Aa
kidney failure going down fast
how long can a yellow lab live without water and food with this condition? My dear Tracy have been not eating or drinking for two weeks! after week and half sick and due to not having money we took her to the vet and was then diagnosed with kidney failure; vet says kidneys are shot down. I am still waiting on some more money do what is right but wonder what is that? i am desperated watching her like this. Cant stop crying out of plain guilt since I have not being as best as i should have and now in front of her inminent lose, i cant even bear thinking of it !
Any help please; knowing what it have to be done is not good enough; she is still alive right now and in her looks she is scare to go; i think she knows what is going on; it is tearing me appart.
Any help please; knowing what it have to be done is not good enough; she is still alive right now and in her looks she is scare to go; i think she knows what is going on; it is tearing me appart.
Hi Tony, TwoBits Mom & others,
My eyes are welling up with tears as I write this. I feel blessed to have stumbled onto your support group site.
I have two wonderful dogs: Brownie & Brownie, Jr. "Junior". I found them both (or should I say they found me?) almost exactly ten years apart. They were homeless, and found their way to my doorstep. Brownie is almost 14 1/2 and Junior is about 3 1/2. I believe that God sent Junior to us so that I would be able to love another dog & be consoled when it is my Brownie's time.
On May 6th, 2013, just five weeks ago, my world was turned upside down. That is when, through a routine blood test, I found out my Brownie has kidney disease. It wasn't too bad at that point: his Creatinine level was a 2, and the BUN was a 71. Right away, I put him on Azodyl and "attempted" to change his diet. This is the tricky part. Although he had not shown many symptoms of this disease until this blood test, he immediately started going downhill. The only symptoms were that he drank more water than usual & became more tired from walks. I attributed this to old age. Now I know better.
Brownie has since become the pickiest eater. He refuses his old, original dry kibble and has rejected both the dry and wet prescription food. For the first 3 weeks, although he seemed lethargic, his stools were normal and even looked better which I thought was due to the Azodyl. However, during week 4 his appetite started to diminish & by this time in desperation, I kept switching up his diet. So, during week 4 he vomited and had a lot of diarrhea, becoming so lethargic .... in addition, his follow up blood work showed the creatinine had worsened from a 2 to a 4, and the BUN had increased from a 71 to a 98.
When I told my vet that he had vomiting and diarrhea, she said it is only a matter of days to weeks for my dog. After all the reading I have done, I was really angry that she is just "throwing in the towel" without offering a last ditch effort.
So, I switched over to an animal hospital that specializes in emergency vet care. They have put Brownie on subQ fluids, and did a urine culture to investigate for further illness that may be contributing to Brownie's decline. I should be receiving those results today.
I have done the subQ fluids for five days in a row. Brownie has stopped vomiting, but he still has diarrhea and is not actively seeking food. When I attempt to hand feed him, the only food he'll take is bread and butter and meat related food (which is protein and phosphorus overload). Yesterday, I mixed in pureed veggies & glutinous rice, and Brownie ate it. However, I am sure that the diarrhea is negating the who process and not good long term.
I feel so overwhelmed by all this, and cannot talk about it too much with others. No one fully understands my bond with Brownie. I have always loved animals, ever since my childhood. I was the kid who would take in the strays and find them homes. ... I am turning 43, and have had Brownie since I was 30. He has been through so many trials and tribulations with me. I was pregnant with my first-born when Brownie found me. Brownie has been by my side through a terrible marriage and divorce, two child births, going back to school for teaching only to give up 2 years later due to a bad economy and collapsing education system, a remarriage, and two moves. He has seen me grow up from aimless young adult to a responsible mother "still trying to find herself". Besides my children, Brownie has been my only constant and one whose love is unconditional.
Since finding out the news, I've tried so hard to enjoy every moment we have. We've taken extra trips to the dog park, gone on hikes (which he has now declined too much to do at this point) and run errands together when it isn't too hot. I hate to say this, but I enjoy Brownie's company more than anyone else's. While I am trying to enjoy whatever time we have left, throughout the day I will pet Brownie and start crying. It is so hard to both grieve and fight the battle of my life trying to preserve Brownie's life. Some days I just want to give up.
It is a huge ordeal trying to get Brownie to take his meds. He is becoming more and more resistant and good at hiding the pill under his tongue and fighting back when I hold his tongue down. Although he is just 17 pounds he is extremely strong willed.
Today I will find out the results of the urine culture, as I said previously. Depending on what that reveals and if his blood values do not improve on the next blood test, I may decide to put Brownie to sleep. As much as I want to steal away as much time as possible with him, I don't know how much Brownie wants to live if he isn't actively seeking out food. My guess is that the reason he isn't looking to be fed is that he may be continuously nauseous. If I felt that way, I would not want to eat either. So, if the state of things do not improve, then I guess I'd rather put Brownie to sleep rather than have to watch him live through an agonizing anorexia. I would feel cruel watching him slowly starve himself to death.
Please say a prayer for Brownie, and for me - that I remain strong and steadfast in making the "right" decision at the right time. You are all in my prayers as well, for whatever situation you may be in. Have a nice day. -Paulette
My eyes are welling up with tears as I write this. I feel blessed to have stumbled onto your support group site.
I have two wonderful dogs: Brownie & Brownie, Jr. "Junior". I found them both (or should I say they found me?) almost exactly ten years apart. They were homeless, and found their way to my doorstep. Brownie is almost 14 1/2 and Junior is about 3 1/2. I believe that God sent Junior to us so that I would be able to love another dog & be consoled when it is my Brownie's time.
On May 6th, 2013, just five weeks ago, my world was turned upside down. That is when, through a routine blood test, I found out my Brownie has kidney disease. It wasn't too bad at that point: his Creatinine level was a 2, and the BUN was a 71. Right away, I put him on Azodyl and "attempted" to change his diet. This is the tricky part. Although he had not shown many symptoms of this disease until this blood test, he immediately started going downhill. The only symptoms were that he drank more water than usual & became more tired from walks. I attributed this to old age. Now I know better.
Brownie has since become the pickiest eater. He refuses his old, original dry kibble and has rejected both the dry and wet prescription food. For the first 3 weeks, although he seemed lethargic, his stools were normal and even looked better which I thought was due to the Azodyl. However, during week 4 his appetite started to diminish & by this time in desperation, I kept switching up his diet. So, during week 4 he vomited and had a lot of diarrhea, becoming so lethargic .... in addition, his follow up blood work showed the creatinine had worsened from a 2 to a 4, and the BUN had increased from a 71 to a 98.
When I told my vet that he had vomiting and diarrhea, she said it is only a matter of days to weeks for my dog. After all the reading I have done, I was really angry that she is just "throwing in the towel" without offering a last ditch effort.
So, I switched over to an animal hospital that specializes in emergency vet care. They have put Brownie on subQ fluids, and did a urine culture to investigate for further illness that may be contributing to Brownie's decline. I should be receiving those results today.
I have done the subQ fluids for five days in a row. Brownie has stopped vomiting, but he still has diarrhea and is not actively seeking food. When I attempt to hand feed him, the only food he'll take is bread and butter and meat related food (which is protein and phosphorus overload). Yesterday, I mixed in pureed veggies & glutinous rice, and Brownie ate it. However, I am sure that the diarrhea is negating the who process and not good long term.
I feel so overwhelmed by all this, and cannot talk about it too much with others. No one fully understands my bond with Brownie. I have always loved animals, ever since my childhood. I was the kid who would take in the strays and find them homes. ... I am turning 43, and have had Brownie since I was 30. He has been through so many trials and tribulations with me. I was pregnant with my first-born when Brownie found me. Brownie has been by my side through a terrible marriage and divorce, two child births, going back to school for teaching only to give up 2 years later due to a bad economy and collapsing education system, a remarriage, and two moves. He has seen me grow up from aimless young adult to a responsible mother "still trying to find herself". Besides my children, Brownie has been my only constant and one whose love is unconditional.
Since finding out the news, I've tried so hard to enjoy every moment we have. We've taken extra trips to the dog park, gone on hikes (which he has now declined too much to do at this point) and run errands together when it isn't too hot. I hate to say this, but I enjoy Brownie's company more than anyone else's. While I am trying to enjoy whatever time we have left, throughout the day I will pet Brownie and start crying. It is so hard to both grieve and fight the battle of my life trying to preserve Brownie's life. Some days I just want to give up.
It is a huge ordeal trying to get Brownie to take his meds. He is becoming more and more resistant and good at hiding the pill under his tongue and fighting back when I hold his tongue down. Although he is just 17 pounds he is extremely strong willed.
Today I will find out the results of the urine culture, as I said previously. Depending on what that reveals and if his blood values do not improve on the next blood test, I may decide to put Brownie to sleep. As much as I want to steal away as much time as possible with him, I don't know how much Brownie wants to live if he isn't actively seeking out food. My guess is that the reason he isn't looking to be fed is that he may be continuously nauseous. If I felt that way, I would not want to eat either. So, if the state of things do not improve, then I guess I'd rather put Brownie to sleep rather than have to watch him live through an agonizing anorexia. I would feel cruel watching him slowly starve himself to death.
Please say a prayer for Brownie, and for me - that I remain strong and steadfast in making the "right" decision at the right time. You are all in my prayers as well, for whatever situation you may be in. Have a nice day. -Paulette
I've been reading on here about what all of you have gone through; I talked to a vet friend of mine on the phone for an hour and a half today; tomorrow morning at 10, I am going to phone to see how his 8 am blood tests went. My little Roz is in chronic kidney failure and spent the weekend on an IV. I took him in on friday, never dreaming in a million years that he was very sick. No vomiting, no diarhea, and he even ate a little breakfast that day. But he was losing weight and not acting right. Imagine my shock to find out that my 7 year old Roz is in renal failure. I guess you don't have to imagine it. Most of you have gone through it yourself with your own beloved dogs. I went back in on Saturday and got to spend an hour and a half with him, just holding him and petting him and talking to him. He seemed much sicker than he had the day before. Anybody could tell he was sick on Saturday. On Friday, the vet had no idea he was in renal failure until she ran the blood tests. It was so sudden.
I don't think the IV treatment worked, unless there was a miracle today. Tomorrow morning, I know that they're going to tell me that his blood levels of all the indicators haven't improved and that the only option is to have him put to sleep. And I will get into my car and go in and say my goodbyes and have them do it.
It seems particularly horrible because I got Roz from the vet's office, 5 years ago. He was a stray. He'd been there for 6 weeks and had gone out to 4 homes before me, and each of them had returned him, and they were going to put him down the afternoon I heard about him. Somehow it makes it worse, makes it harder to bear. I know, I gave him 5 years more than he would have had. But he's only 7 years old, my youngest dog in fact. It is just so hard. Roz is my cuddliest dog, the one who comforts me. His buddy Hudson, my largest dog, doesn't understand and is really clingy.
I cannot afford cremation and will be bringing him home, wrapped in his favourite throw blanket. I am going to rub the blanket over his friend Hudson, so that he can think of him. I am not going to let my other dogs attend the burial, but I am going to let them smell his collar.
I know, I should still be holding out some hope, but I cannot. He was unwell on Saturday. He will probably look much worse tomorrow, on Monday.
Oh, it's so hard. I cannot sleep. The clock is ticking down on my poor little Roz and I cannot come to grips with what I am going to have to do tomorrow. I shall miss him so much.
I don't think the IV treatment worked, unless there was a miracle today. Tomorrow morning, I know that they're going to tell me that his blood levels of all the indicators haven't improved and that the only option is to have him put to sleep. And I will get into my car and go in and say my goodbyes and have them do it.
It seems particularly horrible because I got Roz from the vet's office, 5 years ago. He was a stray. He'd been there for 6 weeks and had gone out to 4 homes before me, and each of them had returned him, and they were going to put him down the afternoon I heard about him. Somehow it makes it worse, makes it harder to bear. I know, I gave him 5 years more than he would have had. But he's only 7 years old, my youngest dog in fact. It is just so hard. Roz is my cuddliest dog, the one who comforts me. His buddy Hudson, my largest dog, doesn't understand and is really clingy.
I cannot afford cremation and will be bringing him home, wrapped in his favourite throw blanket. I am going to rub the blanket over his friend Hudson, so that he can think of him. I am not going to let my other dogs attend the burial, but I am going to let them smell his collar.
I know, I should still be holding out some hope, but I cannot. He was unwell on Saturday. He will probably look much worse tomorrow, on Monday.
Oh, it's so hard. I cannot sleep. The clock is ticking down on my poor little Roz and I cannot come to grips with what I am going to have to do tomorrow. I shall miss him so much.
It sounds like you have done and are doing an amazing job, offering a home to lost souls, who only need love and care. We also offer our space to rescue dogs. We recently acquired a greyhound, retired from racing at 4 yrs old and cast out. Our last rescued lurcher, BB, passed away a couple of years ago, and our current dog, Giro, (half Rottweiller, but as soft as they come) missed her so much. They were great friends and companions. Hopefully, Sally the greyhound will be good for us and for Giro.
I know today will be hard, but tomorrow may be a little easier, next week more so, and in a few months time, who knows, maybe a homeless dog that is currently waiting out there in a rescue centre will be lucky enough to find you - and even luckier to be offered a home with you.
Big hugs, Tony x
I know today will be hard, but tomorrow may be a little easier, next week more so, and in a few months time, who knows, maybe a homeless dog that is currently waiting out there in a rescue centre will be lucky enough to find you - and even luckier to be offered a home with you.
Big hugs, Tony x
Thank you your are so sweet. Yes another friend reminded me dogs go to heaven. I'm trying really hard to remember what someone wrote here to not let them see you upset. Rusty came from Animal Control and had been returned twice lucky for him the girl that worked there loved him and did everything in her power to get him a home, was suppose to be a cocker spaniel left with a 65 pound Aust. Heeler best dog ever and so smart. Did get hit by a car and was patched back together so he has done well and thank you for reminding me. Did have a cocker that I lost after 16 years thought pain would never end but does and then we help the next soul that needs a home, but boy it ***** today though. : )
I am sorry for you and your best friend. It is the hardest thing - which many of us have had to endure, so we know just how you must be feeling. All that said, at 14 and a half, he's done so well for reaching this ripe old age. Try remembering the good times, the adventures you have given him and the extraordinary life you have shared with him. Please come back to the forum when you feel able. Tomorrow is going to be so hard, but by the end of the day, your best friend will be at peace. No more suffering. You are doing all that you can do, and all that you have to do. Big hugs, Tony x
If you have a Humane Society around you they usually have clinics and charge less then a regular vet. Put her to sleep now and worry about cremation later since that part is really just for you. Not being cruel but I am right now going through the same thing my beloved dog is passing at 14 1/2 and feel like someone ripped my heart out. But need to be strong for him till tomorrow when the mobile vet will come so my baby doesn't go through the stress of vet. My had back problems so was giving him aspirin and glucosma which really made a huge difference. Went to the vet Thursday for a rabies shot since it the law and the vet told me not to give him aspirin but to give Pericox so Friday gave 1/2 with food Saturday morning he started throwing up got him on some Malanta and helped but he is confused can't hardly walk and not eating. Did have a few bites today since fixed him hamburger was over joyed even though I know it a false hope wanted to wait 3 days just to see if the medicine was completely out of his system......I'm on disability and know how hard it is to come up with money for vets. When I got my dog was working always had been and doing ok regular vets etc last 7 years it's usually deciding between food and medicine. I am blessed to have a friend that wants to pay for everything. Can't afford to be proud Bless you and your baby. Wanted to worn people about this drug checked on the internet and found many stories similar with much younger dogs. 4 dollars a pill believe has something to do with it, plus only place you get it is your vet so beware stick with something that been around. If this is scrambled it cause I have gotten 4 hours sleep in the last 2 days afraid he will need something and wouldn't be there. It's been just us for the last 7 years, no friends here or family from Orlando. When this is over plan on moving back. Lesson learnt what really important in life
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