please read!~

[nigel7]

hi everyone (:
i'm concerned with my chihuahua going to his bowl of water more frequently these few days. i'm not sure if im paranoid over it or something but lately i've brought him to his vet and did a blood test for him and the result has shown his kidney isnt in a very perfect healthy condition. neither was it too serious also.
can i just seek some of you guys out there to help me clear my doubt over my question of how many times a healthy dog usually go to his bowl of water daily? he usually drinks quite abit when he finished his barkings,is this normal?

[totallyhip]

What did your vet recommend for his kidneys? Or did he say about the excessive drinking? Sometimes diet plays a huge part too. Maybe change his food?

[KarenC]

I don't think I can compare because I have two big dogs and they are in their water bowl (or the toilet bowl) very often. I have never counted. But a chihuahua is so tiny I have no idea!

Good luck!

[nigel7]

the vet recommended a special diet specially made for canine dogs with kidney needs. he has respond pretty well with the change of diet. is it because of the change to a different diet, that's why he drinks quite abit ever since?
im just worried about the number of times he's been to the water bowl everyday and im taking a closer attention each day.
not really, the vet just said dogs which pees and drinks alot probably indicate that its kidney aint in a perfectly excellent condition.
my chihuahua's pretty much a medium size dog, and not those mini and tiny ones. any idea how many times a normal and healthy dog goes to its water bowl?

[kandy]

I lost a 19 month old newf to total kidney failure, and in the wake of that loss, I did tons of research on kidney issues.

The good news is that your dog can lead a fairly normal life with as little as 25% of kidney function remaining. You can help to keep his from working too hard by taking a good look at your food choice. The less chemicals, the better. There are also supplements that you can give your dog to help. Your dog is drinking more water to keep his kidney's flushed, so don't limit his intake of water.

Depending on the actual results of the bloodwork, your vet will know what kind of treatment/management of the condition will be necessary.

[nigel7]

oh that's really disheartening to hear from a fellow dog owner point of view. take it easy and hope u're living a happy life since then because your dog would definitely want you to be happy. (:
anw thanks for the really useful information you've given me, it has help me to understand more abt those. i really appreciate it.

[badger]

My vet told me that the 'special food' for kidney problems has exactly that effect and that it is intentional; the animal does drink more. So I think that's your answer.

[babymomma]

may i ask how old your doggy is?

[nigel7]

thank you so much for the info yes!
(:

[nigel7]

he's 10 year plus (:

[babymomma]

Would it be better if he/she was on a food for older dogs with kidney problems i dont know much about this, but maybe finding a food like that may help. I assume kidney failure is different for an older dog than it is for a young dog n Like i said, I dont know much about this..lol..

I hope your doggy will be just fine for another 7 years +

[Karin]

With free access to the water, and maybe out of habit, he could be over diluting his kidneys.
I have seen it before many times.

BG is ok I assume?

[nigel7]

so is it considered a worrying sign for any health problems?
what does BG mean?

[Karin]

Originally Posted by nigel7

so is it considered a worrying sign for any health problems?
what does BG mean?

Blood glucose.

[nigel7]

yes the blood glucose is pretty normal.

[kandy]

Being that you are in Singapore, you might need to check that the food you feed doesn't contain ingredients from China. I know that the melamine found in animal feed (including dog food) is known to effect the kidneys. A large enough concentration of it will be fatal, but smaller concentrations are not.

Oh, and better that the dog get too much water than not enough.

[nigel7]

thank you so much for the information, i'll take a closer look on my doggie 's food from today.(:

[rainbow]

nigel7, can you please tell us what brand of food your dog is eating now?

[nigel7]

he's taking in a special kidney diet from hill's prescription.
please do share with me any knowledge you have about this food brand or any others.
thank you!

[rainbow]

The dogaware website has lots of information on canine kidney disease. And you can click on all the highlighted areas for additional info ....

http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html



Also Yahoo Groups has a couple of forums you can join.....

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9KidneyDiet/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9KIDNEYS/

[kandy]

Does your food bag have any information on where it was manufactured? I would guess that it would be manufactured somewhere close otherwise the cost would be astronomical.

If the bag does not have the information, you should be able to send Hill's an email to find out.

[Soter]

yeah, definatly find out where it comes from and EXACTLY whats in it...
Hope it all goes well. Also, a dog of 10 year plus is bound to have probs sooner or later. It comes with age, but 10 isn't really that old, but Chihahuas might be different. I dunno...