Jaffa Update 4 - Dec. 1, 2007 (by mum)

Hi everyone, thank you for continuing to check back to the blogs and offering support for me, and my Aire-kids. Those who have e-mailed me privately, thank you, I will respond to all of you soon.

The good news is, I'm done sulking and feeling sorry for myself, Sunshade and most importantly, Jaffa. Jaffa is not feeling sorry for himself, so I shouldn't be either. It must be all the positive energy, Aire-Zens, prayers sent by caring folks from all over the world that have kept Jaffa feeling SOOOOO great despite his blood work! He really appears completely NORMAL. Sunshade is very in tuned with my emotions, and she has been counting on me to cheer up so she can cheer up herself too. That's exactly what I'll be doing for my special girl!

The shock, and denial stage is over. I'm not going to dwell on the unfortunate event that has happened, instead, I'm focusing my energy on how to make the best of things given the situation I'm in. I want to do everything in my power to give Jaffa the best quality of life for as long as possible. Same goes for Sunshade.

In the last couple of days, I've been talking to some folks on the Yahoo K9KIDNEY and K9KidneyDiet groups. I don't think Miss Sunshade has ever mentioned this before, but she too has kidney insufficiency. Back in 2003 when Sunshade was 3.5 years old, an abdominal ultrasound intended for her pancreas showed she had scarring of both kidneys. The exact cause of the scarring is unknown, but we suspect it's due to NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) toxicity. Sunshade was prescribed very high doses of NSAID's for her joint problems over a long period of time when she was young; before I knew anything about dog health/natural therapies. In Sunshade's case, her blood work was *never* out of the normal range. Meaning, she didn't have 100% kidney function, but she had more than 25% function which was all you need to lead a normal life. If we hadn't done the ultrasound, I still would not have known about her kidney condition even 'til today.

I joined the two kidney groups mentioned above when I first found out about Sunshade's kidneys back in 2003. I lurked the group and learned about managing kidney disease through diet modification, medication, supplementation, and daily Sub-Q fluid administration. The reason I did all that was to prepare myself so that if heaven forbid one day, Sunshade went into Chronic Kidney Failure, I would know how to manage it. Luckily, FIVE years later, Sunshade's bi-annual blood works have been nothing but perfect. Other than having her on some renal supportive supplements, I haven't had to do much.

Jaffa always calls Sunshade, "his" Sunshade, because in a way, she is always watching out for him.

Because of his Sunshade, I am able to quickly formulate a raw diet that is easier on his kidneys. He has also been put on all of Sunshade's renal support supplements since day one. Because of his Sunshade, I am not overwhelmed (after the initial shock stage that is) with what is needed to be done to keep him feeling well for as long as possible.

After talking to the very knowledgeable groups of people on K9KIDNEYS/K9KidneyDiets, I have decided to start giving him Sub-Q fluids at home everyday. Sub-Q fluids go under the skin instead of into the vein like IV's do. It keeps the dog hydrated while flushing and helping to take the load off those kidneys. He is also being fed a diet that is low in phosphorous (most harmful nutrient for failing kidneys) at around 11-15 mg of phos per pound of body weight per day. Those are very strict protocols usually used for dogs in "late stage" kidney failure.

However, some felt Jaffa's ibuprofen ingestion is still considered an acute assult. Which means, he is in "acute renal failure" and there is a chance that his serum kidney numbers can go down to the normal range. They suggested I treat him as aggressively as possible for NOW, baby those kidneys, and give them all the support I can possibly provide with diet and hydration.

Sunshade's kidneys suffered an assault, but whatever damage was done, was done and the kidneys have not worsened. Sure she doesn't have 100% kidney function, but she only needs 25% kidney function to live a healthy, normal life span (that's why kidney donors can live on 50% kidney function). This, is what I'm hoping for Jaffa as well. Whatever permanent damage he has suffered or will have suffered from the ibuprofen toxicity will leave him with > 25% kidney function (blood work in normal range).

I am hoping against all odds that I'll end up with two very expensive dogs to upkeep, but neither in Chronic Renal Failure......

Janice suggested we not do another blood test until Dec. 20th, which marks the one month anniversary of ibuprofen ingestion. I think she sensed the increase in my stress level with each blood work LOL. Meanwhile, we will continue with all the kidney supportive care and treat Jaffa as if he were a "late stage" renal failure patient.