Hazel’s Story
The story of how we became her advocates
It started the year of the 2024 Olympics. We were throwing a surprise Olympic-themed birthday party for Sam, full of games, cornhole, ping-pong, music, and competition everywhere. We dressed Hazel up for the occasion.
But something was not right. Hazel is always the center of everything. At any gathering, she is chasing people from game to game, weaving through legs, barking when the energy spikes. Especially if Kaia is there, her best friend and my parents’ dog. The two of them together are chaos in the best way, sprinting, wrestling, making sure they are involved in every moment.
But that day, Hazel was not involved. She was not chasing anyone. She was not playing. She was not even curious. She just laid there. Sleepy. Distant. Not herself.
We told ourselves she was tired. She had been playing with Kaia for days. Maybe she just needed rest.
But the next morning, everything shifted. When we went to feed her, she ran away from us. Hazel running from food made no sense. She normally sprints to her bowl. But this time, she hid. If we brought the food near her, she physically moved away from it.
We called the vet immediately. “Bring her in right away.”
Bloodwork showed her kidney levels were extremely high. Alarming. She was put on IV fluids. Specialists reviewed labs. We spent days going back and forth to the vet, watching her hooked up to lines, waiting for answers.
After several days, we finally got one. A tick bite. Ehrlichiosis. Strangely, the vet told us this was good news. It was not something more catastrophic. With antibiotics, fluids, and a strict prescription kidney diet, low protein, low phosphorus, she should recover.
We switched her immediately to Hill’s prescription kidney food. Started medication. Followed every instruction exactly.
And then, right in the middle of all of this, she went into heat. She had been scheduled to be spayed, but the timing could not have been worse. The heat cycle complicated everything. Hormones can impact appetite. They can affect behavior. So when she still did not want to eat, we did not know what was causing it. Was it the Ehrlichiosis? Was it her kidneys? Was it the heat cycle?
We could not move forward with certain testing or procedures until she was out of heat. So we had to wait. And waiting was the hardest part.
During that time, we hand-fed her. Meal by meal. Sitting on the floor. One bite at a time. Encouraging her. Hoping she would keep it down. Celebrating small wins when she swallowed.
Some days felt manageable. Other days felt terrifying.
Eventually, she stabilized. For a few weeks, we thought we were past it.
Then it happened again. She ran from her food. Hid from it. Kidney markers were high again. Back to IV fluids. More bloodwork. Ultrasounds. Specialists reviewing images.
This time, it was not as simple.
Then came the phone call we will never forget. “I have very bad news.”
The vet told us she had a rare condition called renal dysplasia, something she was likely born with. A developmental kidney disease we never knew existed. He told us she might not make it another three to six months.
Our world stopped. We had gone from an Olympic party to a life expectancy conversation in what felt like seconds.
He told us we could see a specialist if we wanted, but there was not much to do.
That was not acceptable to us.
So we went deep. Weeks of barely sleeping. Reading medical journals. Calling internal medicine specialists. Interviewing them. Cross-checking opinions. Talking to family friends who were vets. Researching diet modifications. Supplements. Monitoring strategies. Using every tool available to understand how to support her kidneys and prolong her life.
We refused to accept the timeline we were given.
And here is what still hits us. Without the tick bite, we never would have known. The Ehrlichiosis exposed the underlying kidney issue. Without that initial crisis, we would have kept feeding her a normal diet. No kidney protocol. No early intervention. No monitoring.
The tick, something microscopic, likely picked up from the sand during our daily beach walks, forced discovery. We lived by the beach at the time. Hazel loved it. Sprinting through the sand. Digging. Running toward the water. Spending weekends outside. The sand was her happy place.
And that is where it happened. One invisible bite. It nearly broke us. But it also revealed what had been hidden.
Hazel’s origin story is not about getting sick.
It is about becoming her advocates. It is about refusing timelines. It is about hand-feeding her when she would not eat. It is about pushing past “there is nothing you can do.”
It is about turning fear into action.
That Olympic party marked the beginning. Not of the end. But of the moment we realized how fragile life is, and how fiercely we are willing to fight for hers.
Where Hazel Is Today
Hazel is now 2.5 years old. She is thriving.
She eats JustFoodForDogs Veterinary Renal Recipe every single day, along with a carefully crafted supplement protocol: Standard Process Canine Renal Support, VetriScience Kidney Health, Pet Wellbeing Kidney Support Gold, Nutramax Welactin Omega-3, and Vetoquinol Azodyl.
Her kidney values are stable. She runs, plays, and lives like any healthy dog. She defies the timeline she was given, and we refuse to stop fighting for her.
What came next
Everything we learned fighting for Hazel became the foundation of The Daily Dog. The supplements, the diet, the research, all of it is documented and shared openly.
What we learned became what we use. What we use became what we recommend.
Disclaimer: This story is based on our personal experience with Hazel. Every dog is different, and what worked for us may not work for your pet. Always consult with a licensed veterinarian before making any changes to your dog’s diet, medication, or supplement regimen. The information on this page is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice.
