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Stage 3 Kidney failure in 14 month GerShep
Hello all,
New member here trying to exhaust all available resources. I have an absolutly beautiful 85lbs German shepherd 14 month old. He has become a large part of my life. My last 2 Shep's lived over 14 years and had hoped to have this guy for at least ten. Anyways have had problems with urine leakage since he was 5-6 months. My vet said it was behavior and age. Boy was he wrong. After about 8 months of our current vet passing this problem off we went and got a second opinion. Blood work shows that he is in stage 3 kidney failure. I will post the blood results if that would help anyone with sugestions. According to the ultrasound it looks like his kidneys are underdeveloped and maybe damaged(6-7cm). Titan was 80lbs at 6months had gone as high as 88 but was down to 78 before we changed his diet a few weeks ago when we found all this out(he is 81 now and the new vet does not want him any skinnier). His protien and creatin levels are good. He also has an enlarged blatter and pee tube(causes the leaking?)If anyone has any experiance with this or diet suggestions or a way to help stop the leaking please post as I am interested in doing anything. Any ideas on life quality expectancy or general advice. I will try to get more specific info when I get ome and post his levels when I can. We have started him on some natural suppliments and changing his diet to home made low phosphate and lower protien as well as sarting hydrotherapy at least once a day. Thank you to anyone who posts back. I should mention his energy levels are fine and without the bloodwork and weight loss and leakage he looks and acts perfectly healthy. Thanks in advance Titan and Garrett |
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Got some of his test # from the vet and will post them later today when I get home. Anyone with any suggestions or words of encouragement please reply. Anyone that has dealt with a dog with incontince that has any tips on keeping the house clean would be great or good products to use for clean up would help. Also anyone that makes a home made diet for their pet that might have some ways to keep the budget down would also be wonderful(2-3lbs of food a day gets expensive fast).
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#3
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Sorry to hear you and Titan are going through this! He is one beautiful pup!
I don't have any experience with the kidney failure, but we did have one male that was incontinent for a while after he slid back first into a deck rail while playing and bruised himself badly. We were able to use PPA (phenylpropanolamine) for him and it seemed to strengthen the bladder, but I don't know if you can use it on a dog that's renally compromised. Does he dribble or does he leave puddles? There are a lot of enzymatic cleaners out there formulated specifically for dealing with urine odor. Most online and brick-and-mortar pet supply stores carry at least one brand. They do a bang-up job of eliminating the odor. someone with more experience with renal issues will log on and be able to offer you some advice on diet or prognosis. Have you considered going to a renal specialist? Might be pricey, but you might also get the best info on what to do and what to expect. Best wishes for Titan!
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"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
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Thanks for the reply hazelrunpack. I am hoping that more people will share their thoughts. My home internet has been up and down becuase of construction and have not had a chance to bring the test # to work. I am hoping I will be able to post some of his blood test # tonight. I work shift work and my wife likes have him sleep with her in the room or on the bed but it is hard to keep him in there as I am steaming the carpets almost every week. We discussed with the vet what to do and are hoping that with a good diet ect. we can limit the dribbling and possibly depending on future health look into a suppliment that may strengthen his bladder. Right now we are just looking for anyone that may have some tricks that would help.
Thanks |
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Thank you to hazzelrunpack for your response however I am going to quit this forum and try to find one where people are interested in helping out.
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Titansmall I am sorry I didnt reply because I just simply dont have any knowledge that I could share.
It looks like many folks read your thread but obviously not alot of folks have the info We did have another member here with a female pup that had a problem with her vulva needing to be surgically repaired because of infections, leakage etc but it likely wouldnt be the same for a male?? Good luck with your boy and I hope you the info you need!
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Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013 Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010 Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011 Sophie Aug 30, 2011 "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED" He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -Unknown |
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Thanks winston,
We are also looking for cheap tips on home made diet. |
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If you are a member of a ontario public library I just picked this book up yesterday because I am interested in a raw food diet. Its called:
Raw Dog Food By Carina Beth MacDonald Its a very small book to read and so far I found it interesting. It tells you how to prepare it, the myths, health sides etc.....
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Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013 Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010 Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011 Sophie Aug 30, 2011 "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED" He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -Unknown |
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Quote:
As for the home cooked diet... I don't know of any cheap options. Both of mine are fed home cooked and it costs us between $450-$500 a month, depending on the type/cost of the meat. We have a 12 yr old Alaskan Malamute/GSDx and a 1.5 yr old "Giant" Malamute (he's actually a mini Malamute thanks to irresponsible breeders who think Giant Malamutes are "cool" as well as the uneducated people who want them). I hope you get some answers for your boy. Please let us know how he is doing. You will both be in my thoughts and 'ers
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Thanks Winston, I 'll see if i can find that book. Rgeurts Malamuts are gorgeous animals. Brother inlaw had a Malamute and he was a wonderful dog, he unfortunatly had a stroke at 7 and did not last long after that. I hope your boys issues resolve themselves.
I had been given a 3month to a 2 year life window for my buddy, so I started doing what I could as soon as I found out. I actually just heard back from a meat packer that will sell me chicken gizzerds and liver as well as any other quality left over meat for quite cheap( just got 34 pounds of chicken and 8 pounds of chicken liver for $45, the owner has a Shep so he was simpathetic). The packers sell alot to local breaders so I am hoping much of our meat can come from there. Taking him in in a week to redo blood work and urine in hopes his # have leveled out. Also found out my $50 dollar a month insurance won't cover anything with his liver. Word to the wise double check everything. They won't cover him because we had a urine test done, before he went on insurance, when he was neuterd(came back -). Not sure how that works but I am canceling it after I get his teeth cleaned. Thanks for the replies Titan |
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Quote:
My husband and I just adore Malamutes. They're beautiful, funny and so sweet Our old boy is Thorin. He's 12, sable in color and just finished his last chemo treament for Malignant Histiocytic Sarcoma. We're hoping to have at least another 6 months with him. Nanook (affectionately known as Nookie Monster) is 1.5 yrs old, light red in color and definitely a monster baby! You got a great deal on the food. I have contacted some local butchers and the best deal I can find is their "dog food" package which is $2.25 a pound and is 40% fat/60% meat I can buy lean ground beef which is 20/80 for $2.00 and I bought 150 lbs of wild salmon for $2.00 a lb. But those are the best deals I've gotten so far lol. Nookie is allergic to chicken and so many other things As for the insurance, that doesn't seem like a valid reason to me. A urine test (and even a blood test) is pretty standard prior to any surgery. If it came back negative, I don't know how they can refuse you. I don't know if pet insurance is governed by the same policies as other insurance in Canada (but i don't see why it wouldn't be ). I would demand a better explanation and reason for denying the claim. If they can't give you one that will satisfy you, I would find out if they do fall under the same regulations. I'm an insurance agent here. We are very heavily regulated and have to have very valid reasons for denying a claim. And a lot of times, even if the reason is valid, we still have to pay if the client lodges a formal complaint. Here in AB it's the Superintendant of Insurance. Just a thought, and might be worth checking in to. Your boys issues could become quite costly. Whatever happens, I will keep you both in my thoughts and 'ers. Please keep us posted and pics would be nice!!
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
#12
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Titansmall have you considered a homeopathic vet consultation?
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Avoid biting when a simple growl will do The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying |
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