My dog is going through similar at the moment. Good vet care is crucial though. We're doing IV fluids since he hasn't been eating much and some previous antibiotics really messed with his stomach and appetite. It's good to get them to eat anything if they're not eating. Today he ate some canned chicken, peanut butter, and cucumber slices. We also gave him some of a supplement called Enercal and another called Viyo. We just need to get him over this hump. I wish you the best.
Hi. My dog stopped eating since 10 days and lost 7kgs. He became very week. Not able to walk. Also has seizures which now increased in severity and frequency. His blood sugar is 55. Creatinine 20. Hb 7. We r givin him Iv dextrose, gabapentin and antibiotics. Also we r trying to feed him so as to help him gain weight.. Vet care is not so good here.. Can anyone please advice something to help him recover? M not able to see him suffer this way..he is 6 years old male golden retriever.
My dog's lab work came back today with similiar results as yours. How long did it take after the results before he passed? I'm sorry and thank you. Goldie, 17 yrs young
Today he has not been very active, but did manage to keep down some hamburger meat scrambled with egg white. Tomorrow is a new day.
Here are his Labs, I could not get thme to scan in right so I just typed them. He is not very active today, I am having a hard time getting him to eat. What he did eat today he threw back up. :(
WBC- 7.9
RCB- 6.89
HGB-13.0
HCT-40.2
PLATELET Ct. 440
Cholesterol- 384
Glucose-79
BUN-158
Creatinine- 11.9
Total Protein- 7.2
Albumin-3.1
Amylase-1534
ALT (SGPT)-38
AST (SGOT)-30
Phosphorus- 10.7
Alk Phos- 88
Calcium- 9.0
Bilirub (tot)- 0.1
Sodium- 140
Potassium- 4.3
Here's a couple to get you started..............
Kidney Diet Recipes:
Serve food twice daily, and feed at approximately 2% to3% of the dog’s body weight daily in food. For example, a 100 pound dog would get two to three pounds of food (one cup is approximately 8 ounces, or pound). A 50 pound dog would get one to one and a half pounds of food daily. A 25 pound dog would get eight to twelve ounces daily. A ten pound dog would get three to seven ounces daily. Dogs can vary on these amounts, depending on their metabolism and activity levels.
Recipe #1
Mix 1/2 cooked sticky rice (sushi rice) cooked in unsalted butter with 1/2 HIGH fat hamburger or dark meat chicken (lower in phosphorus than white meat). Add two cooked egg whites (no yolk) per cup. You can make as large a batch as needed and freeze for daily portions. Save the egg shells, and add back one teaspoon of egg shell (dry overnight, grind in a coffee bean grinder) per two pounds of food. The egg shell is good for calcium and also acts as a phosphorus binder.
Recipe #2
Cook Malt o Meal and add one tablespoon of unsalted butter per cup. Cool, and add two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (don’t need to whip it!). You may add a bit of meat (hamburger, ground chicken) and some gravy for flavor. I have also added chicken skin or beef fat for variety.
Recipe #3
Cook sticky rice (sushi rice) and add unsalted butter. Mix at 1/3 sticky rice, to 1/3 boiled sweet potatoes, and add 1/3 either ground pork, lamb or fatty hamburger. Add one egg white per cup. (You can substitute boiled potatoes for sweet potatoes).
Green tripe is also a pretty good food lower in phosphorus than other foods. You can buy this frozen at outlets that sell frozen raw diets for dogs, or buy it in cans called Tripett.
It is also good to occasionally add beef kidney, a bit of liver and egg yolks. While these are high in phosphorus, they do provide needed nutrients. . You can also mix either the rice or the vegetable mix with drained mackerel or salmon for variety and the fish already has bone steamed with it, so it is balanced properly for calcium. Because of the bone, fish is high in phosphorus and so should be used in very limited amounts. Do not feed tuna, as it is high in mercury.
Again, save your eggshells, and dry them overnight. Then grind them in a coffee bean grinder and add to the food served at 1/2 teaspoon per pound.
It is important to select fatty meat. So pork and lamb are also good choices to mix with the rice and they add a nice variety. Fat offers calories for energy and weight gain, and fattier cuts of meat are lower in phosphorus. Do offer a variety to keep your dogÕs interest and appetite hearty. More severe kidney problems can lend to loss of appetite and at these times, offering almost any type of food may be necessary.
Fish or salmon oil (NOT COD LIVER OIL!) needs to be 1,000 mg per ten pounds of body weight to be renal protective. I would also give one milligram of COQ10 daily per pound of body weight. There is good research behind this that shows it can help bring down the creatinine levels.
. I would also include a B vitamin in the dog’s diet, as well as vitamin E. Both of these are helpful for support of the kidneys.
I copied this from one of many kidney diet recipe pages.......I liked this one.....Hope some of this helps......Karla .
I did ask for a copy of the lab work and will post that soon. I have been pushing fluids through him all night, the vet recommanded pedilyte and/or gaterade and of course water. I am going to go get some of the fluid that goes under the skin from my vet today. He has went to the bathroom twice since 930 last night, and this morning woke up hungery, so I feed him. Where can I find some homemade reciepes or recommandations for what to feed him? Thank you for all the information. Angel
I am sorry to hear about your dogs kidney failure and glad to help you. There is hope!
If you are able to get copies and post your dogs actual blood and urine results that would help me to offer you specific kidney therapy recommendations.
Fluid therapy is the single most important factor in the treatment of kidney disease. The kidneys normally function to maintain fluid levels by concentrating the urine. With kidney disease, excess fluids are lost into the urine so dehydration is a major problem.
Good nutrition is also critical. The goal is to decrease the workload on the kidneys by decreasing the amount of waste the kidneys must eliminate. Excess dietary protein, phosphorus, calcium and salt create a lot of waste. Pet diets should therefore contain small amounts of high-quality proteins, low salt (use salt substitute), and minimal phosphorus.
Home made diets are ideal and can be tailored specifically for each pet.
The most important parameter with respect to dietary protein is quality rather than quantity or an absolute amount of protein. For example human dialysis patients eat eggs. Why? … Each egg contains 7 grams of pure protein on which the kidneys do not work at all to utilize.
Anemia or a low number of red blood cells is usually present in pets with Kidney Disease. Supplementing your dog or cats diet with B-vitamins and iron stimulates red blood cell production, which helps to counteract anemia. Vitamin B12 injections are also helpful.
Today kidney therapy may include Calcitriol, which is a natural form of vitamin D and is compounded specifically for each pet. Capsules are given by mouth once daily. Calcitriol helps prevent further kidney deterioration, regenerates the kidneys and helps restore normal function. It was given routinely to human dialysis patients.
In pets, Calcitriol is only effective when the value of the blood calcium multiplied by the blood phosphorus level is less than 40. After over 15 years, of successful international clinical trials, Calcitriol is still considered experimental in pets. So far the results have been excellent for both dogs and cats.
Kidney transplants are a treatment option in extreme cases, and are available at a few veterinary facilities in the US. The College of Veterinary Medicine, in Davis, California has a top notch Kidney Transplant and pet dialysis facility.
Long-term management involves monitoring kidney functions with blood and urine tests every three to six months. At home hydration can be monitored by pinching the skin on the back of the dog’s neck. Hold it for five seconds, then release. If it takes over five seconds for the skin to return to normal, your pet is dehydrated and fluids are indicated.
Pet owners may learn to give daily subcutaneous fluids, which are given under the skin at home.
Aluminum hydroxide, which is available through veterinary compounding pharmacies and veterinarians (rather than Epikacin) is currently the agent of choice to bind and remove excess blood phosphorus in dogs with kidney failure. Ideally canine blood phosphorus levels should be 4.0 and at that time if the sum of the blood Calcium multiplied by the blood Phosphorus is less than 40, Calcitriol may be instituted.
Azodyl offers "friendly bacteria" called probiotics, such as those in the yogurt TV commercial called "Activia", that promote a pets digestive tract to absorb digested dietary nutrients. Azodyl itself contains nothing to specifically promote or enhance kidney health as kidneys are normally sterile and do not contain bacteria.
If a pets kidneys did contain bacteria, then the pet would be quite ill and have a kidney disease called Nephritis.
Many over the counter probiotic supplements are available online and at retail that provide broad spectrum "friendly bacteria", and are cost effective alternatives.
I am glad to help further, please feel free to contact our office.
Best Wishes,
Dr Carol Osborne, DVM