04/21/2026
Grace update
Hello Michelle,
It is a bit harder for me to comment on her legs since I am not the one to have examined her. Based on what Chad described to me this morning and Dr Alix’s notes, the difficulty with her legs is likely from her back. If there is a sudden slip of a disk or any kind of pressure on the spinal cord, it will cause a decrease in sensation on the back legs causing weakness and ataxia (stumbling gait). Rest and pain control is all we can do at this time since testing the spinal cord typically requires advanced imaging like MRI. If it worsens, we may need to re-assess.
Kidney disease unfortunately does progress over time. All we can do is manage it to try and slow things down, but it does eventually progress to the point of feeling quite ill, upset stomach and vomiting, losing weight, getting weak over time. We treat kidney disease as symptoms or changes progress. The best way to support kidney function is high water intake. It is good that she is drinking alot. If possible, we could feed only canned food, but I realize this is not always feasible for this size of a dog. For now, it is fine to stay on the urinary diet, but we may need to change to a specific diet for kidney disease (instead of the current diet for bladder stones) if the bloodwork shows worsening of kidney disease over time. There is no way to predict how quickly kidney disease progresses. Some dogs remain stable for a few years, others deteriorate quickly over months. Only time will tell us how Gracie does.
To further evaluate what kind of treatments are best for Gracie, we would need a urine sample (not blood) and it would also be ideal for her to come in to check her blood pressure. If you choose not to pursue any more tests, we will simply monitor Gracie with regular bloodwork and urine samples every 6 months and start medications when obvious signs begin showing up.
If you have further questions, call or email. You can collect a urine sample at home and bring it in if you decide to pursue this further - first morning sample is best and the fresher the better.