Mighty Bruce's Battle: 1st Phase of Confinement

He was admitted July 3^rd, Wednesday after we received his blood result same day in the afternoon. The initial thoughts of bone injury or spinal concentration were put aside. The main problem was his kidneys. That explained his arched back which indicated that the kidneys must be really painful. He looked so miserable and weak. He really looked like a nauseous dog. Below are the symptoms observed on him since July 1^st, Monday.

·       He drinks a lot

·       Urinates occasionally

·       Arched back, painful gait

·       Lethargic, lies down, won’t move

Despite the very explicit symptoms, he still responds well. Wags his tail, looks at you, tries to be with you although with so much effort than usual. He doesn’t eat that much or with gusto, but he still has appetite. There were no vomiting episodes and his stool was of normal color and consistency. Even though we still do have good things running, the negative symptoms were something we could not ignore. Dogs are transparent and predictable, you’ll know immediately if something’s not well. It will not take a rocket scientist to figure out that your dog is sick.  Though Bullmastiffs are known breeds that have high pain tolerance, I wasn’t sure how long he was hiding the condition from us. He was very normal up until Monday morning of July 1^st. This drastic decline manifested afternoon of that same day. Something happened from lunch of that monday or Bruce was just successful at hiding the pain these past few days or we were just dumb not to notice.

As I was researching the causes of acute renal failure, danger kept on popping in my head. Acute Renal Failure is an abrupt failure of the kidneys. Infection or failure just started in days or weeks. It’s usually caused by shock, surgical infection, ingestion of poison and dehydration. It is reversible in some cases, but most often than not the damage is too severe thus mortality rate is considered high. Chronic renal failure in the meantime is a gradual kidney failure and symptoms develop over time and symptoms manifest usually during old age. It is irreversible.  Acute renal failure is a surprise and the damage is often immense. Chronic renal failure is gradual yet an irreversible condition that could be managed in order to extend the lives of dog for years through diet and monitoring.

Kidney failure, chronic or acute, is very fatal. There’s no denying the fact that once we hear that someone has a kidney failure, it’s might as well that it's a person fighting for his life. Kidneys are very important and powerful organs. Their main task is to suck up excess protein, filter out toxins and release it in the form of urine. Kidneys are also powerful in a way that we are blessed with 2, but we could actually function with only 1 as long as the remaining kidney is healthy. But if the kidneys are poor and failing, it means both of the kidneys cannot fully do the work. They are deteriorating to the point that toxins are not filtered out and just goes round and round the bloodstream. This causes nausea and lethargy to the animals. Increased in toxins and not doing anything about it spells a miserable death. 

Unfortunately, kidneys unlike other organs do not regenerate new and healthy portions. Once the kidney is damaged, it stays damaged. People are left to rely on the remaining healthy percentage of the damaged kidneys and help them do their job by changing the dog’s diet, lifestyle and a lot of medicine and prayers. According to research, owners usually do not notice symptoms until they are explicit just like what happened to Bruce. And based on case studies, explicit symptoms usually indicate that 75% of the kidneys are already damaged. If that is the case, in a general and realistic perspective, Bruce is left with 25% working kidneys.

Thinking about it every single day makes me cry. It makes me devastated. Never in my life have I experienced so much emotional stress. I am fighting for a life here, although a dog’s life, but he is an essential part of my life. And it just hurts to see him face such a situation at such an early age when he hasn’t fully enjoyed life. It seems that no matter what I do, because of the fatality of the disease, some of it are left to medication and tons of prayers. I feel so helpless. 

From the moment he was confined, my mind and heart were racy. He had to be confined for days receiving fluid therapy. He has an IV of Lactated Ringer solution to flush out all the toxins and supply him his lost water and electrolytes. He had to do it from Wednesday to Saturday in an enclosed cage, in a dingy room in the veterinarian’s clinic and away from his family. Despite the physical pain, I could only imagine how depressed and devastated he must be.

Every single day I would visit him. I researched and cooked low protein, salt and phosphorous meals for him hoping that he’d eat it. And he always did. Every time I visited, his face would light up and he would try to show that he had conquered the sickness. He would eat his meal in less than 2 minutes and he would always show hope. Though in every visit, his face would crush me every single time that I had to leave him.

After 3 days of straight fluid treatment, his 2nd blood test was scheduled last Saturday July 6. I wanted the test to be okay so I could take him home. And his confinement and fluid therapy paid off. After 3 days of intensive IV Fluid therapy, his Creatinine level was done from 7 to 4, which is a vast improvement. His BUN was done from 60 to 50, but the veterinarian was really positive about it. Bruce was so responsive and lively that the doctor agreed for us to take him home. We were so elated. Though his kidneys weren't normal yet, we still decided to bring him home to liven up his spirits and for him to see his family again. 

Bringing him home that Saturday afternoon was a happy and hopeful feeling! He left the veterinarian with his head up high, tail wagging and walked as if nothing happened. It’s as if he doesn’t want to look back and show anything is wrong. He went to my car, tried to jump at the back room and his face was painted with excitement and happiness. Once he arrived, everyone was there to greet him. Even the dogs and all of the members of our household missed him so much. He smelled the grass, went around, did his business a couple of times and played with the dogs while we were all cheering him on. It was a very happy and tearjerker feeling. We thought our ordeal was over. If only he was really far away from trouble. That Saturday helped his spirits a bit but the battle lingered on. 

Welcome back Bruce!