they are supposed to be cleaning from her system. So periodically, she gets sick to her stomach. Needless to say, we had no idea. All the signs of kidney disease she had showed, we had been able to explain in other ways.
We have since found a new vet for Jenny that will hopefully make this process as easy for her as possible...and as easy for us as possible as well. They think that by putting her on a low protein diet, keeping her weight in order and keeping her hydrated, she will be able to live for another year or two. Unfortunately, the decomposition stage of the disease can happen at any time and we are trying to prepare ourselves for the reality that we will lose her much sooner than we ever expected.
The good news is that her test results have remained unchanged since her teeth cleaning, which our new vet felt was a really good. Anesthesia can be really hard on the kidneys, but we had chosen to have her teeth cleaned anyway. It was a must. Her teeth were so bad, we decided we needed to risk the procedure to hopefully offer her a better quality of life, even if it meant her life would be shorter, rather than skip the cleaning and have her teeth cause her continued pain for the time she had left.
Which brings me to my next point. How did this happen? We are reasonably convinced she developed kidney disease as a result of her chronic periodontal disease. We knew we needed to watch her teeth, but she's always hated people messing with her mouth. After each teeth cleaning, we always meant to start a better oral hygiene regimen for her, but it always got put to the back burner because, frankly, it was miserable for all of us. Well, no more. It is exceptionally important that her teeth stay clean now since she can't undergo anesthesia anymore, so we have started a routine and our confidence has relayed into better compliance by Jenny. Sure she isn't happy about regular teeth brushing and rinsing, but she now knows there isn't any option to get out of it.
So for now, our goal is to make sure Jenny is as happy as she can possibly be and we are treasuring every day we have left with her.
4 comments:
Anyone that knows you guys knows that you have taken very good care of Jenny and she knows that too and loves her people very much!
Having experienced three times the loss of a beloved pet due to illness over the years, I can agree with everything you are doing. We felt the quality of life toward the end was most important to maintain. Sometimes you have to make the decision, but when the time comes, you will know because she will know. Cherish the time you all have, reflect on the joy you have shared and feel blessed that Jenny was an important part of your life these past years. You have given her an amazing life....
I neglected to sign the previous post.
It is from Jenny's Grandma Lori...
Oh Jen. My heart breaks for you having to go through this, and I barely have words. Your mom said everything much more eloquently than I could. Love to you all, including my friend Jenny.
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