Joshua Update

[jm0203]

Hi everyone,

I just want to say this group is a god send and I hope to be of support and love like I have received from all of you! I feel much more at peace with his diagnosis and with whatever comes. I will fight for him as long as he wants to fight, and the day he doesn't, I will be there to help him. I want everyone to know that this enlightenment is from users like you! Thank you!

So Joshua has been home for a week as of yesterday; his vet check-up showed that his BUN has shot up to 132 and his Creatinine has gone up to 6.4. He wants Joshua to stop his furosemide and to start SubQ fluids as soon as possible.

I want to post his labs from last week and I will post his current labs when I get it today...
Last Weeks' Labs:

GLU 130
BUN 96
CREA 2.9
BUN/CREA 33
PHOS 7.6
CA 10.6
TP 6.2
ALB 3.7
GLOB 2.5
ALB/GLOB 1.5
ALT 34
ALKP 56
GGT 6000
NA 151
K 3.4
NA/K 44
CL 107
Osm Calc 329
-
rbc 6.44
hct 44.9%
hgb 15.7
mcv 69.7 fL
mch 24.4
mchc 35
rdw 16.3%
retic 7.1

Let me know what you think! Joshua hasn't been eating much, but he does take in a lot of fluids. His energy is a bit up and down but we are still enjoying each other.

[tonyb286]

That's great news.

Tony

[jm0203]

Joshua had a follow-up today. His CREATININE is now back down to 3.5.
Dr. says to cut back Vetmedin to 1/2 tablet a day (1/4 tablet every 12 hours), because his appetite and energy isn't completely back to normal yet. Still no furosemide and no enalapril. But we will be administering SubQ fluids every other day.

[tonyb286]

Hi. Yes, I think your idea is a good one, mix the food in small increments until it's completely kd food. I would be cautious syringing food as it can cause complications. The other thing that's important is to feed small amounts more frequently, as mentioned earlier, because it reduces the workload of the kidneys.

Fingers crossed for improvements over the coming days.

Tony

[jm0203]

Thanks Tony! He's been doing well. Not 100% yet, but I'm praying he gets as close as possible to that.

[tonyb286]

Hi. The food you are giving is creating a vicious circle. The vet's idea of feeding anything may seem attractive, but it creates problems, as you have found. Basically, the food is too rich in protein and phosphorus, which Bruno eats because it tastes good - but then he's sick with the food, because it's damaging the kidneys even more, and then he will associate that food with being sick, so the next day he will probably not eat.

The best course of action is to stick with the kd canned food. Feed it in very small amounts (literally half a handful) every 2 to 3 hours. This will work, over time.

The other point to make is that SubQs do work, but they take many more weeks to have any effect than IV fluids.

Tony

[jm0203]

Hi Tony,
Thank you for your input. I will try mixing this baby food he likes with the KD until he eats the KD completely. He is a very finicky eater; if he doesn't eat, should I syringe him the KD?

As for Joshua right now, he is completely off of the water pill. The vet believes that a combination of Enalapril and Furosemide may have caused acute renal failure in Joshua... We'll see what happens! Thank you Tony and everyone.

[jm0203]

So I posted 2 days ago, and things have gone up and down, but luckily we've have more ups than downs. I hope this information helps others!!!

Joshua had a follow-up appointment the day I posted. The night before his follow-up appointment, I syringed some pedialyte into his mouth and some baby food made of turkey and rice. Didn't give him any of his meds.  

At his appointment, his doctor said that his BUN and Creatinine aren't horrible and he's seen dogs always bounce back from this disease. He suspects that Josh has lost 75% of his kidney function but only 25% is needed.

Now he asked me to cut all his meds in half, which is his anti-nausea, heart med, and furosemide (we only stopped this pill for one day). He then showed me how to administer the SubQ fluids, and did Joshua's first treatment for me. But I decided to give Joshua a break from these meds for the day. Joshua was lively and happy a month ago (prior to starting all his meds) except for his hacking and coughing, so I can't help but feel that maybe his meds overloaded his kidneys... Well, the day he didn't take his meds, he ate more than he has in weeks! He's a very picky eater, but I got him to eat a few tablespoons Purina ProPlan Beef and Rice mixed with rice and a little salt free butter. It's not kidney diet like he needs, but his doctor thinks that him eating is more important because losing weight is very hard on the kidneys. He ate a few more times and drank many times on his own. He was very active and was very attentive! It seemed we were getting our dog back.

The next day, we gave him only 1/4 of his meds plus the full amount of SubQ fluids. He still had the same appetite as the day before. Still feeding him tablespoons of the purina mix and baby foods. He's actually eating treats for once.

Today, we gave him the meds as the doctor instructed, but now he's less active and attentive. I also administered his SubQ fluids. If he continues to be less active and less attentive (by this, I mean spaced out) I will call the doctor to report my findings. Hoping for the best! But most of all, I hope these updates are helping your babies!

[indy33]

Yes,
This group really is a wonderful support to owners who find themselves and their beloved dogs affected by this cruel disease.
So glad that it has brought you peace and clarity of mind at this extremely difficult and worrying time.

[jm0203]

Yes it definitely is because of people like you :) thanks for keeping up with joshua's update.

[pepsibaby]

I am so sorry and I understand completely. I have questions about you and your dogs experience with IV treatment. It scares me to leave my Pepsi  for 2-3 days. Pepsi was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure last April and possibly had un-diagnosed Kidney problems. The Lasix made his normal BUN and Creatinine count sky rocket and now he is being treated for both heart and kidney. I was told his Kidney's are worse off than his Heart. He has lost nearly 1/2 his body weight, is all skin and bones now, but still tries to run and still barks at the birds in the yard and when someone rings at the door. Started throwing up and would not eat for a few days, started SubQ two days ago, but Internist recommends IV now. Did your dog stress out over being away? How did they feed him while he was there? Any other suggestions or information appreciated.

[jm0203]

I'm sorry to hear about Pepsi...I know exactly what you're going through. We're on day two for SubQ as well... why did the internist recommend the IV?

Joshua did stress being away. I had to really calm and center myself when I came to see him or pick him up and take him to see his other doctor. They would try to feed him but he wouldn't eat, so on the day 2 of not eating, they had to feed him through a syringe. Please read my next comment on this post to get more information. I am going to write what's going on with Josh now and I hope to give you more info! Please feel free to PM me...