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10-13-2015, 07:35 AM | #1 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Kidney disease On an annual wellness health visit, blood work turned up that our 9 year old Yorkie's (Wyland) BUN number was at 99. Max should be 31. Prior year he was at 19. Vet has put him on kidney med and blood pressure med, suggested even lower protein diet than we were doing, performed urine protein creatine ratio monthly only to show numbers after three months are not improving. They are basically telling us that there is nothing more that they can do and his life expectancy is greatly reduced. Wyland is not exposed to antifreeze or other toxins so it is also a "mystery" to the root cause. He is not experiencing pain and is still very active and eating/drinking well. My husband and I have been reading about an herbal program by Canine Kidney Health by Five Leaf pet pharmacy, and wondering if anyone has used an herbal program and if it produced positive results. OR, if anyone has experienced kidney disease with their pet and can offer any suggestions. We are also going to seek another vet for a second opinion. Any comments greatly appreciated! We love our little guy! |
Welcome Guest! | |
10-13-2015, 08:16 AM | #2 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker | So Sorry to hear about your "Baby". In additional to what you are doing, would suggest a second opinion from a specialist. Is there one in your area?
__________________ Lynn - Cricket , Damit, Dixie, Gracie , Daisy , Luke and Lily |
10-13-2015, 08:33 AM | #3 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Kidney disease Thank you! I am in the process of trying to locate a specialist as well. Please keep our little Wyland in your prayers. |
10-13-2015, 04:49 PM | #4 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Toluca Lake, CA
Posts: 5,491
| So sorry to hear about Wyland's diagnosis. We sadly have had many members who have dealt with this issue. I looked about YT threads on this and perhaps there are some that will help you figure out a course of action. Hopefully others how have dealt with this will offer their advice. Sending prayers and best wishes. Here is the YT search results. Kidney - Google Search
__________________ CarolynBuster Brown "The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything." |
10-14-2015, 06:05 AM | #5 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Kidney disease Thank you and I will look through the threads. The more the information, the better. It's nice to have the support of others! |
10-14-2015, 06:19 AM | #6 |
YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Fountain Hills, AZ USA
Posts: 385
| Hi. I'm very sorry your baby has been diagnosed with Kidney Disease. My last yorkie was diagnosed with renal failure at age 12 and lived with it to age 16, but it was a lot of work and expense keeping him healthy. You mentioned that your pup has a BUN of 99. Did your vet suggest sub q fluids to hydrate him and possibly lower that number? We did daily fluids at home for three years. It was the single most valuable intervention we put in place and I am sure it was what kept him alive. You did not mention the creatinine level. Creatinine is a better indicator of kidney function. I have not used the Five Leaf Pharmacy products but know a couple of people that have. I don't want to say that they don't work at all because some people have limited early success with them, but their good reviews are all on their own webpage. They seem to offer a burst of help early on, but with no staying power and the products are very expensive. I would definitely do some more research and talk to your vet before investing in the product. My vet told us not to use them, that they were an expensive diuretic for the most part, and that our money would be better spent rehydrating our dog than dehydrating him. Of course, your mileage with the product may very well be different as mine is only anecdotal evidence since I didn't use it myself. Diana |
10-14-2015, 06:38 AM | #7 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Kidney disease Diana, Thank you so much for your time and consideration in offering such valuable information. I am sorry to hear that you have suffered the loss of a fur child. Wyland's creatine number in August was 2.3. We now have him scheduled with a specialist. I thought too on the hydration as I have read that it is critical to keep them hydrated. Our vet declined that it would be a benefit for him. ???? We are anxious to see what the specialist will have to say. We love our little guy and want to do whatever is best to give him a good quality of life. Thanks again and have a great day! Barb |
10-14-2015, 09:00 AM | #8 |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Ohio
Posts: 364
| So sorry your boy has been diagnosed with this horrible disease. I, sadly, have some experience with it. I've lost 2 dogs, a Dachshund and Yorkie to it and now my 14 year old Yorkie, Haley, was diagnosed with it a few months ago. It sounds like you're already seeking a second opinion so that's good. I work in a vet clinic and I can tell you with numbers as high as what your boy's are, the vets I work with would definitely recommend putting him on IV fluids to do a kidney flush. After the kidney values come down, they put them on sub q fluids at home. Keeping them hydrated is really important. Luckily with Haley, I caught hers early so I'm giving her fluids twice a week at home and so far she's doing well. As far as supplements, ask your vet about Azodyl. I had my last Yorkie on it and sub q fluids and he lived for a little over a year after being diagnosed. He also had severe arthritis and the medicine I had to keep him on to keep him comfortable for that was hard on his kidneys, so it's possible he would've lived even longer if not for that. The Azodyl has went up quite a bit in the last year so I'm trying something different with Haley. It's called Aventi KS powder and I just mix it in her food twice daily. I can get you the companies with cheapest prices if you're interested. I'm going to have her bloodwork repeated soon to see if it seems to be doing anything for her. She is also on Science Diet k/d food which is lower in protein and specifically for kidney disease. I hope this helps some. Good luck!
__________________ Yorkie Mom to Haley, Toby and Lily. RIP Teddy Bear |
10-14-2015, 10:47 AM | #9 |
I ♥ my Cookie Monster! Donating Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: South Texas
Posts: 2,999
| I'm so sorry about Wyland. It crept up really fast with my girl Minnie (she's the yorkie pictured in my avatar). She got blood tests every year to check the kidneys since she was older (no idea on the age since she was a rescue, but at least 10 and probably more like 13+ since she was full grown when we rescued her, and we had her 8 years) but got really sick one day and that turned out to be it. I put chicken broth in her water to encourage her to drink more, at my vets suggestion since her kidney function had plummeted so badly. Be on the lookout for seizures, Minnie never had them until the end, but they're apparently pretty common with kidney failure.
__________________ Cookie ;;; RIP Minnie |
10-14-2015, 12:44 PM | #10 |
YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Fountain Hills, AZ USA
Posts: 385
| Barb, I'm glad you've got the appointment with the specialist. And fluids will definitely help to keep your pup more comfortable and live longer. Please check in and let us know how the appointment went. My Scooby went to the Rainbow Bridge on October 30th last year and I still think of him and miss him, but he lived a long, happy and full life to the age of 16 and bravely battled chronic renal failure for almost four years. I could not ask him to continue the battle as he had painful arthritis and the meds to keep him comfortable caused further damage to his kidneys. I promised him that I would not let him suffer, and chose to let him go before things got bad. Diana |
10-15-2015, 06:22 AM | #11 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Kidney disease Hi Diana, Again, I am sorry to hear of your loss of Scooby and his battle with renal disease. I am in agreement with you that quality of life is more important than quantity, and we will not let our Wyland suffer, and do our best to keep him with us. My last dog was a lab and he lived to be 16 1/2. We were hoping for that with Wyland as well. On October 30th Wyland and I will say a little memorial to Scooby in his memory. I am sure he provided you much unconditional love and that he was fortunate to have such a great pet parent! Take care and I will update after appointment on Nov. 3rd. Warm regards, Barb |
10-15-2015, 07:09 AM | #12 |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,450
| I have had different experiences with renal failure. Some pups do well and others not so much. I had one pup, Cody, who was diagnosed with renal failure when he was 8. He was put on Hill's KD and his numbers came down on that diet. In time he didn't like that food so I switched him to Purina NF. Cody lived to be almost 13. I have a pup now who has PLN (protein losing nephropathy) and she is on two blood pressure meds, aspirin and Purina NF. She is doing very well. Hope this helps. So sorry you are having to deal with this ... please keep us posted.
__________________ |
10-15-2015, 11:58 AM | #13 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Thank you so very much for the valuable information, and I am sorry for all that you have had to deal with and continue to face. We are very anxious to see the specialist and what they may have to offer. I would most definitely be interested in any product information and the results that you are obtaining. Thank you for your time and your pups will be in our thoughts and prayers too! |
10-15-2015, 11:59 AM | #14 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Thank you so much for your time and thoughtfulness. Best wishes and continued good health to your fur kids! |
10-15-2015, 12:01 PM | #15 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 41
| Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and to watch for seizures as I was unaware of that. We also put Pedialyte in Wyland's water which helps him drink more and help with keeping his electrolytes up. Really appreciate your support and best of good health to you all! |
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