Time to see a specialist (I guess)

I'm not much help at all, never had these problems. I am just so sorry you and Miko are going through such a stressful time. Hopefully Miko can progress in a positive way.

I know your doing everything you possibly can, all good thoughts coming your way.

(((((((((((((Prayers and Hugs))))))))))))))))))

sable, Lucky and Lil' Lady
 
I'm not much help at all, never had these problems. I am just so sorry you and Miko are going through such a stressful time. Hopefully Miko can progress in a positive way.

I know your doing everything you possibly can, all good thoughts coming your way.

(((((((((((((Prayers and Hugs))))))))))))))))))

sable, Lucky and Lil' Lady

Me too! Don't have anything constructive to add, but want you to know we're here caring!!
 
Me too! Don't have anything constructive to add, but want you to know we're here caring!!

Same here. I don't have any advice for you because ::knock of wood::, I have no experience with kidney and liver levels.

I just want you to know that we are thinking about you and Miko and hope it is nothing serious.
 
yes, please, post numbers. As Dr Shelli said, in humans we often see numbers but pt doing ok... some numbers while out of range do not mean much without clinical picture present.
Che had what seems at the time minor soft tissue injury which set me off financially big time so yeah, I can concur about being broke.
Glad to hear that Miko is being himself. Sometimes it is all we could ask...
 
I'm sorry to hear things aren't improving with Mikos, but for what it's worth, I think it's always better to try and understand what the blood panels/tests/issues are and how they relate to the condition. If there is something that you don't think is quite right, much better to question it and look deeper rather than accept what you're told at face value. I have had to do this with both my dogs and it saved a great deal of unnecessary suffering and possibly (for Yogi) his life. You should never feel guilty about wanting to ensure your boys has the best/correct treatment.

Wishing you and Mikos all the very best. I'm glad to hear he seems otherwise in good health.
 
What food are you feeding currently? And I too would be curious about the bloodtest results.

And remind me how Mikos is?

I agree that regular bloodwork is necessary to determine if what you are doing is working. But depending on the age of the dog, any more obtrusive methods may not be appropriate.

You may be able to control and keep him comfortable by diet alone.

Hugs to you! I know exactly what you are going through...Decisions to be made, and these are not comfortable decisions at all. :sadsmile:
 
Thanks everyone. I really do appreciate all the support. It helps me know I'm not alone in this.

Since you all asked, here are Miko's Numbers.

And Barb, I believe you asked how old he is...Miko is 13.5.

According to Dr. Shelli and my vet, everything looks well (for a kidney dog). Yes, things are off, but well, Miko has kidney failure, so numbers will never look right anymore. :( Poor guy. She felt the ALt number could be high for various reasons and suggested a couple of things to get the BUN numbers down. Otherwise, everything is okay.

Now, as I told her, I wish my vet would explain things to me like she did. I probably wouldn't have freaked out about the high ALT number and what it could possibly mean (liver issues). So, I decided to do the following:

1. keep my appointment with the internist (specialist). It will be 1 month after my last blood/urine tests, so most likely she'll want me to redo them to check on the liver numbers again, which is fine.

2. if she gives me the same diagnosis of my vet and says my vet is doing fine, I will stay with my vet, but ask him to explain the bolded numbers on the test results (bold means out of range), in a better way. If he explained them like Dr. Shelli did, I probably wouldn't have freaked out, however, he doesn't know me well enough to know I need that kind of explanation, so I'll ask him for it. If he gives it to me, great. We're all good then.

and 3. if the specialist gives me something else, I'll have to decide what to do then.

I think the hard part is knowing when something is completely off, even when he acts normal. I mean, the only sign something was going on with Miko was that he was drinking a lot more water. And once every 6 months, having an accident in the house (if that). It makes you question if it really is kidney failure, and what else could be going on that I don't physically see.
 
Glad to hear that Dr. Shelli could bring some clarity to the issue for you... and even more glad to hear that things may not be quite as dire as you were fearing.

I think your plan of seeing the specialist and then evaluating from there is a good one. I hope that specialist can really shed some light on things and help you choose a path that works for Miko, you and your wallet.

(((HUGS to both of you)))
 
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