please help

[sktwirler]

I don't know what to do, so I need everyone's opinion. I have a 5 year yorkie 8lbs.....

My yorkie was perfectly normal, playing, eating, drinking etc. The only problem she had was a pee problem where when she was sleeping she would become wet on her bottom but it wasn't yellow and it didn't smell like pee. We took her to the vet and they prescribed Proin and it helped. They never ran blood because she had no symptoms of anything wrong.

Later down the road we wanted to get her a teeth cleaning. They did blood work and found her kidney levels were really high and the vet does not like it. However, he is shocked that my yorkie is not showing any other signs. He wanted us to start the k/d renal food. i bought dry food (she wanted nothing to do with so I returned it). I bought her the k/d treats and every once in a while she will eat it. She was eating the canned food but only 1/2 of a 1/4 of a can. The vet said she should eat about 1/4 of a can a day. He also prescribed her Azodyl 1 capsule every 12 hours. And to stop the Proin for right now. Then he wanted to see us in 2 weeks to see where her levels are.

Well I called him 3 days before I went to see him again and told him she is not eating as much as she use to and I was worried about her weight. He said to mix a little bit of grilled chicken into the wet food. Now she eats all of it and a little more.

...

We went back to the vet and she gain a couple of ounce which is great because I was scared she lost a lot of weight. However, her levels are a lot worse  He basically said he doesn't know what else to do unless I wanted to go see a specialist which is going to cost a fortune (and I love my dog very much) but I can't afford that. He said to continue the K/D Diet and the Azodyl. He said to us to just spend all the time you can with her because he wasn't sure how long.

Now since she is off the Proin she is having peeing spells again.

We are going to call the vet tomorrow and ask a couple of questions. So here is what I need opinions for....

1. Would you stop feeding her the K/D Diet? I don't think it's doing anything if at all making it worst.

2. Would you stop giving her the Azodyl?

I keep thinking in my head, if she doesn't have long with us why wouldn't i just give her the foods and treats she loves.

Please help me? What would you do? Should I go for a second opinion? ??

[DarbiesMom]

Hey Charlene,

I sneak a dollop of 4% cottage cheese into Darbie's meals. This is such a double edged sword as she lost so much muscle mass and she could barely walk. We've added a small ratio of good quality protein and massages-Her leg strength came back as well as her spirits! We also switched to TUMS after meals ( which she considers a treat ).Overall she seems content...We'll look forward to your (new) post:)

Fondly,
Lynne and Darbie

[DarbiesMom]

I wish you the best of luck with your little Yorkie. Tony is a sage and I cannot agree more re: the IV fluids.  It's a bit daunting at first, but it does make your pet feel better. I watched several youtube.com demos which helped me a lot as the vet seems to moves things along too quickly for my mind to absorb. What's nice about a small Yorkie is that you can set her up on a table comfortably and be done within minutes. A treat is always appreciated afterwards...Personally, I treat myself to a glass of wine:) .

I hit a roadblock with Hill's KD and was switched to Purina NF which Darbie loves...for now. Never a picky eater, she has thrown me into a tizzy at times when she refuses her favorite things. It's good to switch things up every now and then. Tony's article is very informative and supportive.

Please let us know how you make out.

Fondly,
Lynne & Darbie

[tonyb286]

Hi Charlene. To post a new question, go to Chronic Kidney Failure in Dogs User Group after you have logged into MedHelp. Then just click the orange Post A Question button at the top of the page.

If beef is a problem, you could try lamb tripe if you can get it. Alternatively, any fatty meat (without beef), so maybe pork will be ok. Yes, there are proteins in all meats, but use human grade high quality protein and it will be fine for Sammie. Cottage cheese is good and worth trying. Instead of pasta, have you tried white rice (washed before boiling, then a slight rinse just to cool it).

There are a few other things mentioned in the diet and kidney failure article that will add weight, if you have a copy available. If not, go to:

http://www.infobarrel.com/How_Diet_Affects_Dogs_with_Chronic_Kidney_Disease

I also wrote this piece on food allergies, which you may find interesting and useful:

http://www.infobarrel.com/Is_Your_Dog_Allergic_To_Its_Food

I suggest if it's possible, feed six small meals a day, which shouldn't cause tummy upset and will be much better tolerated than two larger meals. Are you keeping a weekly record of Sammie's weight? If not, I think it would be worth starting one.

Hope this helps.

Tony x

[DogBlog]

Tony......not being very computer savvy, I didn't know how to start a new subject!!  Sorry to break in on this post.  Sammie saw the vet today and she's down to 7.8 lbs.  The vet said to feed her whenever she wanted to eat which is often.  She suggested cottage cheese to try to get some additional calories in her but I'm concerned it has too much protein.  Any thoughts or other ideas?  Pasta made her sick.  I don't believe the tripe is an option as she is highly allergic to beef!!

Charlene

[tonyb286]

Is the Royal Canin ld a dry dog food?

[sktwirler]

We have scheduled a second opinion with another vet practice this coming tuesday. She is acting fine/normal. We did change her food from hills k/d to royal canin ld. She loves it.

[tonyb286]

Hello again. It's been a few days without you replying to posts ... and you and your best friend were on my mind, so just asking how things are and whether there have been any changes. Tony

[DogBlog]

SO sorry to hear about your baby......we all understand what you are going through.  Tony is all our "go to" for advice!   I can tell you though that I had to take my dog off the k/d.....she wasn't tolerating it.  I now cook for her and do the following:  Cut up chicken legs (only high quality chicken....no hormones, no antibiotics, etc.). Also cut up the skin...they need the animal fat.  Cut up fresh greens.  Mix in tapioca....I don't make the pudding...just use the minute tapioca and water.  I also add Salmon Oil (pure) a few times a week.  I use only purified water for her water although she doesn't drink much.  I'm going to try watermelon to get more liquids in her.

You have to take a little of everyone's advice and find what works. Mine has also lost a lot of weight but she is maintaining.   We also feed her smaller portions...many times a day.  

After doing this her numbers went down....not perfect but better....giving us more time with her.

Keep us posted, please.

Charlene

[tonyb286]

Hi again. Her Creatinine puts her in stage 3 kidney failure (Stage 4 being that last stage). BUN is very high, but that could come down with the kd diet, low phosphorus foods ... and IV Fluids, which she needs right now, so talk to your vet about starting this straight away. Once they have taught you how to administer the fluids, you can carry on doing this yourself at home (to save costs). Please follow the advice in the article (the link I gave you previously) ... start adding some chopped cooked cabbage to the diet and no treats unless it's human grade chicken (with the skin on). This is not guaranteed to get the levels on a downward direction, but it's the best you can do and if she rallies round, great, if not - well, you can say you did everything possible. Time will tell.

Let us know how you get on.

Tony

[sktwirler]

Her bun is 130mg and crea is 4.3mg.  They are terrible everything else is normal. And she is acting normal

[tonyb286]

Hello. First, I am sorry you and your dog are going through this dreadful period. Sadly, one in three mature dogs get kidney failure. It is a complex and incurable disease, but there ARE things that help prolong life and improve quality of life. The kd diet is essential for now, as it will help stop putting so much stress on the kidneys (being low in protein). The Azodyl helps to slow down uremic toxin buildup and prevent further kidney damage in dogs, so again, stay with it for now.

To bring yourself up-to-speed with this disease and to help give you some guidance on how to best feed your dog (particularly if you are considering a homemade diet), please read my article here:

http://www.infobarrel.com/How_Diet_Affects_Dogs_with_Chronic_Kidney_Disease

If you have your dog's blood panel results, please post them.

Once you have absorbed the info in the article above, come back, post the blood results, and ask any additional questions you may have. There is always hope - and on this forum you will find lots of it, lots of support and lots of advice. Don't despair, you are among friends.

Tony