Aa
kidney decease
I have a 13 year old Springer Spaniel who was diagnosed with kidney decease 10 months ago. He was not given a good survival chance at the time but actually has a good standard of life with no outward appearance of the decease. He caught the decease as a result of tick fever. His readings have been between BUN 50 mg -118 mg and CREA 4.1 mg-8.9 His current readings are BUN 105 and CREA 5.7. He is taking Fortekor 20 1/2 tablet a day and we are giving a saline drip every other day. The vet recently gave me Azodyl to try about 3 weeks ago and I have noticed a difference in Tommy's stools at least. I have to buy the drug in the USA as it is not available in Portugal where I live. What is your opinion of the drug and is it still necessary to give Tommy the saline drip which really distresses him. Tommy has always had a good appetite and is still very playful for his age. He does not drink very much water and so we are adding it to his food. He is on a low protein home made diet with calcium supplement. I would love to hear from you whether we are doing the right thing for our dog.
Thank you so much for your comments. It is so good to to hear from someone who has gone through the same experience. I am constantly reading about the subject but its good to get some practical advise. After 2 weeks on the azodyl Tommy's CREA did come down a little but the marked difference was in his stools which are now normal. I have ordered some more of the drug from the States to really give it a good try and so lets see. What is very difficult is the saline drips as Tommy does not like them at all. Did you also give liquids this way or is there an alternative. This is the thing that worries me the most, the rest I can cope with. As I said he doesn't show any outward signs at the moment and so I am desperately trying to keep to this stage. I know he will eventually go downhill. I had another Springer with the same problem. We just don't know whether we are doing the right thing do we. Our animals give us such unconditional love.
I lost my dog Chica to kidney failure this past January. They were just flat worn out - no other disease process like lyme or addison's disease as a cause.
You're doing everything right. We also tried the Azodyl (VERY expensive stuff) and it really didn't do much good. What helped the most were the calcium supplements. We just gave her regular Tums twice a day. Calcium binds with phosphorus and sweeps it out of the body. Phosphorus is deadly to animals and humans in renal failure so it's important to maintain a low phosphorus diet in addition to the calcium supplements.
Add a cranberry supplement like CranAssure (if you can get it) for additional vitamin C and to help keep debris cleared out of the urinary tract. A multivitamin is also a good idea because when a dog is on a homemade or prescription diet, it's easy to miss out on certain nutrients. Make sure to read the labels: I found only one vitamin supplement that contained no phosphorus.
As your dog's kidney function gets worse, you'll probably notice a lot of vomiting. It can get so bad that they can't stop heaving even when nothing is left to come up. When you reach the point of having to treat nausea, be careful what you use. Reglan (metoclopromadine) is a cheap medication that works well for nausea and vomiting. However, it is metabolized in the kidneys and it's possible to build up a rather toxic dose. If you notice your dog becoming restless, unable to sit still and shaking, that's an extrapyramidal reaction. Give benadryl at 1 mg per pound of the dog's weight as an antidote. (Yes, I found this out the hard way - very disturbing to watch!) Because the newer and more effective nausea meds were completely out of our budget we were stuck with reglan, but working with our vet we made a useful discovery. Bypassing the GI tract and using injections did not result in the severe side effects. The vet drew up a dozen syringes for us and we gave her the shots at home twice a day with an extra if needed.
Kidney failure is one of the most difficult diseases to watch. There is nothing you can do to cure it. Once those cells are destroyed, they can't regenerate. The idea is to use calcium and diet to maintain what function remains for as long as possible. It's a physical and emotional roller coaster. Some days are horrible; some days aren't. That also makes it even more difficult to decide when it's time to say goodbye.
On the hydration issue - does your dog like to chew ice? Have you tried offering something like gatorade - anything that might get him more interested in drinking? Even chicken broth (homemade or low sodium) might be worth a try.
Where appetite is concerned, you're so lucky he's still interested in eating. The last month of Chica's life, I didn't care what she ate so long as she ate something. Matter of fact, her last food was leftovers from a gorgeous standing rib roast I had made for New Year's. At least she got to enjoy a few bites of something really good. I know many people assume that dogs with kidney disease should be on a low protein diet. That's not really true. While protein is processed in the kidneys, it's the phosphorus that causes the trouble to escalate. You just want a more easily digestible fom of protein. Avoid organ meats in particular - they're loaded with phosphorus. Same thing for bones. Eventually, it won't matter what you make - anything you can get into his tummy is a victory.
I'm so sorry you and your dog have to deal with kidney disease. I can't lie to you. You're in for an extremely rough time. Again, you're doing everything that can be done, and that's all we can expect from ourselves in these situations. :-)
You're doing everything right. We also tried the Azodyl (VERY expensive stuff) and it really didn't do much good. What helped the most were the calcium supplements. We just gave her regular Tums twice a day. Calcium binds with phosphorus and sweeps it out of the body. Phosphorus is deadly to animals and humans in renal failure so it's important to maintain a low phosphorus diet in addition to the calcium supplements.
Add a cranberry supplement like CranAssure (if you can get it) for additional vitamin C and to help keep debris cleared out of the urinary tract. A multivitamin is also a good idea because when a dog is on a homemade or prescription diet, it's easy to miss out on certain nutrients. Make sure to read the labels: I found only one vitamin supplement that contained no phosphorus.
As your dog's kidney function gets worse, you'll probably notice a lot of vomiting. It can get so bad that they can't stop heaving even when nothing is left to come up. When you reach the point of having to treat nausea, be careful what you use. Reglan (metoclopromadine) is a cheap medication that works well for nausea and vomiting. However, it is metabolized in the kidneys and it's possible to build up a rather toxic dose. If you notice your dog becoming restless, unable to sit still and shaking, that's an extrapyramidal reaction. Give benadryl at 1 mg per pound of the dog's weight as an antidote. (Yes, I found this out the hard way - very disturbing to watch!) Because the newer and more effective nausea meds were completely out of our budget we were stuck with reglan, but working with our vet we made a useful discovery. Bypassing the GI tract and using injections did not result in the severe side effects. The vet drew up a dozen syringes for us and we gave her the shots at home twice a day with an extra if needed.
Kidney failure is one of the most difficult diseases to watch. There is nothing you can do to cure it. Once those cells are destroyed, they can't regenerate. The idea is to use calcium and diet to maintain what function remains for as long as possible. It's a physical and emotional roller coaster. Some days are horrible; some days aren't. That also makes it even more difficult to decide when it's time to say goodbye.
On the hydration issue - does your dog like to chew ice? Have you tried offering something like gatorade - anything that might get him more interested in drinking? Even chicken broth (homemade or low sodium) might be worth a try.
Where appetite is concerned, you're so lucky he's still interested in eating. The last month of Chica's life, I didn't care what she ate so long as she ate something. Matter of fact, her last food was leftovers from a gorgeous standing rib roast I had made for New Year's. At least she got to enjoy a few bites of something really good. I know many people assume that dogs with kidney disease should be on a low protein diet. That's not really true. While protein is processed in the kidneys, it's the phosphorus that causes the trouble to escalate. You just want a more easily digestible fom of protein. Avoid organ meats in particular - they're loaded with phosphorus. Same thing for bones. Eventually, it won't matter what you make - anything you can get into his tummy is a victory.
I'm so sorry you and your dog have to deal with kidney disease. I can't lie to you. You're in for an extremely rough time. Again, you're doing everything that can be done, and that's all we can expect from ourselves in these situations. :-)
Hi,
On the main board page where you choose which forum you want to go to, there on the right side (where the pet forums are) under the letter "A" is the ask the doctor forum. They have doc's for people issues and 2 vets here also. I would put your question in the Ask A Vet forum at the top of the pet forums section.
They would probably be of most help with your meds questions.
They aren't there 24/7 so it could be a day or so until they respond, but they will. They are wonderful vets, very knowledgeable in regular medicine and homeopathic remedies too.
Wishing your baby well and good health and sending your baby hugs & smooches xoxox
Take care, Teresa ; )
PS.....Someone may come along who has had experience with this med also and post here too.....
On the main board page where you choose which forum you want to go to, there on the right side (where the pet forums are) under the letter "A" is the ask the doctor forum. They have doc's for people issues and 2 vets here also. I would put your question in the Ask A Vet forum at the top of the pet forums section.
They would probably be of most help with your meds questions.
They aren't there 24/7 so it could be a day or so until they respond, but they will. They are wonderful vets, very knowledgeable in regular medicine and homeopathic remedies too.
Wishing your baby well and good health and sending your baby hugs & smooches xoxox
Take care, Teresa ; )
PS.....Someone may come along who has had experience with this med also and post here too.....
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