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help me understand kidney failure
my chinese crested has been diogoised with kidney failure is there anything besides iv feeding to reverse her condition.how long can see sirvive in this condition
COMMUNITY LEADER
Usually, by the time kidney failure is diagnosed, the kidneys will be operating on about 25% capacity (depending on what STAGE the vet said your dog's kidney failure is at. This can be discovered from the Creatinine levels in the blood...Blood Urea Nitrogen....and Phosphorus. A blood test can ascertain that)
All hope is certainly NOT LOST! If function can be stabilized at 25% and it doesn't get any worse, the dog can live a normal life.
You need to speak to a veterinary nutritionist to get the best advice you can about diet for renal failure. In the meantime, use a good prescription diet food.
You need to ask the vet exactly what stage tis is at, and what medications can help.
If it is far advanced with high blood Phosphorus as well, then it is more serious, but still there is so much palliative care available. Get advice from your vet.
If it is at an early stage, with no Phosphorus elevation, then yes it is possible strict diet and medication -if advised- will stabilize the kidneys and bring those levels down. That happened with my dog in the space of four months. She was diagnosed at a very early stage, her only symptoms were peeing more and drinking more.
All hope is certainly NOT LOST! If function can be stabilized at 25% and it doesn't get any worse, the dog can live a normal life.
You need to speak to a veterinary nutritionist to get the best advice you can about diet for renal failure. In the meantime, use a good prescription diet food.
You need to ask the vet exactly what stage tis is at, and what medications can help.
If it is far advanced with high blood Phosphorus as well, then it is more serious, but still there is so much palliative care available. Get advice from your vet.
If it is at an early stage, with no Phosphorus elevation, then yes it is possible strict diet and medication -if advised- will stabilize the kidneys and bring those levels down. That happened with my dog in the space of four months. She was diagnosed at a very early stage, her only symptoms were peeing more and drinking more.
Hi,
I"m so sorry to hear about your dog. Sadly, there is nothing that can be done, that will reverse the damage that has been done to your dogs kidneys.
The kidneys/nephrons are responsible for filtering toxins/wastes from the blood. Once the nephrons in the kidney's die, they cannot be rejuvenated.The remaining nephrons become overused, overloaded, and can't keep up with the filtering. The kidneys continue to get progressively worse. Chronic kidney failure is a progressive disease....this means that the remaining nephrons will continue to die.
To help your dog, the idea is to support/assist the kidneys and their remaining nephrons, by reducing the toxic load, thus, slowing down the progression of the disease.
This is done through proper diet, medications, and fluid therapy. Fluids are crucial to aid the kidneys. The fluids, ( IV"s and SubQ's )...help/assist the kidneys in making urine, and flushing toxins from the body. This is why the dogs with kidney disease drink more, and urinate more.
All dogs are different, and there are so many variables, that there is no way to determine how much longer your dog will survive.
Sadly, even with treatments, some dogs succumb to the disease within days after being diagnosed....other dogs will live for many more months, to several years..! I have read stories of kidney failure dogs who have lived very happily for 5 and even 6 years..!
The term Chronic Kidney "Failure" can make things sound so final....it really only becomes final, when treatments, diet, and fluid therapies are no longer helping. Most often, this happens when the dog has entered a "Stage Five" ( final stage ) of the disease. Your vet can tell you what stage of the disease your dog is in. Until that time comes, I think it is best to think of your dog as having a Kidney "insufficiency."
Joeykttn has asked great questions, and offered excellent resources for you. ( Thank-you Joeykttn )
I hope my explanation has helped you.
Please, tell us more about your dog.
My thoughts and prayers are with you both.
Connie
I"m so sorry to hear about your dog. Sadly, there is nothing that can be done, that will reverse the damage that has been done to your dogs kidneys.
The kidneys/nephrons are responsible for filtering toxins/wastes from the blood. Once the nephrons in the kidney's die, they cannot be rejuvenated.The remaining nephrons become overused, overloaded, and can't keep up with the filtering. The kidneys continue to get progressively worse. Chronic kidney failure is a progressive disease....this means that the remaining nephrons will continue to die.
To help your dog, the idea is to support/assist the kidneys and their remaining nephrons, by reducing the toxic load, thus, slowing down the progression of the disease.
This is done through proper diet, medications, and fluid therapy. Fluids are crucial to aid the kidneys. The fluids, ( IV"s and SubQ's )...help/assist the kidneys in making urine, and flushing toxins from the body. This is why the dogs with kidney disease drink more, and urinate more.
All dogs are different, and there are so many variables, that there is no way to determine how much longer your dog will survive.
Sadly, even with treatments, some dogs succumb to the disease within days after being diagnosed....other dogs will live for many more months, to several years..! I have read stories of kidney failure dogs who have lived very happily for 5 and even 6 years..!
The term Chronic Kidney "Failure" can make things sound so final....it really only becomes final, when treatments, diet, and fluid therapies are no longer helping. Most often, this happens when the dog has entered a "Stage Five" ( final stage ) of the disease. Your vet can tell you what stage of the disease your dog is in. Until that time comes, I think it is best to think of your dog as having a Kidney "insufficiency."
Joeykttn has asked great questions, and offered excellent resources for you. ( Thank-you Joeykttn )
I hope my explanation has helped you.
Please, tell us more about your dog.
My thoughts and prayers are with you both.
Connie
Hi. I'm so sorry about your dog's diagnosis :( How old is she? Did your vet say what stage of kidney failure she is in? Do you have any idea what her blood work levels are (Creatine, BUN, phosphorus, etc)? Is she eating, drinking, etc? HAs the vet given you any meds for her?
There are so many factors that determine prognosis, so it's really hard to say how long a dog can live in kidney failure. Alot depends on what caused it, how it's treated, how much kidney function is left, quality of life, etc. I've read stories of dogs living a few years at least, and other stories were they just go downhill way too fast.
A few resources for you are www.dogaware.com (lots of very helpful information) the k9 Kidney group on yahoo (takes a few days to apply & get approved, but TONS of info there as well).
I'm going through this with my 4 month old puppy, and it's very overwhelming & sad. I'm so sorry you're going through it too :(
There are so many factors that determine prognosis, so it's really hard to say how long a dog can live in kidney failure. Alot depends on what caused it, how it's treated, how much kidney function is left, quality of life, etc. I've read stories of dogs living a few years at least, and other stories were they just go downhill way too fast.
A few resources for you are www.dogaware.com (lots of very helpful information) the k9 Kidney group on yahoo (takes a few days to apply & get approved, but TONS of info there as well).
I'm going through this with my 4 month old puppy, and it's very overwhelming & sad. I'm so sorry you're going through it too :(
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