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nama2

Our female German Shepherd is in the final stage of kidney disease. Has been eating very little, mostly only a few favorite snacks, and some hamburger. Will no longer eat chicken or her prescription food. Gets a little energetic but then sleeps most of the day. she has been having tremors for about a week and they are getting worse. She drinks very little, does not see well. I have put her on a heating pad (medium heat with a blanket over her) on her bed or a rug. My husband and I have been thinking she is close to going for 3 weeks but she hangs in there. I now only give her a pain killer, anti nausea, and a daquin. We no longer give her the intravenous. Our last shepherd we kept alive too long and she was in pain for too long. Trying to assess when to when to put her to sleep.
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1916673 tn?1420233270
Hi. If Daquin is the same as Seraquin (which I think it is), then it contains Glucosamine, which is probably adversely affecting the kidneys. Most dogs can take Glucosamine without problems, but CKD dogs may have a problem with it. On the other hand, if it is helping with the joint problems, then it's a Catch-22 scenario - you might protect the kidneys more by not giving it, but then your dog may suffer more from the joint pain.

If your dog is in final stages, what were her most recent blood levels like and when were the tests undertaken? Particularly creatinine, phosphorus, BUN, sodium and potassium levels. Also, has your vet conducted a blood pressure check recently?

In final stages, diet is crucial. Favorite snacks are likely to be a big issue - as will hamburger (depending on what they contain). Prescription food is the answer to maintaining some control, bringing numbers down and prolonging life. If she won't eat one particular variety, try an alternative. If that fails, try drizzling a teaspoon of organic honey or pure coconut oil on the top of the food before serving. Also, feed in tiny amounts every 2 to 3 hours, so the total amount fed in a day meets the intake volume for the breed and size of your dog. These smaller meals given 2 to 3 hours apart will help the kidneys, as they won't need to try dealing with a large amount of toxin by-products all at once.

Tremors are not uncommon. It is usually due to neurological disfunctions - and weakening of the muscle tissues. Getting the blood values under control will help.

Pain killers are a difficult subject with kd dogs, because they do cause a huge amount of toxins that need to be dealt with directly by the kidneys. The more you give, the worse the kidneys will become. It's therefore important only to give them when absolutely necessary and not as a routine.

If she's drinking only a small amount, then it may be an idea to talk to your vet about Fluid Therapy. IV fluids would be the best, given by your vet over a 3-day period and then followed-up with SubQ fluids after that, but equally you might just start giving SubQ fluids at home straight away. SubQ fluids take longer to have an effect, so it's worth talking to your vet about it.

Hope some of this helps.

Tony
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