renal failure in age 13 toy poodle

[buffy1312]

i thankfully just landed on this site and am getting some much appreciated info.  my 13 year old poodle is in stage 3 renal failure.  for the past week she has been at the vet every day - all day for subcutaneous fluids blood tests etc. she is not eating or drinking except when i give a dropper with liquids.  ultrasound shows that kidneys dont look bad and water in bladder however, she is not peeing much and not eating at all.  she was not walking around at all but is now walking a little, wants to go near her water bowl and lie down but will not drink.  her breath smells very bad,; vet says that her creatine level is 3.8 and her bun levels are off the chart and have not changed since last monday.  we continue to bring her for sub. fluids - however she looks puffy - the unfortunate thing is that she also has heart disease so the two water pills she was taking, the pet stopped.  she is now only on vetmedin three times a day - and also a pill for nausea - the vet gave that to her yesterday - however, it does not seem to be helping. i am not sure if i am trying to keep her alive for me- a very selfish thing - i really am at a loss - today we are due to go back for fluids at 10:00am - i told the vet that we will bring her and take her home - then again at 5:00 we will bring her again - has anyone had this experience and had their pet revive to some sort of quality life - even just eating .  this has been for 7 days- i am home most of the time so the issue of taking care of her all day is not an issue - i just dont want to sustain her life in a selfish way - i have read so many beautiful thougts on this site that when i got on it i was crying inconsolably; but, after reading i realize that there are so many of us who love our pets without ending - constant and loving companions that will never be replaced.  it is so comforting to be able to converse.  i hope to hear from you

[Misfits4Me]

Here's one link......Very long, but valuable info. for you......Go to the last couple of pages for updated and the newest information....

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dogs/4th-stage-renal-failure-in-my-dog/show/425814?page=1

[Misfits4Me]

Hello Sandy......We have many wonderful threads of this forum about renal disease.....This post is over 2 years old, so I suspect Buffy is no longer around.....Please search our forum for others.....There are 100's & 100's.....

Thank you for adopting a senior dog!!! Bless you for taking care of her.....There are many medications from your Vet that will help her tremendously.......Trust me, I know.....

My prayers are with you both....Karla

[SandyReid444]

Hi Buffy,
      I'm so sorry to have found out that renal failure is typical of the toy poodle. In March of this year,my mom passed away and I felt so lost. But then a friend of mine found a rescue dog that needed me as much I needed her. Gigi is a beautiful small black toy poodle. She is almost 16 years old and in renal failure to the extent that she isn't allowed meat or protein anymore. So therefore, she too, stopped eating. As I can't watch her starve to death and nothing left to do for her I try to force her to eat by handfeeding it to her. After three days, I will give her meat mixed with vegetables. Dogs are carnivoires and designed to eat meat. So that's how it works for us. Gigi eats her vegetables and protein (when absolutely necessary)  and drinks enormous amounts of water. Unfortunately she seems to pee it all back out in about every 3 hours. She can't hold it in any longer and just will pee wherever, so trust me, I do a lot of bed changing. She just cant help it. So I have made amends to that.

But like u Buffy, I just don't know what to do. Day to day that's sdhecdoesnt eat she sleeps in my bed all day and I have to go pick her up and take her outside. But when she does eat protein, she walks around and follows us throughout the house and back yard.
I have prayed hard for her not to suffer but i don't want to lose her either. My vet is just an amazing man, but if I follow his direction, I will be definitely killing Gigi, but on the other end.....

I will pray for your baby and u as I pray for my Gigi. I truly believe we may be giving them a way to cope.
            Sincerely,
                  Sandy Reid
P.S. My sweet Gigi is also blind and deaf but responds to loud clapping and bright light.
                

[Margot49]

You can only do what you can do.  Hope you have a good, restful weekend and get good news on MondY.

[buffy1312]

hi margot- thanks for your kind reply - and yes it is what i am facing right now.  the vet did not give me a definite answer - he said she is sick - that her blood levels are not good however when we brought her in today to the vet she was alert and he said that she looked a little better.  he gave us some liquid food and she has been drinking water. he said that he will take another blood test on monday and see what that brings - apparantly renal failure is very hard to predict - the kidneys could come back to some extent- i wish that he could give me a "definite" answer - however, i dont think that he knows definitely either - so my thought is that she will survive - her heart is still beating strongly and she still walks around. she was never a very active dog so that part she is not missing - yes, i did tell the vet that she will not stay at the office again - i will take her in on monday and take it from there - yes, my heart is breaking and everytime i think of her i cry my eyes out.  i know so many have been through this, so it is such a comfort to communicate - thanks so much

[Margot49]

Oh, I am so sorry to read this.  I have not dealt with renal failure, to this extent, but have friends that have gone through.  I have been through end of life issues and Cancer with my dogs over the years.

It sounds like you already realize you are probably going through all this because, like the rest of us, you just want to keep your beloved companion around forever.  Sounds like you have a giid Vet but what is he advising you as to any long term prognosis?

I can only give you "my" personal views.  Fir me, it comes down to a quality of life issue fir the animal.  Do they want to be taken back and forth to the Vet, put on IV's, feel sick and not be able to eat?  I would guess not.  There have been instances where I had to decide whether to continue treatments, knowing my dog was miserable, or doing Palliative care only.  Sad as it was, I chose to make their last days as comfortable as possible being at home, in their own bed, carrying them outside to lay in the grass and enjoy the sunshine and, when needed, making the hard decision to send them to The Bridge and I was able to hold them and comfort them during a peaceful passing.

We certainly are not here to judge you but sometimes our experiences can help to put things into perspective.

My heart goes out to you and your little dog.