feeding choices

[egbgomes]

Hi , my name is Elizabeth and a have Samantha a 14 yo mix lab....About 1week ago she started vomiting and was ating very little....I was trying feed her different foods and because I am a nurse and was trying give her some pepcid and nausea med before feeding her....about 3days ago she stopped eating and was eating only grass....with and creat 13.9....the vet gave her iv fluids, nausea, b12 and send her home to follow up blood work in a week....At home I am giving her subcutaneous fluids and her pills....but she still not eating even though the vet call me and said that is ok...and maybe tomorrow try feed her with something else than Royal Cain renal.....I have been  reading some posts that the dogs are eating baby food...I will try tomorrow...and see what is working for her....She is drinking and urinating fine for now....anything else I can give to her beside the baby food.....I tried chicken breast, hamburger, filet mignon but no luck yet....

Liz

[tonyb286]

Sorry for the late reply. I have been away without a computer. With phosphorous at 12.6 you need to be giving 4,000mg per day, equally divided into all meals. If the tablets have 600mg aluminium hydroxide in them, you need to be giving 6 tablets at day (again, all divided into the food being taken during that day). You can actually buy aluminium hydroxide gel powder from ThrivingPets.com which may prove cheaper for you. Normal Saline fluid should really only be given when a dog has high potassium levels in the blood test results - does your dog have high potassium levels? Daily fluids being given should be around 600mls. What dose are you administering?

[egbgomes]

Hi Tony,

Her Phosp level is 12.6 and the vet gave the prescription for Aluminum Hydroxide that of course is not easy to find ....The vet order 600mg tablet and I have found only liquid in the internet that I order already. Her urine is negative and her weight is 40 lbs...The fluid They gave and I am giving is NS....I tried everything....from chicken to hamburger to filet mignon....and no....she is not eating....The vet said is better wait untill tomorrow to try something else....I am giving Rebound ( a high caloric supplement) given by the vet as well....and of course pepcid, carafate e omeprazole

[tonyb286]

Hi and welcome to our group. It seems your vet is proceeding along the right klines of management. IV fluids followed by daily SubQ fluids is absolutely the best course of action to get creatinine and BUN blood test result levels down. It can take a while for this to happen though, so be patient. To check you are giving the right amounts, can you let me know the weight of your dog, the type of fluids for SubQs you have been given to use, and the amount of daily SubQ fluids you are giving. Baby food is a good idea (most find the chicken varieties the best ones to try). Most dogs will eat this even when they refuse other things. I would ask you please to have a read of my article on Kidney Dogs Refusing Food at my website at www.tonyboothwriter.com

After reading it, please let me know if you have questions about the specific symptoms your dog is showing. Also, has your vet checked for UTI's? Again, there is an article on my website about urinary tract infections, so have a read. Infections often occur in kd dogs, nd they can cause inappetence too, so it's a worthwhile test to have undertaken.

Creatinine at 13.9 is extremely high (assuming it is measured in mg/dL units). This is fairly critical, and means your dog's body and circulating blood is riddled with toxins. It is possible that fluids will ultimately bring the levels down, but there are no gauarntees, so this is going to be a day-by-day assessment. If your dog refuses the baby food, then try cooking up a chicken broth (human grade chicken meat) and see if they will lap at it for nourishment. Malnutrition is a real danger after a couple of days, so persist with this every two to three hours.

Has your vet checked phosphorous levels. I would be surprised if they weren't high. That is the next priority, to make sure any and all foods are low in phosphorous and to start a phosphate binder (if levels are high) as soon as it is possible to do. Bearing in mind, binders need to be administered with food, so your dog needs to be back eating before this can be undertaken.

Also on my website are two articles on diet for kidney dogs, so have a read of them when you have some time.

Has your vet undertaken a blood pressure check? Another priority.

Is there evidence of anemia? The next priority.

I'm guessing that gives you enough to go on for now. Get back when you can.

Tony