I brought Minnie in for a routine check-up and shots a short time ago. Rabies, bordetella, heartworm test. I wasn’t concerned. Though she is 13 years old, she’s an active dog, going on a daily 3.2-mile walk, jumping up on the sofa, standing on her hind legs to counter-surf (she’s not supposed to do that). She is definitely arthritic; I have to lift her up to get in the car now. But other than that, healthy beyond her years.
Or so we thought. After her blood test, the vet called to let us know she has kidney failure, confirmed with a urine test a day later. Prognosis: Fatal in a few months to three years. The upper end of that range would be a very long life for a dog her size. For now, we’re taking care of her. She’s still outwardly the same, happy, healthy dog. She’s slowed down significantly in the past few months. She hasn’t done zoomies in weeks. But other than that, she seems to be doing great. We’ve switched her to a prescription, low-protein food. We’ll take her in for more tests in a month, and (according to the vet), at that point we’ll know how rapidly her condition is deteriorating.
Also, Lulu, one of our 18-year-old cats, stopped eating at around the time we took Minnie in to the vet and got the bad news. This was even more alarming than Minnie’s situation because it could indicate a condition that would be fatal in days. However, Lulu puked on Julie one morning while Julie was sleeping — I saw and heard it happen but was powerless to stop it — and then the cat’s appetite returned.