[kjc]

The only way to know a dog's kidney function when no symptoms are present is to do specific bloodwork. Most dog owners only do bloodwork before scheduling a needed surgery, or when a dog is sick.

Many Yorkie owners here do bloodwork at least yearly on their aging dogs, and every two years unless it's needed on middle aged dogs, as a preventative measure, to catch any disease states early on and initiate treatment.


The end result is usually heart and/or respiratory failure... the brain gets too toxic and deprived of the necessary chemicals it needs to send the appropriate signals to the body's organs, like the heart and lungs, and they cease to function, and death follows.


When a dog starts vomiting, food and water should be taken away for 24 hours. (most vets say this). With my small Yorkies, I withhold food and water for at the minimum 4 hours, then I offer a teaspoon or so of water. If they keep it down, I offer another very tiny drink 30 minutes later, and another drink 30 minutes after that. Then I'll offer a tiny bit of bland food, wait 30 minutes and offer a little more. Over 3-4 hours I work them up to full access to water and half their regular meal.

If they start vomiting again, they get no food or water for 6-8 hours, then I start over with the tiny amount of water again. If they vomit again, I call my vet.

Vomiting itself can be dangerous. It can cause dehydration, which causes chemical imbalances in the system. It can be aspirated and cause problems in the lungs, from low blood oxygen, pneumonia, or even suffocation. There are drugs the vet can give the dog that make him stop vomiting, and they will put them on a schedule to get them eating and drinking again.