Gypsy now on daily Sub Q fluids

I don't know much about kidney issues so I can't help with your query Dawn, I just wanted to let you know that I am keeping you and Gypsy in my thoughts. I hope you get the answers you need.
 
I hope she improves ASAP. Just a thought, possibly for a treat Dannon Yogart and cheerios might help.

Lots of positive thoughts coming your way.
 
I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't. I do know we used some homeopathics for Ivy's kidneys, but never heard about the COQ10. Is there a homeopathic vet in your area that you could consult? I found the homeopathic meds to be a big help.

Also, The Whole Dog Journal has numerous articles on homeopathic remedies for kidney disease. You can find it online. You might find more information there.
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com.

Good luck, Dawn. Sending hugs and prayers to you and Gypsy.
 
dawns2shelties said:
Gypsy has now been on daily Sub Q fluids for a month so I had her blood work
checked again. I was a little irritated when I got the test results back because they just did what they call a mini panel at the vets office instead of sending it to the lab where the last test was done and I don't know if I am getting a good comparison between the 2 if done in different places. I'll list yesterdays results and the results from lab on May 6 and a vet test done March 2010.

Vet test 6/22/11 Lab 5/6/11 Vet test 3/17/10

Glu-98 / 96 / 126
BUN-52mg / 66 / 62
Crea-2.3 / 2.1 / 1.2
TP- 7.0 / 6.7 / 6.7
Alkp- 89 / 39 / 80

when this was posted the numbers aren't lining up under dates so I had to put a / after each number to separate the results of each date. I hope you can understand it this way.

So basically the Bun has decreased,Creatine gone up slightly in the past month but since last year it has doubled. As far as I have learned from reading the Creatine is the number to really keep an eye on. I recently read COQ 10 has been shown to decrease these levels. If anyone knows the dose for a sheltie and if there is a special one I need to purchase please chime in. Thanks Dawn and Gypsy.
Click to expand...

No experience with COQ 10 for kidney dz. I have used it for cardiomypathy in boxers and Dobies.

The blood levels are probably comparable. It often happens the levels don't decrease all that much with fluids after the initial start up but hopeful they help maintain or keep them from getting worse.
 
Hi Dawn, I have been thinking of you & Gypsy often. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to stop by and leave a note until now. I haven't heard of using COQ10 but if you find out more about it, I hope you'll let us know. Holly has had a staticky sound to her breathing the last month and one vet told us it was fluid in the lungs and another said it was fluid in the body - but outside of the lungs - like a mucus in the throat area that was affected by the various positions her body was in. So far, I tend to agree with the second opinion because she does not cough as though having too much fluid (except when she twists herself into an odd position and crushes her esophagus area in the process.) And when she is standing/walking, the sound is nearly non-existent. Mostly I hear it when she is laying or resting on her stomach. The holistic vet gave us something called Standard Process Fen Gre.

I took her to a vet 2 weeks ago and here are some of her kidney numbers:

Original BUN: 69/Current BUN: 35
Original Creatnine: 4.6/Current Creatnine: 2.4
Original Phosphorous: 13.8/Current Phosporous: 5.2

Her current potassium level is 5.1, which is slightly elevated - the vet said normal tops out at 4.9 (I think?)

She seemed to be doing pretty good lately, but has thrown up the last 2 out of 3 nights and I don't know why. She seems okay during the day (sits outside barking, eating her treats, etc.)...for a week or two recently she had a loose stool and the vet recommended increasing her dosage of Probiotics from 2 to 3 scoops a day as a therapeutic measure; I had been giving 2 which was considered "maintenance" but once I moved to 3 scoops per day, the poops went back to normal. Another reason the vet offered for possible softer stool was that we had been feeding her Nature's Menu patties, but I had been cooking them and not serving raw. We discontinued the patties and are now feeding the food I began with: canned Before Grain Chicken by Merrick. My fear is starting to grow because throwing up was the symptom she displayed regularly before we found out she had kidney disease. When she threw up Friday night, it was right after I fed her and she drank a bunch of water so I thought it was from gulping down too much stuff rapidly. At 4 AM this morning, I heard her gagging and she spit up mostly fluid/bile and so it wasn't similar to Friday's kind of episode since it was quite a few hours after her last feeding. Last week, my husband convinced me to give the Nature's Menu patties another try - I don't know why, but he seems to really enjoy feeding her stuff that looks like a real burger - so I am half wondering if the throw-ups are coming from the beef patties. So, no more patties and I guess we'll wait and keep our fingers crossed that there are no more throw-ups coming. If she keeps it up, I guess I'll have to call the vet on Tuesday....

Has anyone's dog displayed excessive licking? this is something else thats new with our dog in the last couple of weeks. She seems preoccupied for long periods of time with licking her bib after eating or drinking. We trimmed part of it away but last night, she was licking anyway and sometimes getting her feet and front legs (she was always doing it while lying down) and alot of the time probably getting the hardwood floor. This was another thing I wondered about when she threw up: if she had licked the wood floor too much and gotten an upset stomach from that - not that our floor is filthy, but with foot traffic and old residual Swiffer solution or dust - maybe that was a factor?? I have no idea.

Hope you are all having a safe and happy 4th of July & Canada Day (hope I said that right :) weekend,

Janice & Holly
 
Janice I am wondering if the licking is an allergy. I hope you can get her nausea under control. I also called Merrick to ask about the canned food awhile back and it was really high in protein and was not low in phospherous. They said they would not recommend it for Kidney Disease dogs. You may want to check with your vet about this again.
 
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