I’ve been putting off writing this blog post for a lot of reasons. Mainly because it’s hard to admit to myself, let alone write it out, that someone I love is sick and there is no easy fix for it. My mom has been saying for years, “she is a sick little girl” and I would shrug it off because that isn’t what I wanted to hear. But since January 2016, I have realized and had to admit freely: my dog Mylah is a sick little girl.
Rescuing & Adopting Mylah
I used to run an animal shelter and rehab center, and one day in February I was pulling dogs from Chicago Animal Care & Control to take back to the shelter. We had loaded up the van with seven dogs, and as I was about to leave one of the shelter workers told me she had a mother and puppies who had been confiscated that day. She was going to have to euthanize them all unless they were rescued. Being in those situations is one of the worst feelings ever, but there was no way I wasn’t going to at least look at what this mom and her pups needed.
I walked back to the pavilion which houses dogs who are part of court cases for cruelty, confiscation, and other legal reasons. This mom and pups had just become property of the city after being confiscated from their “owner” for running an illegal dogfighting breeding operation. The mom was being bred to produce puppies who would be used for dog fighting. There were eight skinny, worm-filled, four-week-old puppies roaming around an emaciated pint-sized mom who looked like a puppy herself. After evaluating the mom, I told my co-worker to help me load them all in the van.
The pups stayed at the vet with their mom until they were healthy and vaccinated so they could goto adoption events. I picked them all up for their first adoption event on a Saturday. I hadn’t seen them since they were these sick little pups and they looked amazing. During the adoption show, I completely fell in love with the runt of the litter. After the event, I took the puppies to their new home at the shelter and got them settled in, but decided to take the runt home with me as a foster. Needless to say, she never left my home and I named her Mylah. Mylah’s brothers and sisters quickly outgrew her and were all adopted. Her mom stayed a tiny size and weighed about 38 pounds, and was adopted as well.
Mylah’s First Diagnosis
My little family was complete with Mylah as the third and final piece to our puzzle. We were a happy family of five, with three young, healthy and rambunctious dogs. But as Mylah turned ten months old, something changed. One night she was beyond desperate for water and would not stop urinating. I called both our vet and the emergency vet that evening and both said to have her seen first thing in the morning, but that there is no need for an emergency appointment. I was very scared. She was literally trying to jump in the sink for water.
Mylah and I were basically up all night, and got to the vet around 7 am. I was researching what this could be and diabetes kept popping up in the search results. I asked our vet about it, and he said she is too young and that he would come get me in an hour (the shelter I worked at and vet were connected). The vet came to my office after an hour and said, you were right, she has diabetes and her blood sugar is in the 400s. Normal blood sugar for a dog is in 80-100.
My heart sank. Our vet at that time had never seen diabetes this young in a dog and neither had any of the many vets we’ve encountered.
Caring & Living with a Chronically Ill Dog
Over the next few years, I learned a lot about canine juvenile diabetes and its management: Types of insulin, test strips, glucose curves, what Mylah reacted well to or didn’t… the list goes on. I became Dr. Mom. If she needed a glucose curve done overnight, I was up every two hours taking her blood and documenting it. She receives insulin injections twice a day and if she exercises she needs to be watched or sometimes fed a snack to keep her blood sugar regulated or from dropping too low. Our guest bathroom gets turned into Mylah’s IV room where she receives fluids if needed. Diabetes is a constant balancing act and any little thing like stress, an injury or new treat can mess with it.
By the time Mylah turned three years old, we had gone through three different types of insulin until we found one that worked, endless amount of food changes until we got onto the raw diet, and too many ER visits for seizure episodes or hospitalizations for ketoacidosis to count. We also went through about three different veterinarians until we found the right “team”, as I call them now. Now, Mylah has her holistic wellness veterinarian and her internal medicine specialists.
From age 3-5, Mylah was a fairly well regulated juvenile diabetic. We had bumps along the way, but that is just the nature of her disease. It is incredibly hard to regulate a juvenile diabetic whose body is changing as she grows up. That’s why I was able to shrug off the “sick little girl” comments. She just had diabetes, we took it as it came and she lived a happy life despite some minor setbacks, which we eventually overcame.
January 2016: Mylah is now five years old and came inside from playing in the snow in our backyard. She had a snack, took a nap and woke up in horrible pain. She would sometimes get some soreness (diabetic nerve pain) from play, but we had some all-natural meds we gave her and the pain usually went away with rest. This was different though. She was in so much pain that she would scream if we touched her and she couldn’t walk without being in pain. Her spine was arched up in a way I’d never seen it.
Mylah spent a lot of January in the emergency vet and being seen by specialists. The vets performed every test under the sun – literally everything. There was no evidence as to why she was in so much pain (other than diabetic nerve pain), and her immune system attacking her muscles as a result.
Mylah has never been the same since then. She kept losing weight and has had chronic stomach issues.
We have switched her insulin again to one we do feel is working better and now I cook a homemade diet for her. With all the tests and time spent in the hospital, she was also diagnosed with moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease, protein-losing nephropathy (PLN), and borderline exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Her immune system is not being good to her and it is aging her.
Unfortunately, I can now say that Mylah is a sick little girl.
It sucks, it really does, and the battle to manage all these diseases and illnesses is extremely difficult. We take it day by day. Some days she is feeling herself, running around the yard like a hooligan and doing fabulous, and other days she is mopey and not feeling so great.
Despite all these issues she has internally, her personality, ability to get around, and zest for life are all still there. Do I think her time with us could come to an end any day? Yes, I do, and she is not going to suffer because of me or anyone. She takes her daily meds, insulin and devours her home cooked meals.
Currently, as I type this, she just jumped up from her slumber to stare out the window and bark at the neighbor’s dog. Like I have learned to do all her life, we have to balance her good and her bad days and to know when it is too much for her. We aren’t there yet, but I will know when we are. The decision will be awfully hard, but it will be the right one.
Tips & Motivation
As a result of my life with Mylah, I have learned a lot about living with and caring for a chronically ill dog. That’s why I wanted to share Mylah’s story and some tips for others who might be going through a similar experience.
1. Trust your instincts- You know your dog better than anyone, and you know when they don’t feel well or are “off”. I know the sigh Mylah makes when she is feeling good and relaxed vs. the sigh she makes when she is thirsty or frustrated because her blood glucose is probably high. Because of this, we are our dog’s advocate. If something is “off”, weird or just wrong, we have to speak up no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to others.
2. Choose your veterinarian wisely- This is a big one and goes along with trusting your instincts. I will never forget, before we found Mylah’s current holistic veterinarian, that her previous one (who I thought I could trust) gave her a vaccine without even asking me, saying “she needed it”. Mylah was sick for weeks following that vaccine and I never forgave myself for not ripping it from the vet’s hands. I should have trusted my gut, but it is hard to trust yourself over an “expert”. But I am telling you now: you HAVE to go with your gut. Ever since then I have never, ever, let anyone touch Mylah without asking multiple questions, done research and been thorough with them before decision making. The amazing vets I work with now understand how special and sensitive Mylah is and work with me to make any and all decisions regarding her health. That is the type of support from vets we all need, especially when our dogs are sick.
3. Ask for help- No one knows the internal battle you struggle with when caring for a chronically sick pet. Probably not even your significant other, friends or family. And it is super easy to push people away and just take on all this pressure and caregiving. Don’t do that; ask for help. Teach others you can trust how to help you or your dog. I have a very close circle of people I can trust with Mylah. They all have keys to our house and I’ve taught them what to do if I can’t get to her or if she needs help. It’s a huge stress reliever.
4. Find support- Talk to a therapist, join a support group (some shelters or organizations have pet support groups), or confide in a friend who can understand and give you further support. Not many people would do the things I do for Mylah, but she is worth it. I love her, and she is my baby so I will do everything for her and any of my kids. Doing it all without support can be awful, and that isn’t ok.
5. Take care of YOU- You are the one up all night with your dog, at vet visits, managing medications, injections, doing IV fluids and more. That means that YOU need to be cared for, too. Give yourself a break. It’s ok to take a midday nap or take a mental health day from work. Splurge on that jewelry you were eyeing, or take an extra long bath. You need to do things for you so you can keep yourself feeling good.
6. Make the good moments count- We all have those days when we wake up stressed with ten thousand things to do for work and not enough time or coffee can help us to finish that to-do list. It’s always during these times when Mylah starts playing or being snuggly and cute and wants my attention. Well, I let her have it. I enjoy those moments with her no matter what. I let it happen, and I always feel better. I would rather look back and know that I postponed sending that email for a 20-minute snuggle on the couch with Mylah. Those moments matter to both of you, and I won’t let anything get in the way of them these days.
7. Take lots and lots of pictures and videos- I am always taking photos or videos of my dogs because I know that I would regret not having them. When Mylah was recently diagnosed with these other ailments over the last few months, I decided I wanted a proper family photo shoot done by a professional photographer. We just got those photos back and my goodness they are amazing and were worth every penny. Here is a sneak peek!
8. Don’t explain yourself to anyone- This is your dog, and as long as he/she is happy, well-managed and not suffering, you do not have to explain your reasoning for anything. Period.
9. Know that day will come- Prepare yourself for this day, because it will come. Every night I say a quick little nighttime prayer with Mylah before we go to bed. I want her to know and to reassure myself that if for whatever reason she doesn’t wake up the next day, we will find each other again.
10. Love them beyond words- It is most important to love them beyond words. They love us unconditionally, and so we must do the same no matter how hard it might be or how much our heart might be breaking at the same time. Just give them all the love you can, while you can.
Are you living with a chronically ill or sick dog? I want you to know you are an excellent dog parent because of everything you do. Give yourself credit, don’t beat yourself up or think you are making a mistake. Just keep being awesome and know there are others going through the same struggle that are here to listen. I am here! Leave me a comment, send me an email– you aren’t alone!
Do you have multiple dogs and one is injured? Check out my post on managing an injured dog in a multi-dog household. Click here.
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This article has helped me immensely….I, too, have a 13 year old Yorkie named Cody who was diagnosed with diabetes 2 yrs. ago and is on insulin injections twice daily. Unfortunately, the diabetes has also caused his blindness. He also gets bouts of pancreatitis and has had surgery for a bladder full of stones. Needless to say, my little boy has had some rough days. I found your article today because I was searching for a homemade dog food recipe that would be helpful for all of the issues I’ve just mentioned. Cody always ate homemade dog food from the time he was 8 weeks old until 2 years ago when he was diagnosed with the diabetes. The vet then prescribed Hill’s Prescription Diet G/D, which he felt was best suited for all of Cody’s ailments. Today I received the news that 25 of Hill’s Prescription foods were recalled due to high levels of vitamin D – which could be deadly for dogs. They listed all the symptoms,(vomiting w/blood; feces w/ blood/ lethargy; seizures; muscle tremors; frequent urination, thirst, loss of appetite…) and lo and behold, 2 weeks ago Cody almost died from the very same symptoms – coincidentally – he began to improve when Chewy.com delivered a new case of dog food. I firmly believe that the previous case was one of the Hill’s products that had the high levels of vitamin D. I’ve now decided to go back to making his food myself. However, because of his numerous conditions (diabetes, prone to pancreatitis, bladder stones) I’m afraid of giving him the wrong combination of foods. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Bless all of your fur babies….
Hello! I am glad this article helped you 🙂
My little Mylah is about 85% blind but honestly, she is still doing fabulous and she has accepted the blindness more than us. It is usually the humans who have a harder time with canine blindness than the dog. I do have nutrition consults available for cooked or raw foods and have many diabetic dog clients. If you want to go that route I am happy to have you as a client – https://holisticpetwellness.co/rawdogfoodmeals/
This blog resonated so much with me. My little 15lb terrier, Scrappy, has chronic kidney disease. Thanks so much for writing! ❤
Alicia I’m so glad I found your blog! Fellow dog mom here whose 23 month old pup was diagnosed with GME— an I nflammatory brain disease. It literally came on overnight and our worlds have been turned upside down.
The good news is he’s still with us and we are trying to cherish every moment. The bad news is that I’ve literally lost myself in his illness and caregiving. I started googling coping mechanisms and stumbled upon your site.
I can’t imagine how difficult it was for you to write this, but I appreciate it so much! Can’t wait to check out the rest of your blog!
Hi Alicia! My name is also Alicia and my dogs name is Meca Lu 🙂 she is a 2 year old rescue from Puerto Rico. We got her about 5 months ago! Just 2 days ago we received the worst news ever. Meca is in kidney failure. She’s had kidney disease her whole life. Her symptoms are hard to watch and difficult to comprehend – vomiting, weight loss, dehydration…. it’s so awful but I’m feeling encouraged and hopeful that no matter what happens, she knows how loved she was here on Earth. We will have liquid infusions at home starting this week to help flush out the kidney as suggested by the vet. Would appreciate a prayer if you can! Thanks for sharing your story and advice on how to deal with a chronically ill dog – means a lot.
I hope everything goes well, Alicia! Keep up the great work as an awesome dog mom 🙂
I so needed this article today. Stumbled upon your blog as I’m beginning to research my dog’s potential issues. We are waiting for the endoscopy biopsy results, but it is either lymphoma, chronic GI, or Lymphangiectasia. It’s been a rough few months as we’ve bounced from vet to vet trying to diagnose him. We were already on a rotating protein and dehydrated vegetable diet but we will likely need to adjust more. We may need to switch to tilapia or another protein source than the chicken and beef he primarily had.
My aunt’s dog had pancreatitis and lived another 5 years after a customized BalanceIt diet from a nutritionist at Ohio State.
So glad I can help 🙂
Reading your post this morning has provided me comfort knowing I’m not alone in this experience. I just found out that my 10 year old best friend, Sadie, has a baseball size mass in her liver. They won’t biopsy it because they don’t like how the texture looks and afraid it will spread.
We see a specialist in about 2 weeks. Now I feel like I’m in a waiting game- what will everything cost, is she in pain, has she been in pain, is it cancerous, can it be removed, what happens if it’s not isolated and can’t be removed, will she have a chance to recover. It’s like a part of my life has already died inside and my friends and family can’t possibly understand. The biggest struggle is finding strength. I don’t know where you find that or what you do to project it. However, hearing other people’s stories help…just knowing someone has gone through something similar and have felt those same tugs on their heart.
I’m so sorry for Mylah’s illness, but you seem like a wonderful dog Mom and the best protector. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you so much 🙂 Keep up the good work with your dog and try to not be afraid. We are all here to take care of our babies.
Hi Alicia!
Thank you for this post. I have been reading several of your blogs. My oldest baby (he’s a 13 year old Yorkie) developed Diabetes and I have been having quite a rough time regulating him. We are getting there and I’m learning a lot, but I would love to know more. I tried to buy your private counseling for Diatetic Dogs, but could never check out when it sent me to the other website. Is there another way to buy the private counseling session? Thank you!
Hello! I’d love to learn more about your dog and help where I can. Please email me at alicia@theholisticpetwellness.co and I can get you signed up for coaching asap!
Hi Alicia!
I’m so happy I found your blog- I’m going through something very similar with my sweet pup. Tanner is a juvenile diabetic who was diagnosed at 1 year and just turned 8. He was also diagnosed hypothyroid at 2. About two weeks ago he quit wanting to eat his food (that he loved) and as you know is the most stressful thing if you have a diabetic dog. We put him on cerenia, metronidazole and tylosin and changed his food to Purina EN. Soon after he stopped wanting to eat, the liquid diarrhea started. About a week into it we sent off a GI panel to TAMU and it came back that he had very low cobalamin so we are giving b12 inj every week for 6 weeks, 1 inj 1 month after and then retesting 1 month after that to see if the levels have improved. His doctor is leaning towards him having IBD but the only way to confirim is a biobsy- which scares me. I was wondering if you did the biopsy with Mylah? Also, how are you controlling her IBD? Are you using steroids? I would love your insight!
Thank you so much for your blog- it’s nice to know someone who has been through something similar and came out the other side with a happy dog!
Best,
Megan
Hi Megan- I am so sorry to hear you are going through that. Honestly, the diet is what sounds like the problem. Anything Purina is terrible for dogs that are healthy let alone those with complicated systems. I would figure out the diet first, get your dog off metronidazole and tylosin and focus on the food first.
Also, we use an extremely low dosage of steroids. Her IBD is controlled through food.
Thanks for the response!! I’m looking into the consultation with Univ. of Tennessee to start making his own food :). If you don’t mind me asking are you using pred or a different steroid? And how difficult was it to control her diabetes with the steroid?
She is on an extremely low dose of budesonide – it has to be compounded through a special pharmacy because it is such a small amount.
That was the steroid I was looking into! Tanner is bigger so I think we can do the 3mg dose. I have started the process with Univ. of Tennessee so hopefully making his food will help him to get to feeling better! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk and the advice!
Hello, and thank you so so so so so much for sharing this. I know this was difficult for you to write, but you have no idea how much I personally needed this. It’s easy to feel alone when you are supporting a sick pup. I’m not sure if you will see this since I am posting a comment a year later…. but here is my story…
My story – My boyfriend and I got a golden retriever puppy at the end of August 2017. We were so excited because we just re-did the house and were ready to get a puppy. I’m not sure how you feel about breeding and rescuing (but please know that I do have a rescue cat!), but we found a golden retriever breeder in Indiana so we picked him up when he was ready to go in August and it was amazing. We feel in love with him SO quickly. He is precious and cuddly and just so loving. About 3.5 weeks ago, Briscoe (that’s his name) was being very lethargic. He got sick a few times, all undigested food. So I took him to the vet.
Our vet at the time, was not giving us much hope. He had an enlarged kidney and his kidney levels were not getting better. We left him overnight, and still the numbers weren’t good. It was horrific and I was waiting to wake up from this nightmare. But if they couldn’t help him, I wasn’t ready to give up. I took him to a group of internal medicine specialists.
We were told he was in Stage 3 kidney disease but after leaving him there for 3 days, his numbers went down and he was acting like himself. He was hungry and playful. They got him to a point where his kidney levels were 2.4 and they sent him home. I was walking on egg shells with everything he did because I didn’t want to lose him. But he didn’t even know he was sick. A week later, we took him back for a blood test and his numbers were normal……. yeah……. so we prayed and prayed and hoped that God was listening. He is just a puppy after all…
Well, it turns out he has a rare disease called Fanconi Syndrome. It affects his kidneys because he loses key nutrients and is more prone to UTIs. This disease is primarily found in Basenjis, and we have a golden retriever. I’m still digesting it, but I am going to love him and give him the best life while he is here. No one knows how long it will be, the vet truly doesn’t know, but we will take all we can get as long as he is not suffering or in pain.
I am submitting my email and would love a “pen pal”.. someone who clearly understands the heartache that comes with these diagnoses.
-Lauren
Yes, please keep in touch! I know how hard it is. Lots of love being sent your way!
This has brought a tear to my eye.
I’m currently caring for my elderly Shih Tzu Tia. She’s 12 and has several chronic conditions. I’ve been trying to manage for the last five years. I’m exhausted but keep going because I love her.
She still wags her tail and runs to greet me. She still loves her food and a cuddle.
I know the time to let her go is nearing but I’m trying to focus on her needs, not mine.
Tia has a fabulous vet. I’m sure she’ll let me know if I start making decisions for me, not Tia.
Wishing you and all your dogs health and happiness x
Awww thank you! I know how it feels. Keep going 🙂