Basset in last stage of kidney failure

[Bassettlover]

Our 6 and half year old basset Lucy was diagnosed 4 weeks ago with kidney failure. The first 2 weeks went well with subq fluids, nausea meds, HILLS food, plus we added a B vitamin and Tums. Lucy has not ate anything on her own the past 2 weeks. In addition to what we were trying, we added another nausea med, increased fluids and an appetite stimulate. We manually give her about 3 tablespoons of prepared food a couple times a day. She continues to drink water and urinate, however she is lethargic, somewhat amiss at times, alittle weak in the back end but still responds to commands, hasn't really had diarrhea or vomiting, although is drooling a lot. Any suggestions or comments from those that have dealt with this terrible disease. Thank you.

[Scamp1973]

I am so sorry to hear about your Lucy. How is she doing? I am going through the same thing right now with my toy fox terrier Wrigley, who is also six and a half years old. He was actually diagnosed with early signs of kidney disease about a year ago, but has been fine until almost exactly four weeks ago, when he had a crisis. He is now in end stage renal failure, and is also having difficulty maintaining his blood calcium level. It is so sad for such young dogs to be going through this. Wrigley is on pretty much the same combination of meds and treatments as Lucy. Last week he had become very lethargic and didn't want to eat anything on his own for about two days, and our vet found that his kidney values were higher than most dogs could even survive, and is calcium was as low as it was when he had collapsed and was hospitalized. it was at that point that our vet added the subQ fluids, doubled his calcitriol, and added the appetite stimulant and antinausea med every day instead of "as needed." Since then, he has improved tremendously; this morning he was running after his ball in the yard, and was actively playing with his toys. And he is eating lots and lots of food! Even though we know this is only temporary, it is such a gift for us and for Wrigley. Have you done much searching through the archives on this site? I found a lot of comforting and helpful information here, especially by searching "End stage" or "Stage 4." Like I said, Wrigley is on pretty much the same routine that Lucy is, although we have not tried the B vitamins and maybe I will add that. In addition, Wrigley is on Calcitriol to maintain her blood calcium (Tums does the same but is not enough for him) and also an aluminum hydroxide phosphate binder. Has Lucy's calcium been tested? I guess its not a problem for all dogs in renal failure but it certainly is for Wrigley. We are lucky that Wrigley loves the Hills KD food, but when he wasn't eating for those two days I was syringe feeding him ground up chicken with pumpkin and yogurt. And we are also giving him boiled chicken, ground beef, green beans, carrots, and sometimes scrambled eggs - whatever it takes to get him to eat happily. The more he eats, the more he gets back strength. I think the only other thing we are doing differently is that we have provided him with a heated dog bed to keep him nice and warm. He has always hated the cold weather. It is such a hard thing to go through this with a beloved friend. I hope that Lucy is feeling okay and peaceful, and that you are able to get some time to recharge every now and then.

[Bassettlover]

Thank you for your response. Lucy is hanging in there. Still not eating but continues to keep everything down we feed her. She does have an electric blanket that she seems to embrace and helps with her tremors. I definitely have learned a lot on here and do not feel alone managing this awful disease. We have added a steroid injection and the vet suggested a feeding tube but we have decided not to go that route since she still seems to be comfortable and that won't be the case with a tube. I hope your Wrigley is doing well and knows how much he is loved and cared for. Good luck!