Sad news

I noticed that Bambi had developed some bad breath and unfortunately it had a smell that I had recognized before. Taking her to work tonight and doing bloodwork proved my fears true. She is now in the early stages of kidney disease. She does not act sick Thank God but I know it is a matter of time when the signs will come. She is now going to be placed on a special diet and have routine bloodwork done. We have planned to keep her comfortable until she is no longer having a good quality of life. She is 7 and I knew when I adopted her in October that problems may occur, just wish it didn't come so soon. Sometimes I wish I never was a vet tech and knew what I did.

Sorry to hear about your little friend's troubles. Catching it early is a good thing.

Thanks, I know catching it early is a good thing. Just wish it never happened at all. Looks like my 16 yr old dog may outlive another dog yet(Bambi will make 3). Geez.

Jessica I am so sorry about your dog's illness.

Aw man...that's really a shame....poor girl. To have her with you for such a short time before she got sick is just heart wrenching, I am so sorry.

At least you know she will have the absolute best of care for the rest of her days.

After doing a ton of research, I may not have a problem with Bambi. Sighthounds tend to run higher in the hematocrit department(checks hydration status). She was dehydrated enough to the point that her kidney values could be affected. Urine showed normal specific gravity, and possibly a UTI(urinary tract infection). When I treated her for Lyme, she was on Doxycycline. That can promote yeast to grow in urine and affect her going into the bloodstream and can give off a distintive bad breath odor. She has lost 6 pounds since I have had her. I have talked to my friend,the vet, who I got her from and has made suggestions on meds to do and a protocol to try. Will still check values in a month to compare from yesterday and October. I might be lucky. Keep your fingers crossed. Figures I can't have an easy diagnosis, but all screwy ones.

Have you looked into any herbal supplements? I have had some luck with the herbals. They didn't exactly cure, but helped to improve the quality of life as they seemed to act almost completely normal, and also prolonged the time I got to spend with them until they did pass. I hope it is just the breed, but just in case it never hurts to look. I'll keep my fingers crossed until the next test!