What Stage Kidney Failure Does My Dog Have?

[mydogsaremylife]

Hello. My 11 year old yorkie was diagnosed with kidney disease a month ago, but I am confused about his lab work.  His creatinine was 1.3 (still in the normal range), but his BUN/Creatinine ratio was 45 (high).  His phosphorous and potassium are also high (phos 6.6 and pot 6).  Is this Stage 3?  He has other health issues as well, high blood pressure (2 meds daily) and has survived two torn ACLs (at age 6 and 7) and had a tumor removed from one of his anal sacs just after Christmas of 2012.  He is my little miracle dog, but has been having lots of upset stomach the past few weeks with some vomiting.  The vet put him on aluminum hydroxide last month.  Did he need to be on this?  Could it possibly be causing the upset stomach?  I am taking him back to the vet later today for a re-check.  

[tonyb286]

Hi. That's fabulous news. Hope she continues to woof it up. Every dog is different and every stage of this dreadful illness presents us with challenges to overcome. The fact that Mandy is now eating is down to your own perseverance ... so well done to you. Things may change again in time, but for now, it's great news.

Tony

[mydogsaremylife]

Hello all.  So my vet said she thinks the head jerking (which is still happening sporadically as well as some front leg jerks) is due to the increased dose of the aluminum hydroxide.  My dog had been taking one capsule twice a day with food and she had increased that to two capsules twice daily.  So the vet said to go back to the original dose of one capsule twice a day.  We will see if that gets rid of the jerking movements.  As for the KD canned food, my dog just will not eat it.  He is just very picky about what he will eat and I have definitely found Tony's article to be true -- he associates certain foods with feeling sick.  What he does eat, he eats fairly well, so he sounds like Kay's picky eater, Mandy.  Thanks for the info on the green tripe also and how Mandy has responded to it.  I may end up ordering some for him and am only hesitant because of the size of the minimum order.  I guess if he didn't eat it, I could offer it to my neighbors for their dogs.  I want to say thanks again to everyone on this forum.  You have all been so helpful and supportive and I sincerely appreciate it.  Going to see how my little guy does over the weekend and hope to have a GOOD update to post next week.  

[tonyb286]

Interesting about the aluminium hydroxide. Aluminium can store in the nerve tissues when excessive amounts are present, which may be causing the twitching. That could certainly be the culprit and explain what's happening. Fingers crossed for a good weekend ... let us know how things go.

Tony

[DarbiesMom]

Hi Kay,

I'm catching up a bit since being away for a few days...Excellent news that Mandy is receptive to the KD Stew! This was a great turning point for Darbie as I knew she was getting nutrition from a KD source and supplementing human grade protein ( Darbie is thriving on bits of semi rare chuck steak mixed in her meal with plain yogurt too...She's a lab-mix. Her legs got so strong as did her overall happiness! )

Wishing you a healthy journey! There is hope and Mandy will benefit from all your love:)

Fondly,
Lynne & Darbie

[DarbiesMom]

Hi there:)

I'm so hoping your little yorkie is finding a balance....This is such a difficult time when figuring out this disease as well as other complications that arise. Please update on his aluminum hydroxide intake....I hope you saw positive results with a change of dosage.

Darbie went thru a horrible time with food association w/ sickness....I hope you find a nice menu that can stay. It means so much overall.

Best of wishes to you:)

Lynne and Darbie

[Kaymbsc]

Hi there. Just one comment about the K/D food. My girl Mandy wouldn't eat it, either. Then I read Lynne's comment about the Hills k/d Beef & Vegetable stew which apparently is something new this year. So even if your Yorkie won't eat the KD canned food (because the original is bland and blah), if he hasn't yet tried the new Beef & Vegetable stew flavor, it might be something he likes. Mandy loves it, but she wouldn't touch the other KD stuff.

Good luck. I know what a struggle it is to find food that they'll eat.