End Stage Kidney Failure Mini Schnauzer

[SchumiHarley]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum. I've been reading the post about end stage renal failure but I would like to know if this stage is predictable and you can actually see and know that is the case with our dog.

We have a 13 yo mini Schnauzer named Schumi. She was spayed when young. She was diagnosed with KD in October 2013. She also has Mirtal Valve Disease and a bladder tumor. Her heart problem is very stable and it has not advanced much in 3 years. Her tumor has grown since we found that too. We found that also in October 2013 when checking her kidneys. She has to go to pee all the time because of the tumor but the vet said at this stage it is not what would end up killing her. It is most likely the KD.

In the last 10 days she has become more lethargic and sleeps a lot. No vomit and just diarrhea couple of times, no serious. We used to cook her meals every day with the help of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. So, we were giving her the exact amount of protein, minerals, vitamins, etc. She eventually rejected every type of dish we were preparing for her. She is now on Hill KD can food and she was eating it fine but now she is not as hungry as before and won't eat much, may be 1/3 of what she was consuming a week ago.

She seems super tired and not interested in anything anymore, although she seems to be at peace. We don't think she is depressed. She takes medication for nausea, stomach acid, high blood pressure and in the last week aluminum hydroxide for her phosphorus.

Her bad numbers are as of 05/15/14 the following:

BUN              100.8
Creatinine      2.4
BUN/Creat     42.0
Phosphorus    6.0

We give her Subcutaneous Fluids almost daily but they don't perk her up anymore as they used to. What we see is that she is super tired and feeling exhausted. We don't know if this means she is in pain. We know her numbers are not as high as other doggies but looking at her and her change in the last 10 days, we think she has not much left.

But, are we misreading her and her symptoms? Our last vet/specialist refuses to tell us what she thinks about life expectancy even when she knows her numbers and problems.

We love this little girl, we adopted her from Mexico when she was only 1 1/2 year old with her little brother Harley 8 months also a mini Schnauzer (black) . We just don't know what to do next. We have seen every vet and specialist and done every test possible. We would like to have an idea of what those last days may look like. We read it could be very traumatic or in some way peaceful because they pass away when asleep.  

Any experiences you could share with us? Thank you very much in advance.

Julie & Carlos

[amielynn24]

It's hard to say because Schumi's numbers aren't sky high yet.  At this point, I wouldn't worry too much about what you are feeding her if they will make her numbers go higher.  Daisy ate cat treats for about a week after her vet hospital stay.  While they were high in protein, she ate them and we were happy she was getting something in her stomach.  Have you tried pasta?  Saltines?  Cat food/treats?  Daisy was probably humoring us because one night she'd eat pork and gravy and then the next day, snub her nose at it.  Same with chicken, beef, etc.  

I knew Daisy's fight was over when she started throwing up every little bite of food regardless of what it was.  She started vomiting on Tuesday - Thursday, her last vet visit on Thursday evening wasn't good news at all.  She was given a shot of Cerenia and 2 injections to go home with.  On Friday during her evening fluids, she was very restless.  I made my dad stop halfway through, I knew it was over for her.  I took her home, hoping that the nausea medicines would kick in.  She didn't sleep a wink that night, just up and down, constant pacing and falling.  At 9:30am on Saturday, I called my vet.  I knew I couldn't allow Daisy to get any worse.  She hadn't had any food since Thursday, barely any water and she couldn't get comfortable.  Are you close with your vet that you can call him/her on weekends?  I was very lucky to have that relationship with mine so I knew it would be very peaceful and just us in the room with her.  I held Daisy for hours on Saturday, all morning and then even at the vets office.  

You will know when her last days are - she will tell you.  Just promise her that you won't forget her, and won't make her suffer.  

[SchumiHarley]

Hi,

Thank you for your feed back. Schumi is taking medicine for nausea too. She eats less than she used to and we keep trying to give her different types of food that won't make her numbers higher and make her feel worse. She get subcutaneous fluids at home every other day. Her bad days seem a bit more than the good ones. I know it is just wishful thinking wanting her to go in her sleep. How would I know when her "last" days are in progress?

thank you

[amielynn24]

Julie & Carlos, I am so sorry you're going through this.  The late stages of kidney failure are the absolute worst.  

First thing - don't force her to eat.  It may make her resent food and refuse to eat anything you put in front of her.  That being said, try a number of different foods - chicken, ground beef, pasta, anything she might have liked as a pup but you stopped feeding her when she was diagnosed.  Has your Dr talked about anti-nausea medicines?  I know Daisy reacted very well to the Cerenia the first time.  

Can you give her water in a syringe?  Might keep her hydrated.  

Also, while her numbers aren't terribly bad, you might want to prepare yourself.  They rarely go in their sleep - although while for some that would be the better alternative, some animals and their owners are so connected, that they need to spend even the last few moments no matter how painful in our arms.  While I wished that Daisy would have gone in her sleep, letting her go was the greatest kind of love.  I proved that I loved her more than any disease and wasn't going to let her suffer.  

I will pray for you guys, your sweetie and her brother.  I hope you get a few more days out of her - but remember just take one day at a time.  And when her bad days start to outweigh the good then it's time to make a decision.  Until then, just love on her and show her what a good life she has given you :)