Last Friday, June 10th, we had to put down our 14 year old best friend, Harvey Dog. As any good gardener would say, it has been a hard row to hoe, but each day has been getting slightly better until yesterday.
Harvey got sick about 2 months ago. He began to urinate in the house and had trouble going to the bathroom even outside. I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with a bladder infection which had invaded his prostate and, perhaps, his kidneys. His prostate was 4 times its normal size. We put him on antibiotics. He got slightly better, but his prostate was still enlarged by 2 times.
Once his kidney numbers checked out, and all the other blood work was done, the vet put him on Deramaxx, an anti-inflamatory drug, in an attempt to bring down the size of the prostate. Prior to taking this drug, Harvey was having problems with incontinence and was losing weight--no doubt about that. BUT his appetite was good, he was alert and happy on his walks, and while his BUN (kidney numbers) were slightly high at first, they came down after administration of the antibiotic to close to normal range. I had researched prostate problems in dogs on the internet, and we seemed to be on the right track--long-term antibiotics.
Harvey began taking the Deramaxx on May 25th. He slightly improved at first--tail up and wagging, decent appetite--but then he seemed to get worse again. Then worse. Then worse. Seventeen days after being on the Deramaxx he crashed out with over-the-top kidney numbers, was unable to eat or stand up or drink. He had gone into total kidney failure, and we had to put him down.
Even though I have been grieving, I was getting better, but one thing kept coming back and back at me. How could Harvey have had excellent kidney numbers, and then, 17 days later, had numbers that were over the top and past the point of no return?
For this reason, yesterday I googled the drug Harvey was on--Deramaxx. What I found was story after story after story after story by people who blame the drug for the untimely death of their dogs--same thing happened to their dogs that happened to Harvey--same symptoms, same crashing--same kidney failure--right down the line.
I should have researched the Deramaxx from the get-go, but didn't. I am now convinced we killed my dog with this drug. While there is no going back for Harvey, I am hopeful there will be for your dog.
Below is a pic of me with Harvey in my garden some 13 years or so ago when he was a pup.
