Both girls refused to eat all weekend. After trying everything in the pantry including an early morning run to the grocery store for baby food (yuck by the way) - I threw in the towel and took Bocci and Bailey to the vet Monday around noon. The vet suggested we do fourteen million tests ranging from valley fever to giardia. She was also concerned about Bocci's protein levels and wanted to take more x-rays of her belly in search of a tumor. My heart dropped to the floor - it's hard enough battling an awful disease in one dog - but two?? Bocci and Bailey were put on IVs for the remainder of the day while I went home and prayed to every Saint possible.
Later Monday night, the vet delivered the test results. Bocci did not have any visible tumors (thank you, God). However, along with her pancreatitis and thyroid issues, she also has a urinary tract infection and her kidneys are in the beginning stage of failure. While that sounds awful, there are things we can do to help prolong her kidney strength. As for Bailey, she has a pancreatitis, unbalanced bacteria and her white cell count has dropped significantly. Both girls were sent home with tons of meds and scheduled for another full day of IV treatments on Tuesday. Thankfully, the girls kept their meds down so were able to avoid the vet on Wednesday. They seem to be doing better today (Thursday) and have a follow up appointment tomorrow.
So here is the lesson learned - we likely had a hand in the girls pancreatitis. A few weeks back, we switched Bailey's diet to 75% protein and 25% veggies - avoiding carbs as they promote cancer growth. Bocci's food was switched as well so she could enjoy the home cooking. Our huge mistake was not changing their diet gradually and introducing too much fat (found in the protein). While our goal was to help them, we ended up causing major damage to their systems not to mention the near $2,500 we paid in vet bills. So if you plan to change your dog's diet, do so by mixing with their current food slowly over a two week time period. Also, with the exception of special diets like boiled chicken, you truly are not doing your pet a favor by feeding people food. I've learned that the majority of pancreatits episodes happen after the holidays when owners feed their dogs all of the leftovers. Dog's should never eat junk food, fried or fast food items. Believe me, you don't want to experience what we've put our babies through this past week. The look on their face where they are wearing catheter socks says it all - no fun!
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