Coping with dogs with illness (while pregnant)

[Deleted]

I'm not sure how active this board is, but I need some advice as I'm feeling overwhelmed right now. Sorry in advance for the novel...

We have 2 shar peis, ages 2ish and 4, who are like our children. In the last year or so, we've discovered that both dogs have Familial Shar Pei Fever - they aren't related; one's from a breeder and one's from a rescue. In case you're not familiar with FSF - it's basically a genetic disease that seems to be found in shar pei. It presents as the dogs having overreactive inflammatory responses, so they can have random fevers that deposit a protein in their kidneys/liver, and eventually they can go through kidney failure.

We had 1 other shar pei who died last year right before Christmas very suddenly of this disease...she was only 4. At the time, we didn't know that the other 2 had the same problem.

So over the past year, we've been dealing with their issues. Every now and then, they'll have fevers, where they act like they're in a lot of pain, don't want to move, etc. We give them treatment, and they return to normal after several hours. Both dogs already have compromised kidneys because of this disease, indicated by their urine concentration. Otherwise, they basically act normally.

I've been feeling so overwhelmed and anxious by these issues, because I never know when it's going to happen, and I'm constantly afraid that they're going to die suddenly like our other dog did. One of the dogs woke up trembling with pain this morning at 3:30 am.

I have a lot of faith in our vets and I know that we're doing all that we can to help them, but it's really hard for me whenever they are sick. Adding to all this, I am expecting our first child next spring. Now I worry about how I'll be able to give them all the attention they need when we have a baby.

I guess I could just use some advice or support about how to cope with dogs with illness...because all my anxiety and worry is causing me to be exhausted. I'd really like to just enjoy the time we have with them without waiting for the next symptom. Any comments would be helpful.

Thanks for reading.

[niemand88f]

I'm so sorry your pups are in this situation, it would be hard to deal with. I haven't been in this situation, but I'm sure you're doing the best for them that you can. Treasure the time that you have with them, they are lucky to have you.

[sebd12]

If you haven't already, make sure to contact the breeder and let them know our dog is FSF positive and they need to screen their breeding stock. It's so not fair to a dog to be poorly bred (we have a rottie with asthma, skin allergies, and arthritis. She's not even 2!)

Can your partner/H take care of the dogs more when they are sick? I can imagine a stressful situation in the future when all three "babies" are running fevers if you don't have good help.
I would try to focus on really enjoying their healthy days. If the fevers are occasional and shortlived, just do your best to get them comfy and know you are doing all you can and it's not your fault they are hurting. You are helping. When the bad days outnumber the good, you have other decisions to make. But right now it sounds like they are okay most of the time and they are VERY lucky to have such a good home!

When I feel bad that a day or week got too busy for my dogs to get a good walk or a lot of attention, I remind myself that I'm doing the best I can and they have a good life and SOME attention is better than none.

Try not to beat yourself up about it. They are happy and fine most of the time and it sounds like a pretty obvious issue when they aren't. You don't have to keep a sharp eye out for minute symptoms. Just make sure you have a great support system for the pups and the baby! Good luck!

[kellbell191]

We've had some unusual health issues with our animals and it has made me an over vigilant pet Mom. It does play into my underlying anxiety so I am trying to work on that in counseling. I do often look at them and feel sad that they won't be around forever...but I also don't want to spend the time I have with them feeling sad, kwim?

I would try to make the most of when they're feeling well and get some good snuggles in when they aren't. Have you been in touch with any veterinary teaching hospitals? We've gone this route for one of my cats; his quality of life has improved dramatically and it is actually less expensive to see the specialist there than our regular vet.