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My dog has kidney disease
My dog Prince had not been eating and so I took him to the vet. They took blood work and said he had chronic kidney disease, they said it wasn't acute and that he must have had it for a while but showed no symptoms. They are keeping him like 5 days to monitor, give fluids, antibiotics, etc. I went to see him and he looked fine, he was not as lethargic and was eating a little.
The vet has been calling to give updates and said he has not gotten better or worse, still very little appetite but walking wagging and moving well. They are saying maybe I should take him to place in columbus, ohio that could take a kidney biopsy, or ultra sound. She said the blood work for the kidneys wasnot "freakishly high" but high enough to make him feel bad and not eat. The fact he still isn't eating that much is worrying me terribly. She said it was not accute, and it is not failure. I just want to know what to expect. Is he going to die? Will he live normal? I am really kind of annoyed that they would keep him (4days now) then tell me maybe to take him to Columbus. The stay will be over $500 and if they would have told me that in the first place I would have taken him to Columbus, that way I would not have 2 enormous vet bills. Please help if you can! Thanks! |
#2
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Welcome to the forum, Mike, although I'm sorry it's under such circumstances. How old is Prince?
I don't have any advice re kidney disease but I'm hoping someone with experience will come along soon and share their experiences with you. Did your vet go into any detail as to what may be causing it?
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"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -Will Durant |
#3
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Sadly he is only 3 years old, they said it could be genetic, it maybe he was exposed to something he was sensitive too. There is no way he had access to antifreeze, they kept asking that. I good them I gave ivomec orally(liquid) for years, and that I gave less than I was supposed to. They said he could have been sensitive to it but since I gave it so long she doubted it. She said it may be congenial, but she is not sure and is not equipped to do a biopsy, she gave an X-ray and said she couldn't see any abnormalities. Again, she said the values were not freakishly high, but high enough to make him lose appetite and so on. Just very worried. Said he is not getting worse, but not better. The same. He was excited to see us, walking fine and peeing fine. Just the whole not eating thing has them worried, me as well
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#4
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Before you agree to the biopsy & ultrasound, have a talk with your vet or the one in Columbus about possible outcomes. Will the tests change the course of treatment?
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Do dogs with kidney disease, not failure have the chance to live a normal life span? This is what I am losing sleep over. Thanks for the advice
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#6
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Welcome to the board, mike23.
As for your question, I think it depends on the type of kidney disease, how much permanent damage there is and how well the dog responds to treatment. That would be a great question to ask the specialist. Not being vets and not having all the information, we can't even venture a guess. I hope the vets figure out what's causing it or at least get your dog on an effective course of treatment soon!
__________________
"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." |
#7
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Hi Mike. I'm sorry you are going through this with your dog. Especially at such a young age. It's tough.
This is an article about kidney disease in dogs. If you look under Prevention of kidney disease in dogs you will see in the first paragraph that it says dogs with chronic kidney disease can live for a long time with this illness. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/kidne...e-in-dogs.html I would think now you should be researching the proper diet for your dog. A lot of times the health of our pets is directly related to their diet. Raw would most likely be the best for him as it would give him more nutrients to help fight the disease. There is a sub forum here on Pets that has a lot of information on feeding raw to your dog. http://www.pets.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=64 Hopefully finding the proper diet will help keep your dog with you for a long time. There will be more knowledgeable folks along soon who have dealt with this issue personally and will be able to help you.
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
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If your vet cannot explain why treatment is taking longer than expected, go to Columbus and talk to a kidney expert. If they can come up with a successful treatment, then yes, some dogs will live a long happy life. Prince is no better, but no worse, either: if you have lost money in waiting, at least you have not lost time.
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#9
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Here's a couple more sites to check out. Never hurts to educate yourself as much as possible when dealing with this or any disease.
http://www.2ndchance.info/homemadediets.htm http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneydiet.html
__________________
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! |
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#11
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I also failed to mention that during the time when he stopped eating, before taking him to the vet, he never once vomited or anything like that. It was just a lack of appetite. Thought I would throw that out there.
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#12
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He is very handsome.
Lack of appetite depends on the dog. Is your dog the type to go off food easily? Or does he normally have a hearty appetite no matter what's going on in his life? |
#13
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He is the type to live the bowl for 20 minutes after the food is.gone. in other words, it was very strange to see him walk away without taking a bite
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#14
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Mike is there anyway you can post the blood work values? I know that at least with cats you can tell some things from that. Maybe some of our members will be able you decipher it. I lost my male cat almost a year ago and we were able to tell from the tests about his bun & creatine levels.
Mike what do you feed now? Of course they are pushing the food but it is crap. All you have to do is look at the ingrediants to know that the quality is not great. A high quality diet is important with a pet with kd. Doesnt mean that you have to spend a fortune but quality matters. I would refuse the food until you have had he opportunity to investigate it further. Or get the smallest bag possible until you can find one better....( I hate to tell you to buy that crap but sometimes its hard when your first learning what good food is.) I am thinking that the vets likely wanted to get some sub q fluids into your pup to help with the kidney function. Do you know if they are testing her after her stay? What a sweetie pie by the way! Cindy
__________________
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 |
#15
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I feed Diamond Naturals. It is wheat, soy, corn, and bi-product free and the first ingredients are meat, as opposed to regular diamond. They said that if the blood levels do not go down, then maybe I should go to Columbus to get a biopsy/ultrasound. But, if they stay the same aren't I fighting a losing battle? I just cannot believe that he is 3 and this is happening. He is the best dog and I am sick about the whole thing. |
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Okay, he is home, still seems lazy and whatnot. Here is the first blood work and then the one that I got the results from today. She said that his kidney values have gone back to where they are supposed to be. I do not want to get my hopes up or anything but I assume that is a good thing. She said he can pretty much eat his usual diet, but I was wondering if there was anything I could make him that would be beneficial. She said his white blood cell and pancreas are both higher than normal as well but the kidney values are where they need to be. Please let me know any info you can give me.
Here is the first blood result and her is the one after 5 days at the vets |
#17
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Mike I have PM'd a couple of members in hopes they can provide some insite on the reports. Hopefully they will post soon!
Glad to hear he is feeling a bit better! its stressful on them when they are not at home too so he is probably gonna have to settle in again...
__________________
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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Prince is a gorgeous boy!
Wonderful that the numbers of the bun and creatinine dropped drastically from extremely high values to within the normal range. This is very promising and, in my opinion, it could indicate that it might have been acute kidney failure rather than chronic as initially suspected. Did the veterinarian say anything to this effect? The white blood cell count being high and the above normal amylase number is still concerning. I see Prince was put on antibiotics when in the hospital. Is he still taking them? Did the veterinary indicate what she thought might be causing the higher levels of white blood cells and amylase? The good news is that if it was acute kidney failure, after success supportive treatment and treatment of the underlying cause, kidney function can, in many cases, return to normal with no lasting detrimental effects. Hopefully this will be the case with your boy. Acute kidney failure can result from various things including ingestion of toxic substances such as antifreeze or other poisonous substances, foods such as chocolate, raisins, toxic plants etc. It can also be secondary to some infections or even pancreatitis so it is important that any underlying illnesses have been treated. What medications, if any, did your veterianarian prescribe. I would watch him carefully for the next while and consider following up with further bloodwork in a few weeks to ensure everything has returned to normal.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The animals share with us the privilege of having a soul." -Pythagoras "The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different." -Hippocrates "Let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." -Jack Layton "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi Kitties: Punky (17), and Sassy (13), Twinky (10), SweetMickey 1991 to May 24, 2009 Last edited by mikischo; May 24th, 2011 at 09:36 PM. |
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With Chronic Renal Failure if it was a couple of days of IV fluids, it is not unusual for the levels to rise back up again within a couple of days usually not as high but to a high-normal or just out of normal range. I would request a re-test in a week or two. If the fluids were given subcutaneously for a couple of days I would say the levels after the 2nd test are in the area they will stay for a bit. If this is the case it's likely the dehydration and lack of food or pancreatitis caused higher numbers than normal for him. Some info to help understand the values: ALT -Alanine aminotransferase - An enzyme that becomes elevated with liver disease - elevation can also be caused by not eating Amylase is a digestive enzyme made in the pancreas that breaks carbohydrates into simple sugars, it is excreted by the kidneys - it is not uncommon for elevation in crf and pancreatitis patients Phosphorus - a mineral produced by the body, crf kidneys can't excrete phos properly therefore the levels will rise, can also be affected by changes in the amount of phos in the diet, or hormonal imbalances Chloride & Sodium tend to fluctuate at the same time with Chloride following Sodium. - indicates water intake is not sufficient Potassium - Essential electrolyte assisting in regulating nerve impulse & muscle contractions, blood pressure & heart function. With the Chloride & Sodium out of range sometimes you will see the Potassium & Bicarbonate fluctuate in response to Chloride & Sodium as the four electrolytes are connected
__________________
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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She said something about possible pancreitis but wasn't sure, she also said I have to watch for auto immune disease because if the white blood cells.
He is on ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and metronidazole He is still acting the same though, real lazy and not real hungry. He doesn't want to seem to get up once he is laying down. Should I get him any vitamins it anything? He just wants to sleep and real picky about food. Only eats chicken treats not real interested in dog food. Has me worried even though his levels are back to normal. They said they will bring me back maybe Saturday to check again. |
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The following webpage contains a whole lot of recommendations for both homemade and commercial foods for pancreatitis: http://www.dogs-info.net/html/Feedin...h-Pancrea.html I would stay away from dry dog foods entirely for now. Low fat canned dog foods or a homemade diet will help to ensure that he is getting enough liquids which is very important. Whatever the cause of his issues it is very important that he doesn't get dehydrated. Is he drinking water? You might want to try something like boiled hamburger or skinless chicken mixed with cooked rice for starters if you think he might like it. The website recommends that the rice be overcooked with extra water. There are a lot of other ideas on that webpage. For vitamins, I would just go with a salmon oil supplement that also contains Vitamin E as recommended on the webpage. This can be beneficial for many conditions. You can get it from your vet or just get one for humans from a store that sells vitamin supplements. If anything worsens, I would definitely consult with your vet and perhaps take him back sooner if necessary. Sending that he starts to feel better soon and for good test results on Saturday. Please continue to keep us updated.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The animals share with us the privilege of having a soul." -Pythagoras "The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different." -Hippocrates "Let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." -Jack Layton "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi Kitties: Punky (17), and Sassy (13), Twinky (10), SweetMickey 1991 to May 24, 2009 Last edited by mikischo; May 25th, 2011 at 10:13 AM. |
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#23
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mike, you might want to have your fiance call the vet clinic and tell them about both the nausea and the black stool. Black tarry stools can indicate bleeding high in the intestinal tract and can indicate a serious problem. Does he seem to be lethargic still? Are his gums pale? If the answer to either of those is 'yes', then he probably needs to go back to the vet sooner than Saturday.
He's such a handsome boy! I hope the vets can get you some answers soon!
__________________
"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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He didn't poop at the at all, when he did yesterday it was black, but was not tary it looked normal and was hard, I thought maybe the meds did it. But yea he is still lethargic, just sits in one spot and doesn't wanna get up. I did leave a message about the black colored poop, no, his gums never became pale at all during any of this.
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#25
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I just spoke w/ the vet. She said he probably threw up because I gave him all of his meds at one time, Mr within minutes(2 at a time) and his poop could be dark from the pepto type medicine they had gave him. She said she spoke ti an internal med Dr who said he looks like he could be a Addison candidate? So I'm going back tomorrow for more woodwork and possibly treatment (injection) for Addison treatment. They can't really test for it now since he has had steroids recently. Also, he was in both iv fluids and sub-.q fluids
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#26
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Mike23 you have been given some great info! I am also happy to here that Prince will be getting checked on again especially since the black stool. I am wondering about the Addisons though? try googling it and read some of the info out there on Addison's. From what symptoms you have described perhaps there are some similar but Prince doesnt seem to have all of the symptoms thats all and its not really that common from what I have been reading??. Do you have a good relationship with this vet?
I am wondering if Prince is under alot of stress? he probably isnt used to staying at the vets, getting poked and proded so to speak? maybe he just needs a few days to come around? most dogs hate being there in the first place and secondly most miss their owners so that stress is hard on them? I am hoping all works out and please keep us posted.
__________________
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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She said she talked.to an internal med doc, they reviewed his blood work, she said it may not be Addison but quite a few if his levels were almost exactly what they would be at if he had Addison. This is what the internal Dr. Noticed and said it should be looked into even though it is rare. I'm going tomorrow so ill keep everyone posted. I appreciate all the advice
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#28
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How is he doing now? Has he been able to eat and drink a bit since the vomiting episode?
__________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The animals share with us the privilege of having a soul." -Pythagoras "The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different." -Hippocrates "Let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." -Jack Layton "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi Kitties: Punky (17), and Sassy (13), Twinky (10), SweetMickey 1991 to May 24, 2009 |
#29
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#30
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It makes sense that all those pills at once could have caused the vomiting.
Glad to hear that he is eating and drinking.
__________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The animals share with us the privilege of having a soul." -Pythagoras "The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different." -Hippocrates "Let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." -Jack Layton "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi Kitties: Punky (17), and Sassy (13), Twinky (10), SweetMickey 1991 to May 24, 2009 |
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