Canine Kidney Disease Lifespan .....Survey?

[TwoBitsMom]

When a person is told that their dog has kidney failure, the biggest question is, How much more time can I reasonably expect my dog to live...? Because each dog is different, Veterinarians and the internet, are vague...some say weeks to months...others say months to years.  I hope the information collected here, along with recommendations and guidance from the dogs veterinarian, will offer dog owners helpful information, and realistic expectations. I would like to hear some input from others, as to what information would be helpful.  For example...Breed, Age, Symptoms, Creatine, Bun, and Phorsphorus levels at time of first exam that revealed Kidney Disease, as well as End Stage Symptoms and Lab Values ( if known. )   How Quickly did the disease progress. Did the dog die naturally, or was the death assisted. I think this type of information would be very helpful to anyone and their dog, who has to deal with this disease. I would prefer it, if anyone who offers the information, could refrain from sharing personal stories, and just try to list information. Does anyone else think this is a good idea....or not...?  Please share your thoughts with me.....Thanks
Connie

[tonyb286]

Hi. I am sorry to read your dog has received this diagnosis. Please join our special User Group on MedHelp - the CHRONIC KIDNEY FAILURE IN DOGS User Group.You should see a box on the main MedHelp front page (top right hand side) that is for searching the website. Just put the group name in it and click the magnifying glass. When you get into the User Group's first page, join it (become a member). There's now about 100 dog owners in this group, some that have had dogs with kidney failure and some that still have dogs with it. It's a great place for getting information and support. I administrate this group.

Hopefully I will talk to you more once you are a member, but in the meantime have a read of this article I wrote:

http://www.infobarrel.com/My_10-Point_Plan_for_Dogs_with_Kidney_Failure

If you want to find a low-protein diet suitable for kidney failure dogs, look for specific renal canned (wet) food, as this contains about 80% water and helps flush the kidneys. Most good pet stores will sell at least one variety.

Low protein may be helpful, but it's the quality of the protein content that's more important. The amount of phosphorus content is important too - try to maintain a diet that is low in phosphorus.

Here's another article of mine on how diet affects kidney failure dogs:

http://www.infobarrel.com/How_Diet_Affects_Dogs_with_Chronic_Kidney_Disease

There are lots of other articles by me on canine kidney disease at:

www.tonyboothwriter.com

Hope some of this helps.

If you join our group, please start a new thread with the name of your dog and a brief history (like your first post above). People will then respond, including me.

Tony

[norriegirl]

My dog was diagnosed with renal failure yesterday.  He is approximately 13-14 y/o (rescue, so not really sure) 53 lb. Australian shepherd.  A little over 6 months ago, we did his routine "old man" blood work and found he was a little anemic.  We brought him back a few weeks later to see if there was any change.  He was still a little anemic, but there was no change in the results.  So, we thought we'd do periodic blood work to check on it over time.

He had been getting to be a pickier eating -which was pretty much solved by wetting his dry kibble down a bit (I feed Wellness).  Then when that didn't work as well, I added some wet food mixed in with moist kibble and that has been working well.

He started having a few accidents in the house - not many.  But he can usually hold it about 4-5 hours.  He has also gotten very week in the hind end.  He is on Dasuquin MSM supplements for that, but it no longer appeared to be working.  So, we went to vet yesterday thinking we were dealing with an arthritis issue.

Blood work was done.  He's still anemic.  His BUN was 81 and Creatinine was 4.2.  Vet said his kidneys were down at least 75%.  She estimated days to weeks.  She didn't think dietary change would be helpful at this stage.  She mentioned fluids, but felt it was going to be "liters and liters" and she didn't sound optimistic.

There was some bacteria in his urine, so she prescribed a round of antibiotics.  She also prescribed Tramadol for his arthritis pain since no other options are available b/c of the status of his kidneys.  She also recommended Pepcid AC 20mg capsule daily.

My dog has been sleeping a lot in the past several months.  I attributed it to old age, as I did the couple of accidents.  Today he didn't eat all of his breakfast and I am going to search for some low protein dog foods I can put him on.  Today I have just been trying to learn all I can about what his happening to him.

[PBB2015]

I just learned that my relatively healthy 15 year old min-pin has CRD. Last week when we took her to the vet, we found her BUN to be 74 and Crea to be 2.3. She was eating fairly well but had been a finicky eater for years. When she was young, we always added carrot sheds to her food...than 1 day she stopped eating the carrots in her food, so we didn't add them anymore. Yes, the vet bills can get expensive, but SQ at home really does help. I also have her on KD, which I thoroughly blend adding a little tuna juice and lots of filtered water. She eats 2 meals a day. Her skin is now tight, so she appears to be well hydrated. I think the tuna juice helps make the KD more palatable and I've even started adding shredded carrots to her food. I do SQ every 3 days (100 ML) and monitor her urine. So we'll see. I have also fostered many dogs that we ended up actually adopting because no one else wanted them. I've had 17 dogs in our house at 1 time and loved them all. With so many dogs (and many of them seniors), you start seeing trends as to what works and what you should continue doing. What I've learned (from our personal experience): 1. Try to work with a good homeopathic vet. In fact, both my traditional vet and homeopathic vet have worked together on several of my dogs and they respected one another. I made it very clear from the get-go that I wanted it this way as my traditional vet is less than a mile away from our house, while our homeopathic vet is 30 miles away. I (from the very beginning put myself in the driver's seat). 2) Trust your instincts. You're with your pet more than anyone else...so you do have a voice. 3) Do your own research and understand that much of what you read can make or break you. You have to know what to siphon as good info and as bad. Everybody else's experiences will not necessarily be yours. 4) Listen to your pet - you'll know through observation how much more s/he will be able to handle. My Ginger is a tiny dog (at optimum health, she weighed lbs). Now she weighs around 5 lbs. There are good homeopathic and natural remedies that a good homeopathic vet can suggest. These forums actually do help. The support I get (just by reading these posts) help a great deal and I'll continue to give updates here. Good luck everyone and Happy New Year.

[Misfits4Me]

Claudiaca--There is no sense complaining to any of the powerhouse companies like Wal-Mart or Dingo...They are not listening....

Yes, they are still being sold at Wal-mart!!! To answer your Chicken Jerky question: THOUSANDS have been poisoned &/0r died from eating these tainted products.....

You MUST get your story out!!!!  Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Hello Claudiaca-----I'm so sorry to hear about your little one.....Fanconi Syndrome has been non-stop since 2007......There are many web sights still monitering this disaster!!!!

Please start posting your story on any page you can find...Consumer Affairs.com is a beginning......

The most powerful page related to this issue is "Truth About Petfood.com".....Susan Thixton has a ticker going on her page until the FDA wakes up and analogizes the problem.....

Please send her your story, too...She will respond and warn others...Sign up for her newsletter.....She also has a Facebook page.....Post it there, too... This women is powerful, trust me!!!!

I'll be praying for you & your little one.....We have wonderful threads on this forum about kidney disease & treatments......We also have a speciality forum on just this topic.....Please join us & read what others have to say....Take care.....Blessings to you both, Karla

[claudiaca]

My Yorkie was diagnosed with kidney failure in September 2014. She was in the hospital for 10 days (over $6,000) where they ran tests and found out that she developed kidney failure from eating chicken jerky treats. It is called Fanconi syndrome and the FDA has been investigating the deaths and illness of several dogs due to eating chicken jerky treats. I purchased Dingo Market Cuts from Walmart and both my dogs got sick throwing up and with diarrhea. After a week eating the treats, my smaller dog did not want to eat and started urinating during the night (It never happened before). A very expensive urine test diagnosed her with Fanconi Syndrome (kidney failure). I wonder how many dogs have gotten sick from eating chicken jerky treats. I stayed away from treats made in China but the Dingo brand is made in the US. Still my little Yorkie is now sick and her life expectancy is shorter. She went from a happy 6 pound dog to a 4.8 pounds dog in 3 weeks. She is not eating much and is now anemic.i give her IV fluids everyday and she requires medications to control her nausea. I am spending as much time with her as possible and I cannot imagine my life without her. She is so sweet and did not deserve to get sick from a dog treat. I am worried that the treats that made her sick are still being sold by Walmart and I have not been able to post a review on their webpage.