Browse Month: October 2013

Another Night

We’ve got a little update on Koa.  This morning, the internal medicine vet had an ultrasound done on his kidneys and it didn’t show any cancer or physical damage.  They did another test on his blood and it only showed a slight improvement in his creatinine levels.  Last night it was around 9 and today it was 7.  Normal is around 1.5 but 5 is acceptable.  Hm.  We also learned that his urine has a high level of protein in it meaning that his kidneys are not filtering out protein as it should.

We visited Koa this afternoon and it was really hard on me.  I don’t know if it was because I was feeling selfish about wanting my time with Koa without having to watch Kumquat or if it was because I had to turn on my clinical brain and evaluate his behavior to determine whether it was worth keeping him around.  Regardless of what it was, it was really hard spending the 10 minutes (that felt like 30) in that room with him.  They have been pushing fluids around the clock and had to put in a catheter to closely monitor his urinary output.  We’re waiting for his urinalysis results to see if there’s any bacteria or white/red blood cells in it but we don’t have it yet.IMG_6285Kumquat was so sweet to give him a little snuggle and Jes was so sweet saying “hi buddy” and “you’re a good dog”.

IMG_6281 I got so overwhelmed that I started to cry.  Somehow the dog sensed it and he walked over to me just like he used to when I was home alone during Jes’ North Carolina days.  That’s when the tears started to really flow and I just gave him the biggest, longest hug he’s ever gotten from me.  What do I do now?!  I’m trying to be objective here but he’s not the Koa I know.  Yes, he’s looking better than yesterday and yes, he will probably survive a little longer with a new diet, injections, and lower activity level expectations.  But is he suffering?  Is he going to have the same quality of life has he did before?  Am I just delaying the inevitable?  I don’t want to go through this again.

So he’s at the hospital for one more night and we brought him a toy to sleep with in the kennel tonight.  The doctor will run a blood test again in the morning and then we’ll have to really decide what to do.  Why does this have to be so hard?

IMG_6293So now I’m home and have decided that the only thing I can handle right now is a toddler on the couch watching her favorite Old MacDonald video with a container of pasta and broccoli while I drown my conflicted mind in boxed wine from Target.  Don’t judge.  This is all I’m capable of doing at the moment.  I’ll have another update tomorrow.

Koa Update

IMG_6194This evening when I got home, Koa wasn’t looking any better so we took him to the Emergency Vet Clinic.

IMG_6196He was still really lethargic and Jes had to pick him up to put him in the car.

IMG_6206The tech took his vitals and brought him back to hang out with us in the waiting room.   He had lost 4 pounds since his check-up last month.

IMG_6207This is Koa in the exam room.  He’s usually a nervous wreck at the vet but not tonight.  He just laid himself down on the floor until it was time for us to put him up on the table.  The vet did his physical exam and said that he’d have to run some tests and would have a preliminary answer for us in about an hour.  So, we went to dinner and hoped for the best.  He called while we were still eating and said that everything came back normal with the exception of his kidneys.  He was having renal failure.  He may have a genetic condition or he could have eaten something that was poisonous for him. They don’t really know yet.  By the time we got back to the vet, they had placed an IV in his paw and they were giving him a bolus of fluids and some antibiotics.

IMG_6214They let us in the back where he was resting in a kennel with his right paw hooked up to a bunch of tubes.  He looked so scared but didn’t have enough strength to even come out.  We decided to have him stay overnight for the fluids to run and for another lab test in the morning.  If the test comes back with improved numbers, they may do an ultrasound tomorrow.  I hope he’ll be ok soon.  I hate to do it but I’m gonna have to prepare myself for the worst.  Too bad I have to work tomorrow morning.  Then again, maybe it’ll help me keep my mind off of things while we’re still waiting to see what’s going to happen to him.  Poor Koa.

Happy Hour and Highchairs

IMG_6099I had the day off today because I have to work on Saturday.  After Kumquat’s nap, we headed out to Golden Gate Park for a 4-mile run with Ranee and Sophie.  After the run and a little playtime at the park, we went to Pa’ina for a little HH.  Before heading out, Ranee called the restaurant to ask two things:

1. What time is Happy Hour?

2. Do you have highchairs?

IMG_6189Haha.  That’s how two hardworking moms do it.  The kalua pork and cheese fries, poke and COCKTAILS were awesome.  I love random days off.

IMG_6184This girls were pretty cute too with their pretend phones.

Sick Koa

IMG_6064For the past few months, Koa has been throwing up pretty frequently.  Sometimes it’s just a clear mucous and other times it’s his entire bowl of kibble.  When we took him to the vet last month, she said it was normal and that he might benefit from Pepcid once a day.  She also said that he could have an allergy to something in his food.  So, this past weekend, I started him on Pepcid every morning and also bought him a new kind of kibble.  As the days went on, he wasn’t throwing up anymore but he also became super lethargic.  I mean, he’s already a really lazy dog that sleeps all day but when I took him out to walk, he would pee all of it at once (abnormal for a guy that usually pees on every vertical surface down the street) and then sit down and pull back toward the house.  It’s been going on for about 4 days now and we’re getting increasingly worried.  I called the vet yesterday and she said to just stop the Pepcid and monitor him for any improvements.  So far we haven’t seen much change.  It’s a bummer to see that he no longer has a hop to his step and suddenly wants to just sleep all day.  He hardly eats but he drinks lots of water.  He’s still pooping but it’s kinda squishy.  I know this is a pretty gross blog post but I thought I’d just tell everyone that’s he’s not doing so well.  Hopefully it will all pass like a bad cold and he’ll be back to his old self in a few more days.  Here’s a video of him on our walk this morning.


We only got to the perimeter of our building before he wanted to head back home.  For anyone of you who have walked him, this is NOT normal for him.  Poor doggie.

Sunrise

IMG_5958On Sunday morning, I was up early so I headed out for a run all by myself. Here’s McCovey Cove (next to the ballpark), which is where I usually start.

IMG_5960On my way back, I watched the sun rise behind the Bay Bridge.

IMG_5962SF is such a beautiful city and I love living so close to the water.

Mac&Cheese Bites

IMG_5933This was a really easy toddler recipe that I put together last night.  I prepared two boxes of Annie’s Organic Shells and Cheddar and added some frozen peas and corn.  After making a bowl for Kumquat’s dinner and packing away a portion for her lunch the next day, I still had plenty to store.  I sprayed a muffin tin and scooped the pasta into the wells.  Then I covered the tray with foil and put it in the freezer.  This morning, I took out the tray and wiggled the cups out.  They all went into a Ziploc bag and they’re ready to eat another day.  Aren’t they cute?!