My little miracle sow fudge was at the vets today. I'm sure you all know she was diagnosed with heart failure 10 months ago and has defied all the "she wont last long" diagnoses. Last month it was found (by chance) that her kidneys where struggling. She had a urine protein creatinine ratio of 1.61- very high, and levels of 2 and above signify failure. After a week of making a fed medicine/ dietry changes, her levels dropped to 1.3 which was truelly amazing.
I dipped her urine myself last night as hadnt done it in a fortnight (to keep an eye on protein levels) and there was some blood in her readings.
This could either be bladder related (infection) or from her progressing kidney disease.
At the vets today, the vet checked her urine herself and confirmed blood but no white cells (usually present with infection but not always).
Her UPC test from the start of the week had come back and it wasnt good news- the reading is now 2.5, almost double what it was 3 weeks ago, which is well into failure.
I feel sick with the thought that the end could be any day now, literally. She has always been on borrowed time but has done well and been happy.
The vet is treating her with septrin for a week to rule out a UTI causing the blood, but also informed me that infection can make the UPC levels increase dramatically, even so in patients with healthy kidneys. She also made me aware that this may not be infection, and her kidneys could be failing now.
I am trying to remain positive but it is so hard with such a sudden, dangerous jump in her results. It is killing me to think shes fought a terminal diagnosis for so long, only for something else to come along and push her to the end.
Please all pray with me that this is an infection; which would be good news considering. After the week of antibiotics we will recheck for blood and repeat the UPC.
She is tired after her long car journey- we had to travel to their other branch which is further away, just to see one of the piggy vets.
I dipped her urine myself last night as hadnt done it in a fortnight (to keep an eye on protein levels) and there was some blood in her readings.
This could either be bladder related (infection) or from her progressing kidney disease.
At the vets today, the vet checked her urine herself and confirmed blood but no white cells (usually present with infection but not always).
Her UPC test from the start of the week had come back and it wasnt good news- the reading is now 2.5, almost double what it was 3 weeks ago, which is well into failure.
I feel sick with the thought that the end could be any day now, literally. She has always been on borrowed time but has done well and been happy.
The vet is treating her with septrin for a week to rule out a UTI causing the blood, but also informed me that infection can make the UPC levels increase dramatically, even so in patients with healthy kidneys. She also made me aware that this may not be infection, and her kidneys could be failing now.
I am trying to remain positive but it is so hard with such a sudden, dangerous jump in her results. It is killing me to think shes fought a terminal diagnosis for so long, only for something else to come along and push her to the end.
Please all pray with me that this is an infection; which would be good news considering. After the week of antibiotics we will recheck for blood and repeat the UPC.
She is tired after her long car journey- we had to travel to their other branch which is further away, just to see one of the piggy vets.
She's such a sweetie
