Throwing up

janice7920 said:
BUN was 104 yesterday and 91 today. Phosphates was over 16 yesterday but 14.3 today. The number that increased a bit was the creatnine (sp?) which went from 4.1 to 4.4.
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Those numbers are a little high. I hope your vet can get them under control. Our kidney dog sat right around 3.5 and 70 (I think) for a long time.

As far as I remember, it's the phosphate that makes the dogs feel ill. When that number is higher, they eat less.
 
So sorry you're going through this with your fur baby Janice. I've had all sorts of issues with Sadie, including UTI's and digestive issues so I have an idea of what you're going through.

We're lucky in that most of our friend's and family are animal lovers and very supportive. The ones who don't get it still try to be supportive and don't tend to say anything too negative. Some people just don't get it, try not to take what they say to heart. If your mother can't be supportive then limit what you tell her.

Best of luck at the vet's today. Thinking of you and hoping for a positive out come.
 
Hi Janice
Presently I have 2 shelties with kidney disease, who both were diagnosed a few years ago. They are half brothers, 12 plus, and 11 almost 12.
It was very hard to see them getting sick, like throwing up and diarhea 'sp'.
but with the change in their food they are managing to eat normally without
throwing up and now eliminating normal.
They both are at different stages of the kidney disease and get different doses of a drug called Lotensin.
They too have arthritis and get meds and injections for that too.
Just to let you know, if you trust your vet, let her/him determine what is the best for your furbaby.
Will be watching for your posts to see how everything turns out.
Sending our prayers for a speedy recovery.
Sylvia & our 4 shelties.
 
I am not familiar with dog BUN and Cr numbers, but with humans BUN 100 is point of no return when we start hemodialysis.
Damage to kidneys does not have to be permanent though, it could be infection, toxins from food, water, meds so with fluids and electrolytes balance it could return to normal yet.
I woudl look into alternative methods of treatments which are very helpful for kidneys that sustained temporary damage. Dr Pitcairn has wonderful book " Guide to Natural health for cats and dogs" with tons of recipes
 
SheltieChe said:
I am not familiar with dog BUN and Cr numbers, but with humans BUN 100 is point of no return when we start hemodialysis.
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That's when we decided to put our kidney dog down. They couldn't get her BUN under 100. But I didn't want to scare her.

Remember that young dog kidney failure is different than old dog kidney failure. You can keep old dogs going a while on a special diet. In young dogs, if it's not an infection or other trauma, then it's a serious problem. Sonogram can show whether or not the kidneys are shriveled, which is a telltale sign of Juvenile Renal Disease. If that is the case (as it was in our dog), there is no fixing it. You just nurse them along until they crash.

Kidney problems seem to be a Sheltie issue, and one that is not out there being dealt with. In some other breeds like Poodles, JRD dogs are known before they are 6 months old and are dead by 3 years. In Shelties, it creeps up on us. The dogs tend to be a few years old before they are symptomatic. Most people don't catch it until the dog is in distress of some kind. We only caught it early because Marque (my blue dog) acted weird around her, and we had bloodwork pulled. Otherwise, we may not have known for another six months.

Yes, JRD is absolutely inherited.

I'm still hopeful it's an infection of some kind that can be fixed easily.
 
bad news...lots of tears..and a desperate woman

took my baby back to the vet today and the news they gave us is grim. The creatine number went up to 4.6 (from 4.1 on Monday and 4.4 on Tuesday.) I have been syringe feeding her although today she is drinking water on her own. Unfortunately the fluid they injected under her skin yesterday did not completely absorb so they felt they could not give her anymore. They took an xray and thought they saw a little fluid in the lungs or near the heart because there was some haziness on the picture, so they were not encouraged about giving her an IV in case it would cause heart failure from too may fluids. But on the other hand, the vet told us the heart sounded good when she listened to it (??)

The vet explained that an IV woudl pump in fluids in to flush toxins and restart kidneys. I don't completely understand the difference between using a diuertic and using IV fluids to flush the kidneys: Is that two different things? I asked, but it didn't sound like diuertics were an option.

She told us we could take her home and keep her comfortable. She gave us a final injection of Cerenia - that it couldn't be used more than 3 times - for nausea, to prolong her ability keep food down. My baby cried out terribly when the injection was given - the vet said it was uncomfortable for the dog as the fluid was going in. This was when I began to cry.

So, it was left that we would call them when we need them. (like when we were ready to put her down.)

I am desperate now because, even though the dog is somewhat lethargic and needs to be syringe fed, I can still see my girl in there! She wags her tail and looks at me with her big brown eyes. I may be in denial but I feel like I have to give her one last chance for help so I have an appointment tomorrow morning with a Holistic vet as a last resort. If she tells me theres nothing more to be done, then I guess I will have to make my peace with that :(

I am hurting so much for my baby. Thank you for your continued kindness, it means alot to me to have your support.
 
I'm so sorry.

When we went to put our kidney dog down, she was still wagging her tail and was still giving kisses. She was just shy of her sixth birthday. She had finished her MXJ just two weeks before she crashed. You can see here here: http://www.clantyre.net/clip/Clantyre_West.html The title certificate came after her box came from the vet, and it is still unopened.

She had stopped eating, stopped going out the dog door (we think it hurt), and her kidneys had stopped functioning, like you described. But she was still happy. It was the hardest thing ever, and it still makes me cry to this day. We asked our vet if we were doing the right thing, and being the ever-grounded vet that she is, she replied "are you going to wait for the seizures?" No, that wasn't fair to us or the dog. We had run out of options.

We knew it was coming, and could plan for it. Most people don't, so we were very lucky in that regard.
 
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