End Stage with Hypertension

[tlmiller3607]

Thank you all that have shared your stories and journey with this disease.  I'm wondering if anyone has dealt with hypertension with kidney failure?  Harley's bp are high and he's on the highest doses of medication they can give him.  Because of the hypertension and now a heart murmurs the vet feels that giving him subq fluids will do more harm than good.  Has anyone else found a way to balance fluids with hypertension?

His creatinine level is 3.8, BUN is 96 and phosphorous is 9 all which have doubled in the past week and with BP's around 160/100.  He's on encard, enalapril, Amlodipine, Epakatin and Pepcid.

My little guy Harley was first diagnosed with kidney disease when he was 5, he is now 13 wow!  He was asymptomatic for 8 years, our only intervention was diet.  Harley is now getting to end stage, even though I know this would happen it's still so hard.  Who knew that a 20lb beagle would be the love of my life.

Thank you,
Tammy

[tonyb286]

Hi. It's been a while since we heard from you ... how's Harley? I'm hoping things are still okay.

Tony

[DogBlog]

Glad to hear Harley is holding his own!!  Will keep on praying.

Charlene

[tlmiller3607]

Thank you for asking. I have been very lucky.  He's still hanging in there, but better than our vet expected.  He sleeps a lot and doesn't eat much, but when he is awake he'a still full of energy.  Each extra day is a blessing with my baby.

Tammy

[tonyb286]

Hi. I was just wondering how Harley is doing, as we haven't heard from you in about 10 days?

Tony

[tlmiller3607]

Thank You.  I guess there was a hope that someone had a magic formula that had work and might help my little guy.  

[tonyb286]

Hi. Yes, hypertension is very very common with kidney failure. In fact, I have been gathering research info on it for a month or two, trying to put something together for the Chronic Kidney Failure in Dogs User Group. There is evidence to suggest about 85% or more of CKF dogs have hypertension.

It is a very difficult balancing act between the need for fluids and the need to guard against adding stress to the heart. Vets will usually measure the priority in each individual case and make a judgement call on it. Combination therapy is usually the right compromise.

One or both of the illnesses will take their course, sadly, and trying to intervene with one often disrupts the other. There are therefore no easy answers, but I would certainly take your vet's advice, whatever that is, as he/she knows Harley and his condition(s) more than anyone here does.

Tony