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10-12-2010, 10:37 AM | #16 |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,451
| I would just give him K/D as treats! They do not know the difference. I have a pup on special food and he gets his as a treat and he gets as excited as he would be with any other treat!
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10-12-2010, 11:05 AM | #17 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Huntsville, AL Madison
Posts: 8
| Thanks!! I am giving him the K/D treats but it is a hard bone. What I was wondering if there are any soft k/d treats because I have to put his phenobarbital in the treat. I am still putting it in a small pepperoni treat. |
10-12-2010, 03:30 PM | #18 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: boston
Posts: 46
| Thank you. Tiffany will always be my sunshine and my little angel. Wish they could be with us forever. I remember how I felt when I found out Tiffany had kidney failure and if I can help someone else I'm happy. You could try natural balance moist rolls they have all natural ingredients. They sell them at Petco and other petstores. The small rolls are .99 cents. Try the turkey he'll love it!! Were Rockybears kidney values high??? Good luck with the ultrasound. k9kidneys and dogaware are good website as someone else mentioned. dogfoodscoop.com is a good site for non-bias dog food ratings. If you can read the article on kidney diet foods, Science diet k/d is in that article. Any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Best wishes |
10-12-2010, 08:57 PM | #19 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Brooks, Ga.
Posts: 1,003
| My Heidi would have be 18 yrs old if she had made it another 11 days. She lived with acute kidney failure for 3 1/2 yrs. After the diagnosis the vet put her on sub-q fluids for 3 days but it didn't make much difference in her labs so he did IV fluids during office hours for 3 days (Heidi would get really stressed at the vet so he let me bring her in at 7am and we would stay for fluids until 6pm). Her labs really improved after the IV fluids but he wasn't sure she would live alot longer. I started out giving her sub-q fluids twice a day. She was put on the KD diet, enalapril, Maalox, Hi-Vit drops, calciltriol and azodyl. After awhile we increased the fluids alittle and did them once a day. She did well for quite some time but then she developed congestive heart failure and had to go to the emergency vet. They tried to talk me into putting her to sleep but I wouldn't do it. They put her on oxygen and gave her lasix, a sedative and I think they gave her a steroid too and I picked her up and took her to my vet the next morning. He didn't give me much hope at all and said I probably needed to consider putting her to sleep. But that afternoon he called and told me to come pick her up because she was barking so much and getting more stressed. He could not believe she made it. She was put on lasix 2-3 times a week and we cut down on her fluids alittle. We would go through episodes of her not eating well and I would just give her anything she would eat until she felt better. I'm not going to say it was easy but she did have a good quality of life until the end. My vet use to call her the "little trooper" because there was several times that he thought she wasn't going to make it much longer but she was a determined little girl and she would get better. In her last few months I prayed that she would go peacefully at home but she just wouldn't give in. I probably held and rock her for the last two months of her life. On that horrible day that I had to make the decision for her it took them three injections to make her little heart stop beating. As sick as she was I still don't think she was ready to go. If I had to do it again I would do t all over again because until the end she did have a good quality of life. The vets are not always right when it comes to predicting how long our babies are going to live. Just educate yourself on the disease and be ready for the extra care they will require. They will let you know when they have had enough. It is costly to treat them because they have to go to the vet more and some of meds are not cheap but one thing that helped me save alittle money was to get a prescription for the fluids. I could get a whole case of fluids for $14.00 compared to $9.00 a bag at the vet (Rite Aid). I also got the enalapril from my pharmacy alot cheaper. I hope this helps you alittle bit. You can contact me if you need any help or just someone to talk to. |
10-13-2010, 08:41 AM | #20 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 15
| Kidney Disease I am very sad this morning. My Chelsea, 5.5 years old, will be 6 on Dec. 1 is at our Vet Clinic due to kidney failure. I was told last Feb. 2010, her life span would be shortened due to being born with bad kidneys. She was put on K/D canine dry food, and seemed to enjoy it for a few months, but as time passed, she started to refuse it, so on Vet's recommendation, I put 1 tsp of chopped K/D canned to supplement her diet and to get her to eat. Last week, she refused food, and the last 2 days, she started to refuse water. She doesnt seem to be in pain, but she struggles to walk, in slow mo, not her peppy self. I had noticed Chelsea wasnt her happy Yorkie self, playing with toys and chasing birds in our back yard, she just doesnt have the energy. I took her in yesterday to the Clinic, and our Vet suggested to keep her overnight to hydrate her to try to flush the toxins in her kidneys, that have built up the last few days. I just spoke to our Vet, and he wants to give her an anti nausea med injection and offer her some food. He also, wants to speak to me at later this AM, to discuss our next step. He did suggest to try to continue to hydrate for another 24 hours, but he cant recommend it will work. I do realize what is coming, but I am very saddened to lose my little girl, the joy of our home. Has anyone gone thru the flushing of toxins and it was successful? I do realize this isnt a cure, but only buying her more time. I do believe if she doesnt have quality of life, I must let her go, as I have done with my other pets. I just hate this part, making the right decision, so she doesnt suffer or in pain. Chelsea has also been on Proin 25, chewable, 2x a day for incontinence since she was spayed at 6 months. She is now refusing the Proin, even in her favorite beef flavored Pill Pockets. Please advice. Chelsea'sMom |
10-13-2010, 08:50 AM | #21 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 15
| More on Chelsea I forgot to mention, the kidney failure isnt the only health issue. She also has bad hip joints, arthritic and in cold weather has problems with mobility, and a small heart murmur and hypertension. Any medication for her hips is not recommended due to the med going thru the kidneys for filtering purposes. She was put on a heart med, but it sedated her too much, she slept all day, and just recently was put on a med for hypertension, but since this recent issue came up with her kidneys, vomiting and diaharria, the med was stopped temporarily. With all of these chronic health issues, it is fair to do comfort care for her? I am so concerned, and I need to make the best decision for her. Again, I know many of you have gone thru this dilemna, and I would appreciate your thoughts and advice. Thanks in advance, Chelsea'sMom |
10-13-2010, 10:41 AM | #22 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Huntsville, AL Madison
Posts: 8
| Dear Chelsea's mom, I am so sorry to hear about your baby Chelsea. I know exactly how you feel. We just found out about Rockybear last week. It is awful. I don't think we are ever ready to let go. Even though Rocky too has had other issues such as seizures he has the best personality ever!!! I think because he has had so many other issues it had made him even more special and innocent to us. WE are going to have a ultrasound Friday. We have not started on anything else but Hill K/D food. I was reading Annierna story. I think she has alot of experience that we both can help us both right now. It is just so sad!!!! |
10-13-2010, 11:21 AM | #23 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 15
| I just brought Chelsea home from the Clinic. It seems flushing the kidneys have helped for now. She is up and walking, ate a little and now walking through the house. The Vet decided to discharge her since she kept food down, after force feeding a liquid diet, with a syringe. She wasnt to happy, and bit too Vet Techs, which the Vet said is a good sign...(yeah, he wasnt bitten, ) She also chewed thru 2 IV lines, and he said he couldnt keep her overnight again, unless he uses sedation, which we both dont want. He expects her to decline again, due to her high numbers in her blood test. He mentioned he has several patients that he flushes out monthly, but I dont know if I want to put her through that or if I can afford this expensive treatment. For now I will enjoy our time together, and take one day at a time. Swright55, thank you for responding. We had an ultrasound done on Chelsea last February, and thats when it was confirmed she has failing kidneys. Anniernc, thank you for posting your story, it does give us hope. Chelsea'sMom |
10-13-2010, 01:01 PM | #24 |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,451
| You might want to speak with your vet about giving subcutaneous fluids at home. It is less expensive and also less traumatic for the pups because they are at home.
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10-13-2010, 03:42 PM | #25 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: boston
Posts: 46
| I totally agree that doing fluids is less stressful for the dog and less expensive. If you vet is willing they will teach you how to do it. You can get the fluids thru drs. foster and smith 1000ml bag is 4.99, lines are 3.00, and needles are .18cent a peice. The anti nausea shot he wants to give is probably cerenia and it works wonders so do it. As far as flushing the dog once a month thats going to further ruin the kidney function and whats remaining needs to be preserved for as long as possible. As far as food the most important thing is that your dog eats!!! Some dogs don't like the prescription food and other dogs it just doesn't agree with them. There are good quality low protein dog foods out there(3.5 percent protein) that don't contain by-products(which is low quality junk), corn, preservatives etc. Ask your vet for a 3 ml syringe so you can give your dog water if he won't drink. This is never an exact science and you have to find out what makes your dog happy and as healthy as possible. It's a lot of work but well worth the time and effort. Don't give up!! I wouldn't have trade the extra happy 2 years it gave my girl for the world. |
10-13-2010, 03:57 PM | #26 | |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,451
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10-13-2010, 04:29 PM | #27 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: boston
Posts: 46
| I'm so glad someone understands!!! They are our buddy's and deserve nothing but the best!! Rest in peace Tiffany and Cody we love you |
10-13-2010, 05:09 PM | #28 |
Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 15
| Thank you all for your input and recommendations. I understand it all, but with the subcutaneous fluid injections, does the pet have a good quality of life; running, playing and chasing birds, as my Chelsea loves to do?? Or is their condition delicate, lethargic? Again, I thank all for your posts of hope. Chelsea'sMOM |
10-14-2010, 06:32 AM | #29 | |
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,866
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10-14-2010, 06:35 AM | #30 | |
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,866
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