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Chronic Kidney Failure in Dogs User Group
If anyone wishes to join the Group (your input and participation will be appreciated) or anyone that has a dog with Chronic Kidney Failure and wants information, advice or support ... please click the following link: http://www.medhelp.org/groups/chronic_kidney_failure_in_dogs
Tony
Tony
Hi. Everything you have said about symptoms are connected with the kidney disease. The lumps could be cancerous, but I have to say they may not be, because old dogs get lumps just like old humans. Sometimes they are cancerous, sometimes not. In a way, these are secondary to the kidney disease, which needs to be the priority for now.
I am always surprised when vets put dogs with CKF on dry dog food. This really is not good. Canned kd food has less additives, colorants, blah, blah, but more importantly, it's 80% water - so this kind of food is another way of getting fluids in your Max. She needs fluids more than anything right now, to help flush the toxins out. But importantly. she needs the right fluids. You should be doing Sub-Q fluids at home. Talk to your vet about this. This will reduce the stress on Max, meaning she won't need to keep going to the vet. Stress needs to be avoided, as it will make the kidney disease deteriorate.
About the fluids ... your vet should be adding various things to the fluids, even if you do it at home. The additives will depend on Max's latest blood results. If there are deficiencies in some minerals and electrolytes, your vet needs to prescribe additives to the fluid (they can be injected into the bags you get). Just make sure your vet does this, as it will help Max.
Next, one anti-nausea injection won't do the job. You need to get your vet to prescribe a suitable anti-nausea medication to give every day. This is urgent, because without it, Max will continue to refuse food.
Food is important right now, but the right food is equally important. Caesar is not kd food. It is high in the wrong things, like phosphorus, which will further damage the kidneys. I totally understand you are trying anything, and if she eats it, then that's good, because it gets nourishment in her. But while it might seem like an answer for today, it isn't a good resolve for tomorrow or the day after. The other thing about food is to try and feed much smaller amounts, maybe five times a day. Smaller amounts of food will upset the stomach less and have a chance of staying in her digestive tract long enough to get some benefit from it - smaller amounts of food spread out over a day also reduce the amount of toxin by-products produced, so the kidneys don't have to work as hard.
On diet, please read my article, the link is here:
http://www.infobarrel.com/How_Diet_Affects_Dogs_with_Chronic_Kidney_Disease
This article will help you understand what's happening and gives some suggestions to try regarding diet changes.
There are some supplements you might try too. This is a link to my article on that subject. There are a whole range of things, some I consider are useful, others not so much:
http://www.infobarrel.com/Supplements_Useful_For_Kidney_Failure_Dogs
Max almost certainly has nonregenerative anemia and your vet needs to treat this, otherwise the red blood count will continue to fall. This is urgent.
Also, has your vet checked Max's blood pressure. Dogs with CKF often have high blood pressure, which also causes the kidney disease to worsen fast ... so if her blood pressure is high, this needs treating too.
That's probably enough for now. Let me know how things progress and if you get your vet to take more of a pro-active role in diagnosing other symptoms and treating them.
Tony
I am always surprised when vets put dogs with CKF on dry dog food. This really is not good. Canned kd food has less additives, colorants, blah, blah, but more importantly, it's 80% water - so this kind of food is another way of getting fluids in your Max. She needs fluids more than anything right now, to help flush the toxins out. But importantly. she needs the right fluids. You should be doing Sub-Q fluids at home. Talk to your vet about this. This will reduce the stress on Max, meaning she won't need to keep going to the vet. Stress needs to be avoided, as it will make the kidney disease deteriorate.
About the fluids ... your vet should be adding various things to the fluids, even if you do it at home. The additives will depend on Max's latest blood results. If there are deficiencies in some minerals and electrolytes, your vet needs to prescribe additives to the fluid (they can be injected into the bags you get). Just make sure your vet does this, as it will help Max.
Next, one anti-nausea injection won't do the job. You need to get your vet to prescribe a suitable anti-nausea medication to give every day. This is urgent, because without it, Max will continue to refuse food.
Food is important right now, but the right food is equally important. Caesar is not kd food. It is high in the wrong things, like phosphorus, which will further damage the kidneys. I totally understand you are trying anything, and if she eats it, then that's good, because it gets nourishment in her. But while it might seem like an answer for today, it isn't a good resolve for tomorrow or the day after. The other thing about food is to try and feed much smaller amounts, maybe five times a day. Smaller amounts of food will upset the stomach less and have a chance of staying in her digestive tract long enough to get some benefit from it - smaller amounts of food spread out over a day also reduce the amount of toxin by-products produced, so the kidneys don't have to work as hard.
On diet, please read my article, the link is here:
http://www.infobarrel.com/How_Diet_Affects_Dogs_with_Chronic_Kidney_Disease
This article will help you understand what's happening and gives some suggestions to try regarding diet changes.
There are some supplements you might try too. This is a link to my article on that subject. There are a whole range of things, some I consider are useful, others not so much:
http://www.infobarrel.com/Supplements_Useful_For_Kidney_Failure_Dogs
Max almost certainly has nonregenerative anemia and your vet needs to treat this, otherwise the red blood count will continue to fall. This is urgent.
Also, has your vet checked Max's blood pressure. Dogs with CKF often have high blood pressure, which also causes the kidney disease to worsen fast ... so if her blood pressure is high, this needs treating too.
That's probably enough for now. Let me know how things progress and if you get your vet to take more of a pro-active role in diagnosing other symptoms and treating them.
Tony
Hi there. I have a min pin (Maxine) or Max, she will be 13 and has been diagnosed with stage four renal kidney failure. She has been going downhill since Monday where she wouldn't eat and then finally wouldn't drink. She had diarrhea and frequent urination. We had camped on the weekend prior and coming home on the Monday I took her into our vet as she has a couple of growths on her and the one she had been licking and it had seemed to grow in size, red, angry looking. We had blood work done and it was then she was diagnosed with the kidney failure. They said her kidneys had already shut down 75%. She is very tired and any little bit of walking has her heartbeat elevated. They said her red blood cell count at that time was 26 percent. We took her home with some canned K/D. She ate the recommended three quarters of the can but Tuesday wouldn't eat or drink anything and the runs and throwing up started. She is very tired and just wants to sleep. Thirds day morning we took her back to the vet and they put her on the fluid IV to try and flush her systems and get fluids into her. We picked her up yesterday morning after being on IV for two days. She wouldn't eat the K/d dry food, but the vet had said she ate a bit of it on Friday. She drank quite a bit of water on Saturday and I fed her wet little Caesars food. She loved it. Today I'm having a hard time getting her to drink but she will continue to eat the little Caesars. She had no BM yesterday but today I got her outside and she has the runs. She continues to just lay in her kennel. She is very tired. Last night she wanted to lay beside me on the couch. We've been carrying her to go to the bathroom and hand feeding her. Any effort for her to walk causes her heartbeat to speed up. She is also shivering so I keep blankets covering her. She has always loved to be under blankets. I realize that we will eventually have to make a decision. I don't think she is in pain but she is not feeling good. She looks at me with her eyes I'm not sure if it is the look or not. It's almost the look that yes she loves me but she isn't feeling very good. The vet gave her an anti nausea injection yesterday and said it will last for 24 hours. They did blood work yesterday and her red blood cell count is now 15 percent which is way worse than what was originally thought. The vet was worried about the diarrhea and thinking that she may have cancer as well which could be attributed with the two growths she has. One on her hind leg and the other on her front chest. We now just noticed another one between her two nails on her back paw. My question is regarding fluids. Do we keep taking her in to get the fluid Iv or is our poor girl simply had enough and just try and make her as comfortable as we can? I was looking through family photos yesterday as a talented person we know is doing a pencil sketch of our girl. Every family outing she has been with us and every life event. It's so hard to deal with this. We love her so much and don't want to let her go and don't want her to suffer. I love how this coommunity all comes together and is so supportive. Could really use some kind words right now. Thank you so much.
I believe I posted on the wrong spot. I'll repost this on what I think is the right one. Apologies.
I just joined! I loved your responses, Tony, on other CKF threads, so when I saw that you had your own user group I went there ASAP. My Sippie is a mixed rat terrier who was found on the streets and then had languished for months in an Oxford, MS, USA, shelter when we found each other about ten years ago. Her first name is Miss :-). Sippie recently and suddenly entered Stage 4 of her kidney disease. I am watching and waiting to see when the time comes that it is better to put her down than to keep her alive and suffering.
Bump!
Hi. I just read your discussion about having dental work done for your dog with kidney disease. I am going through similar issues except mine has developed a gum infection. He just finished his round of antibiotics but his lymph nodes are still swollen. Im afraid he might need teeth extractions because he seems very uncomfortable.
Through Adozyl and a low protein and phosphorous I have been able to keep his creatine and BUN normal (He's @ Stage 2 and 15 yo with a heart murmur)
The vet told me that it was risky. However, I feel that maybe I should go ahead and do it since it seems his quality of life has diminished. I want him to be comfortable more than anything...I am scared and torn.
I was wondering what your decision was. Did you have it done?
Thanks
Through Adozyl and a low protein and phosphorous I have been able to keep his creatine and BUN normal (He's @ Stage 2 and 15 yo with a heart murmur)
The vet told me that it was risky. However, I feel that maybe I should go ahead and do it since it seems his quality of life has diminished. I want him to be comfortable more than anything...I am scared and torn.
I was wondering what your decision was. Did you have it done?
Thanks
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