Our 12 year old German Shepard is going to be 'put to sleep' next week and I feel so guilty!!!
We arrived home from a Vet appointment just a little over 2 hours ago. Our dog Jimmy has no kidney function at all according to blood tests.
I am racked w/guilt over this news.
I first noticed a change in him in early fall. He just didn't seem himself-- not as interested in outdoor activities, a bit lethargic, and most noticeably (in a medical sense) unable to jump into the back of the pickup without assistance. His gait was also much slower and the stairs too seemed to be harder for him. But his appetite was the same, and remained that way until about a month ago.
At the time, I wrote his despondency and lethargy off to depression after having lost his 'sister'... Our 19 year old cat had to be put to sleep in August, and I know he missed her. As far as his mobility issue(s) I just assumed that arthritic and/or hip problems were to blame.
About a week or two before Christmas was when I began to see other things going on... now THIS is where the guilt really comes in for me-- his eating habits were changing. The appetite thing should have been a huge red flag, because Jimmy has always been a voracious eater. Yes, he still loved 'naughty' things such as any human food that I would secretly slip to him.
However, it had become obvious by then that his Eukanuba dog food was staying full in his bowl for much longer periods of time. And on top of that, he seemed to be drinking a lot more water and urinating frequently. I knew, due to these things that something was wrong, but thought it'd be ok to wait for his annual apointment (Jan 13rth) to have all of this checked out.
What finally drove me to ask for an earlier appointment was Jimmy's very recent Pica activities. He began doing weird things like licking an antique decorative cast iron stove and even bricks we used for a doorstop. In Jimmy's case, I knew it was not a behavioral problem. See this link about Canine Pica if curious... http://www.petplace.com/dogs/pica-in-dogs/page1.aspx
I wonder if I had taken him to see the Vet at THAT time, when I first really became concerned, (mid- December), perhaps his condition could have been treatable? Even the Vet said today that Jimmy may have had another year or two had the situation been caught earlier. BTW- our Vet is a kind, honest man- I know he didn't say that to pin blame anywhere- he was just pointing out a fact.
Sorry to have rambled on so long, but my guess is that anyone who ventures into this group loves their pet(s) as much as my partner and I. We are both heartsick. As I write now, arrangements have been made for next Saturday. Our Vet has given us a week's supply of Tramadol for Jimmy's pain and instructions about diet. How strange it is to be cautioned NOT to provide protein!!!...
Note to Jimmy via self: Ok Jimmy, you are going to get the best of the best of non-nutrutional value foods in order to at least make your belly feel full- and happy.... OMG 
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what treatment for kidney disease would have entailed for Jimmy. Based on your experiance, it sounds as if it wouldn't have been an easy thing for him to have gone through, and may not have even worked for very long.
Knowing this makes me feel a little better even though it's sad to hear what your cat went through. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's very hard, isn't it. 
I needed those hugs! backatcha!
You cannot second guess yourself. Charlie, my 19 year old cat, had to be put down becaue of kidney failure. I lost my Sam just last year and for pet lovers it never gets easier. Jimmy knows he is loved. 
to all of you....please don't beat yourself up, although I fully understand how you feel. We lost our dog Ranger to kidney failure in 2003 on Valentine's Day. He was almost 16 years old. But in his case, he just stopped eating, there was no diminishing of his appetite, or any other sign. In fact, he hiked a 6 mile day hike with us a couple of days before he stopped eating. I gave him the subQs for three weeks with not much improvement. I truly believed I could help him and was heart broken that what I was doing wasn't helping. I wish we had a vet then that would have told us the truth, that Ranger would likely not get better.
There is a yahoo group http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9KIDNEYS/
They were very informative and supportive when I found out what was wrong with Ranger.
Enjoy the time you have with Jimmy and give him a
from me, too. 
Another cool user name... love it!
Thanks for the info on the toxins. I did not know that!
I'm seeing a pattern here-- everyone who did find out about their pet's kidney issues early enough seem to be saying the same thing... That even with treatment, it's a difficult illness to battle. This really makes me feel much better, but I am SO sorry for all of you who have had to deal with it.
Sorry that your cat didn't make it.
Make the most of your last hours with Jimmy. Spend as much time with him as you can and that he can tolerate.
About the guilt... Ugh, do I ever struggle with that about everything. I know there isn't anything that anyone can say that's going to make a bit of difference in how you feel, but I'll say it anyway... try to loosen the guilt strings. You did your best, and there's no logical reason to feel guilty for the decisions that you make in hindsight as no one can look into the future and use that information in making decisions. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. You aren't a medical professional, and didn't see any cause for concern enough to get to the vet ASAP than any other average layperson likely would have. There's nothing logically to feel guilty about because of that, but of couse, we all know that logic and guilt can be very much like oil and water... the two just don't tend to go together.
Also ask yourself is it better that he goes now rather than hang around for another year or whatever if that time may very well have been spent feeling miserable? Logically, isn't it better for him that he has the least amount of time in any kind of suffering that extending his life had you brought him in earlier may very well have occurred? There's many ways to look at this. Perhaps in the end it's better for him this way.
And as I said, not a bit of this is likely to help with your guilt at all, but it's something to think about, and perhaps it may shorten or lessen it.
You're doing the right thing for Jimmy under the circumstances, and we just can't ever really plan out how circumstances will be.
