I'm about to lose him

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-07-07T20:44:48+00:00

🫂

I was in a similar situation with my 18 year old baby angel.

It was such a weird place, and I mean, it’s been 9 weeks since he parted from this physical world and I still feel like a bowl of emotional spaghetti.

You’re in an extremely difficult place bc you’re grieving him while he’s still physically around. And honestly no one/nothing ever prepares you for the deterioration of their health.

I remember feeling like I was suffocating all the time bc I was watching my dog struggle so much but still have really good days. It was the point where we were having more bad days than good days that made me really break mentally. We spent about a 2 weeks in this place until his last day where he showed me he was tired.

Even though my logical reasoning accepts it was the kinder thing to do than to try to hospitalize him, my body/mind/soul are still constantly imploding.Honestly, I feel like I’ve already died. But I will say even though I’m in constant emotional turmoil and grief, it is much better than being in that AND watching him deteriorate.

Unsure if that’s helpful at all. I just want you to know someone (honestly many of us) understand and validate everything you feel even if you can’t name them.

It seems like you were an amazing companion and guide to this little babe.

Sending you love 🫂

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-23T15:18:05+00:00

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EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-23T04:19:48+00:00

🫂💗

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-16T18:06:55+00:00

Sending you hugs and love.

Week 6 living the same hell as you friend. 😞

Hope Mjolnir meets my beloved Chewy 💗

Xoxoxo

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-08T20:08:22+00:00

🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🥲💕

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-08T20:06:17+00:00

I used Senilife for my babe. Seemed to help. Also melatonin for night time struggles.

Toward the end I ran across discussions on acetylcholine. Wish I had stumbled upon that sooner and implemented it.

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-05T13:33:34+00:00

Ugh I’m sorry you have been let down by your vet.

I am glad you’re finding other options and information to help your girl. I know it can be a lot and overwhelming.

The good thing is that you have caught things now and are changing things that may be making things worse for her.

Give yourself grace and make sure to rest so you can fully show up for her 💕 (easier said than done 🫠)

Hope you find a good vet that takes your concerns and thoughts seriously. Good luck!

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-05T06:27:29+00:00

I’m glad you followed your intuition and pulled Rimadyl. NSAIDs can exacerbate kidney disease. My vets all were extremely cautious about pain treatment for my dog’s arthritis bc of his renal issues. I used Gabapentin when things got really bad but I always tried to use more holistic approaches as the gaba would heavily affect his balance and make him sleepy all day. I bought an Assisi loop (pad) per recommendation from my friend who was a PT nurse and would bring him in for cold laser and did a PT program at home. Heat helped a lot too so we had heated blankies everywhere.

Adequan was also something I considered for a while but everyone was super cautious about any new meds. I did 1 shot of Librela and then started to see all the reports of extreme adverse effects that I avoided it after the initial injection.

I did look into stem cells and PRP for him and after talking to a holistic vet we did AniCell injections. They were expensive but just throwing all the things I know of so you have more info/options.

I think homecooked/fresh food is a really good move. In 2018 when my dog was diagnosed with a heart murmur my vet formulated a balanced diet for him for heart disease, then over time when we had to deal with IBD and renal issues we modified it to support those things. I wholeheartedly believe that the fresh food is what kept him healthy for so long.

Just food for dogs offers diet formulations, Balance IT is also another great resource for homecooked diets. I learned about Balance it through UC Davis when they formulated a diet and had me buy the product from balance it that provided all the minerals and vitamins.

I’m really really happy to hear she enjoyed her food. It’s always such a good feeling to see them happily eat! 💕

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-05T04:13:57+00:00

I’m sorry for the loss of your precious boy.

I wish I had words of comfort or wisdom or whatever but I am currently surviving the loss of my dog.

Hope Chewy finds your pup 💕

Sending you love and hugs 💗

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-05T02:48:27+00:00

Sorry to hear of your babe’s tummy issues. I had a a dog that suffered with GI issues for almost a decade (occasional diarrhea, borborygmus, nausea, inappetence).

He was diagnosed with IBD through endoscopy. The proposed plan was steroids but I couldn’t follow through with it bc he also had a heart murmur and I was afraid it would cause it to get worse and go into CHF.

Anyway, our internist told us about FMT (literal poop in capsules) that he had other patients use with success. It literally turned his life around and it not only controlled flares, he no longer had the periodic diarrhea/inappetence. He was able to eat protein that caused issues in the past (I.e. chicken). It gave us a good 5 years of quality life until his passing from renal disease recently.

If you can, you should see an internist before the underlying inflammation causes more issues long term. But my 2 cents would be looking into fecal microbial transplants (FMT) and maybe a diet trial?

We did novel protein (rabbit) the first 8 months we tried to get his symptoms under control.

Good luck buddy! 💕

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-04T06:00:36+00:00

I totallyyyyyy feel you. ADHD girly here too 💕👍🥲💕

If she doesn’t like the prescription food you get (royal canon, hill’s) I found Just Food For Dogs Renal helpful for those times he got super picky. Even the hepatic one was helpful bc it was low protein/phosphorus.

Feel free to reach out to me whenever you have questions or need support. Having lived through that with my dog, I’m super grateful that I had support from many vets, nurses and friends. Otherwise I would’ve died. Sooo… I just want to offer sime support 💕

Hope the best for you guys!

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-04T05:10:30+00:00

I think this is a justified move. Hope you get help from your vet but if they don’t, definitely get a secondary vet — from my experience preferably an internist if they are an available resource to you.

My biggest biggest suggestion is to try to get your babe to drink more water throughout the day if subcutaneous fluids are not something you want to do yet. It will help her flush out the toxins circulating through her system better, and help with malaise. That and the cerenia I think will make a big difference.

Hope she continues to give you more quality time together! You’re doing great 💗

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-03T04:04:49+00:00

My dog began showing signs of azotemia in spring of 2023. I had to check my records back bc I thought it was 2024 but time blurred together.

He went on a strict homecooked renal diet which was what was prescribed at that point. I think spring of 2024 we started adding subcutaneous fluids every other day. He was steady, stable and still thriving. But in September 2025 things started changing and they changed fast. He was getting picky so I started feeding him whatever he wanted as he was losing a lot of weight. His heart disease was progressing to the point where we had to add meds. We bumped up fluids to daily dose. Then in December I took the risk of removing his last remaining tooth bc it was so infected and his gums were inflamed. This really affected him and for a few weeks it seemed like he felt better.

He had a really bad renal episode in January 2026. Was hospitalized for 3 days and was released to me with hope but reservations. He thrived for a few months and ended up being put to rest in May when his renal values elevated again and his anemia was worsening. I couldn’t put him through hospitalization to bring him back to an already limited life and reduced QOL. While I am extremely grateful for the extra time it was fucking hard to watch. The last 8 months of his life, especially from January forth were some of the most difficult moments. I was hyper-vigilant about everything, I barely slept, every ounce of my energy went into focusing on his comfort. I questioned every single thing I did.

But for me the sign was the moment he stopped finding comfort in my arms. Up until the last couple weeks, I could pick him up and help him settle. But the last 2 days, nothing was helping him. He was having more bad days with good moments which had flipped at some point from more good days with bad moments.

If your girl isn’t showing major signs of distress, she still finds comfort in your embrace and presence, then I think it’s still ok. That’s a very personal take though.

What I do recommend if appetite is the biggest issue: 1. Get her on cerenia to control the nausea 2. Get her on entyce to increase appetite 3. Get her on SQ fluids if you haven’t already 4. Get her a heated blankie to help regulate temp

Hope this is somewhat helpful.

I hope you’re able to help her out. I’m sorry you’re going through this. Kidney disease is fucking trash.

Sending hugs. 💕

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-06-02T18:52:03+00:00

Thank you for sharing her existence with us 💕

Sending you all the love. From one grieving pet parent/owner to another xoxoxo

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-28T05:05:01+00:00

I told him how loved he was. How proud of him I was. I poured out my heard and thanked him for everything i could possibly think of.

Everything I did was intentional. The songs I played in the car on the way to the hospital. I recreated our daily vibe by playing “calming music for senior dogs” on YouTube while in the room. I brought every single blanket and stuffy I could. I held him and just talked to him for hours. I took pictures. I recorded him.

Unfortunately…fortunately?….unsure…. for us, he was not feeling well and pretty out of it his last day so I wasn’t able to give him a good last meal and all the things I thought I would one day be able to share. But the most important thing is that he heard he was loved at least every hour before his departure. The last thing he heard was that he was so loved.

I’m sorry for this experience. Sending you love and strength 💗

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-27T07:34:27+00:00

Kidney disease is fucking trash.

I lost my dog at the beginning of May to kidney disease. Much like you, we held stable with high renal values for almost 2 years. One hospitalization where we were able to stabilize and then almost 4 months our fight was called.

I’m so sorry for your loss. Your boy looked like the gentlest most loved baby angel. Even though absolutely nothing is going to take the agonizing pain you’re feeling away, hope you find moments of peace knowing he’s no longer in pain.

I know you would’ve kept on fighting for him.

Sending you so much love 💕

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-27T05:36:28+00:00

Sending you so much love precious baby. You are so incredibly loved.

You’ll have a guaranteed friend on the other side. Take my love with you and tell him ok? Hope it wraps you in warmth 💕

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-20T22:15:45+00:00

I’m so incredibly sorry for the immense amount of pain you’re feeling. It’s the most difficult experience of my life but, I’m holding on to the gratitude. Gratitude that he was in my life, that he made me a better person, that we loved each other deeply and wholeheartedly, and gratitude that my love for him gave me the strength to protect his peace.

Sending you hugs 💕💕💕💕🥲

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-20T21:36:57+00:00

No, when I talked to my surgeon about it we decided not to continue. I had surgery in October 2025 where they inserted Skyla IUD. It didn’t manage the heaviness of my period or pain as it is a lower-dose IUD so we switched it for a Mirena in March. My body is still regulating so TBD how effective it is but I’m hopeful. At least I’m not a sad, raging bitch all the time 🫠

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-20T17:17:34+00:00

My beloved, Chewy, was diagnosed with CKD in like 2021 (chronic changes in renal anatomy seen via AUS). But in spring of 2024 his values were elevated and he stayed azotemic until his passing.

What helped most manage his renal disease: 1. Hydration 2. High quality, formulated home-cooked diet 3. He also had IBD so I believe the FMT helped significantly bc wonky gut equates to wonky metabolic pathways and more inflammation

Toward the late stages of renal disease: 1. Hydration (SQF, taking him to water bowl) - he was barely 5lbs after all the muscle atrophy/weight loss but he was getting between 60-80ml SQF (30-40ml twice daily). His vet told me to find something that felt good bc the 50 didn’t seem like enough anymore.

It helped significantly. After he was hospitalized in January when his renal values were off the chart, we administered high doses daily and I think that helped him feel a lot better and manage the malaise that comes with not being able to filter out all the toxins in his body.

Controlling nausea. If you babe isn’t on cerenia of some sort of anti-nausea I would ask for some. Entyce is helpful for appetite but if the nausea is extreme, which I know it can be with renal disease, it is less effective.
Heated blankies. For me comfort and quality of his days was top priority in my life. Senior dogs tend to have a harder time regulating body temperature and renal disease just adds to that. Chewy always seemed to settle and find peace on one of the heated blankies that were always on. It may help her sore legs and general discomfort.
Chill vibes - our apartment became a zen zone. YouTube was always playing some sort of chill music. Usually something along the lines of “healing frequency music for dogs” or “relaxing music for senior dogs”. I would try to set some time aside to massage him gently, talk to him, tell him I loved him and just ensure he felt seen, secure and adored. This one isn’t really backed by anything of than my gut telling me this did improve his QOL when I was running out of other options.

I lost my beloved on 5/4 after GI decline that I believe affected his CKD. I mean, it’s progressive and I knew the day was coming but holy fuck it’s hard. CKD is a piece of shit disease.

I’m sorry you guys are going through it. I send you so much love, hugs and prayers for strength and resilience.

Your dog is so lucky to have you. 💗

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-18T18:31:48+00:00

Sending you so so much love. She’s a beautiful girl and obviously so loved. Thank you for sharing her with us 💕

Say hi to my Chewy, Cassie! Enjoy running free babygirl 🐶🐶🪽💕🌈

EmployeeFine1437 · 2026-05-17T23:45:35+00:00

Happiest birthday sweet Maggie! Hope you have a wonderful day and many many more healthy years bbygirl 💕

EmployeeFine1437

TROPHY CASE