Jingle, jingle, jingle.
Laura, good to hear that Bonnie is well:)
cnigh, such great news!
I am very, very glad her counts continue to head toward normal.
As for the eating, I’ve had a couple of dogs who had a hard time eating away from home if it wasn’t super, extra special food (like chicken and tuna ^) so I don’t think I’d worry about that too much as long as she did eat the super extra good food.
The problem was she stopped eating and drinking completely on Monday at home and hasn`t touched any food all week until this evening. I tried everything and she would just turn her face away. The greedy guts I saw tonight was her normal self.
Excellent - eating is a great sign!! You’ve done good for her. Here’s to many more healthy years ahead. 
Glad the levels are still going down and she is eating now!! Yay!!
What an encouraging report… nothing like good chicken from your “mom’s” fingers.
Still jingling for Shade in CA…
[QUOTE=cnigh;6908199]
The problem was she stopped eating and drinking completely on Monday at home and hasn`t touched any food all week until this evening. I tried everything and she would just turn her face away. The greedy guts I saw tonight was her normal self.[/QUOTE]
I understood that, but when it continues after they start feeling better, it can be the unfamiliar environment too. Either way, I am glad she ate something for you!
[QUOTE=threedogpack;6908477]
I understood that, but when it continues after they start feeling better, it can be the unfamiliar environment too. Either way, I am glad she ate something for you![/QUOTE]
Oops sorry, I didnt look at who made the post. I had a really crappy night last night. I hate that she is pining for us. I hope our visit yesterday was a good thing. I know she needed to see us, I just felt like shit when we left her again. I would be back today if it wasnt a holiday.
Todays update: No blood results today because of the holiday.
Shade had a good night and seems calmer today. She did eat some of the chicken I left for her and is drinking water too. Hopefully her counts will continue to go down. Its too soon to say when she will be coming home. I cant wait to see her again tomorrow.
More encouraging signs… the lab part of her must be remembering she has an appetite. And I bet the quieter holiday at the clinic helped her feel calmer.
Has the vet ever commented/speculated on what caused her crash? Normal blood tests before surgery and then renal failure a few days later… due to delayed reaction to the infection? reaction to anesthesia and/or antibiotics? stress of surgery? all of the above?
(I know it doesn’t matter at this point … only her recovery matters … just curious.)
Have a good visit tomorrow.
Rainydayride - I haven`t asked for an exact cause. I truthfully do not believe there is an answer. The toxins were in her blood from the pyo, surgery probably released more and her kidneys were unable to clear it all.
I do not place any blame on the vet. Everything looked good going in and I knew the risks of the infection spreading. I think it would be unfair and pointless to worry about it now. This vet has bent over backwards to help save her.
I worry more that the time I spent trying to find a way to pay for all this played a bigger part in her going down hill :(. Thats why I wanted the info on antbiotics so badly in the beginning. I didnt plan to keep her on them without surgery. But, I was terrified I was killing her by not getting the surgery then and there. Plus the try antibiotics for 6 weeks and go from there at the local vet left me fuming. Basically it was $$ or if she dies, she dies type attitude.
They are generally caused by latent infections. While the pyo is open and draining, some of it does get absorbed into the tissues. The pet is technically septic and the antibiotics we have in vet medicine are typically not strong enough to fully cure a pyometera which is why removal of the source immediately (before infection becomes absorbed into the body tissues) is recommended. Waiting and trying antibiotic therapy has its pros and cons. Unfortunately you wont know unless you experience either outcome. The ones who have waited in my experience do often require extensive therapy post surgery. Not necessarily due to renal failure (which can also be exascerbated by anesthetic, NSAIDs etc), but other complications too ike blood infections, dehiscense, liver failure etc.
Some dogs DO well with antibioics pre surgery (ie for a few weeks). However, the issue is that we often dont know what organism we are treating. Without a culture we are not sure the antibiotic we prescribed is going to kill the organism. By the tme the culture results come back, its often too late and the patient is dead, which is why its infrequenly done. Vets use their best guess and best “wide spectrum” antibiotic to treat, and hope for the best - but, they should make clients aware of the risks. Also, its common to have many MRSA positive results, which are really not going to respond to antibiotic therapy at all.
Pyometera’s are a lot more scary than people think. For me (and yes, its a personal choice), this is the #1 reason why my girls eventually get spayed before 3 years old.
And glad shade is doing well. Hoping she is on the upswing now and with an appropriate diet to help support her kidneys hopefully home care is in her near future 
Luckily this vet doesnt mind my questions - lol!. Im sure horse people drive small vets nuts.
What to feed her is going to be tricky. She won`t touch the vets food. I was surprised myself when I read the label on it. Corn and beetpulp are main ingredients. Trying to Google dog food gives my a headache. I may make my own food for her.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply any blame … just wondering about the process. (thanks Squish…) It sounds as if the vet has been wonderfully supportive… and you certainly were in touch as soon as you realized Shade wasn’t recovering as expected.
Again, have a good visit today.
(and yeah - good luck with dog food. When my elderly dog’s kidneys started to fail I cooked a lot of chicken and rice. I also stopped making one of my favorite dinners - lamb chops and fresh asparagus - because she loved both of those and would wait patiently for any leftovers, but her body simply could no longer handle that in her diet. I couldn’t bear to see her smell the meal cooking and then not be able to give her any.)
A prescription diet isnt needed, especially with a finicky eater. Something low in phos. and high in moisture is ideal. Protein content is still up for debate, but in actual renal “failure” its still recommended to have a reduced protein diet. I would just ensure she eats something yummy and with a high moisture content
I have learned much on this thread.
Shade, keep doing well and come home soon!
Good news today her counts are slowly getting better.
Urea is 18.9 and Creatinine is 420.
She has been eating a bit for them which is good, but was vomitting this morning. Not sure why at this point. The visit perked her up again and we took her for a little walk. She was trotting along for a little bit, so she is slowly getting stronger.
Chicken seems to be the only thing she will eat right now. Shade wont even look at the Hills food.
We are going back tomorrow, hopefully seeing us helps. She does love the attention, hugs and kisses.
What antibiotics was she on? Some of them can adversely affect the kidneys. Did they send some of the tissue for a culture and sensitivity?
