Taquito Homecooking - Update #2 (Bloodwork is back)

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Most of you know that Taquito is one of the Food Groups non-dood mascot (just kidding).  But seriously, I apply a lot of what I learn on here to what I feed Tacky.

 

Next week we hit the 3 month marker of feeding him homecooked food with a kidney medication daily. 

 

I have the cooking part down pat.  I make enough for two weeks and freeze it in individual bags so it is easy to re-heat and serve.  I started with white rice as one of the ingredients, which he was spitting out and all over the wall.  Doodle sis was licking that right up like a vacuum :) After transitioning to brown rice, he licks his entire bowl clean within 5 minutes (this has NEVER happened as he would just graze/eat once per day maybe).

 

This is probably a really unneccessary discussion to post, but I would appreciate your thoughts as we enter into TKday.  This is Taquito Kidney Day - next Wednesday he sees his doctor for bloodwork to see if his kidney functions are improving. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!  I have worked very hard to eliminate all treats except approved fruits and veggies and stick to this homecooking thing.  The cooking is easy, but it is kind of a pain to add supplements to his food every night.  Between the fish oil, B12, Tums crushed up, kidney meds (have to force down throat since I cannot wrap in peanut butter anymore!), it is complicated!  Doodle is a breeze compared to him. She gets her Fromm and daily EPO pill and that's it!  And she just eats the EPO pill plain! I give her a peanut butter treat, he gets a blueberry.  You get the idea....

 

Anyway, let's hope we get good news that the homecooking/med combo is working :) :) :)

 

And just a reminder:  SAY NO TO RX FOOD!

 

Update #1:  Just got back from the vet.  Of course, we do not have the bloodwork results yet, but the first thing Dr. B said to me after weighing him was "HE GAINED 6 OUNCES!!!". She was so elated!  I think I saw a tear in her eye. She said he has not weighed this much since BEFORE he got sick 4 years ago.  Yahoo!  She also said that most "kidney disease patients have a hard time gaining weight".  She said everything about him looks better....coat, gums are "perfect" color, etc...

She is cautiously excited that the bloodwork will come back much better than 3 months ago...fingers crossed for my afternoon phone call manana!

 

Another item to note is that her office  has a large sign that says to "STOP FEEDING YOUR DOG CHICKEN JERKY". Many of you know this is what Taquito almost died from...contaminated chicken treats. Dr. B said they are seeing an uprise in cases dealing with chicken jerky. She said that it is too hard to tell which are okay and not, since the majority import from China.  My vet is sending out a notice to ALL CUSTOMERS that they should stop feeding these. It goes without saying I do not feed this to my dogs.

 

Lastly, she said that I am probably saving his life by taking the time to homecook.  Pat on the back is deserved...but who wouldn't do it for their dog???  Lots of people would  not, which is the sad thing :(

Thanks to all for your support as always. More details tomorrow afternoon..... 

 

Update #2:  Dr. B called and said she had good news - T's creatinine levels are stabilized at 2.2 - they were 2.2 last time. She actually is happy about that and says they rarely go down...they just increase.  FYI levels over 3.0 are considered severe kidney disease.  Levels under 1.0 are normal functioning kidneys.  His BUN level is 58 and that has stayed flat also.  Normal BUN levels are usually under 28 for adult dogs.  58 is also an indicator of mid-stage kidney disease.

So basically, he's not getting any worse.  I guess I am happy?  She was happy.  She said his blood cell counts are great and he has no sign of anemia, which is very indicative of kidney disease (more advanced). 

I take him back in 6 months just for the kidney bloodwork, not the entire workup like this time (hence my $150 bill yesterday!).

I think it's good news???  I wish they would have decreased.....I will keep at it for now!

 

Please keep fingers crossed Tacky is feeling better.  DH is on the way home to check on him.  When I left, he had a smile on his face even though he'd thrown up. And he was NOT hiding in his crate as usual when he is feeling poorly.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Glad to hear he's feeling a little bit better. Sounds like good news from the vet!