I have a 9 year old yorkie that is in early kidney failure and need advice

[dottiesyrky]

So sorry your baby is going thru this horrible disease. i have been there and know how painful it is for you too.
Apart from the special food, is she getting fluids IV or sub Q to keep her well hydrated as that seemed to be the main treatment for my dog?
Good Luck, our prayers are with you.

[CindyP812]

No IV or fluids at this time. My vet says it is too early yet for that, thankfully. She drinks a ton of water. I have just switched her from a homemade diet to the Hills K/D canned and she seems to be accepting it so far. I also give her a MVT and mix some fish oil in her food. So far, so good. I just hope she does not get too bored with the food. I have always spoiled her too much in the past before this with roasted chicken. My vet says there is no evidence to suggest that a high protein diet had anything to do with her kidney disease. But it now makes it a bit harder to get her to accept a lowered protein diet. Any suggestions for snacks or treats?

[CindyP812]

Originally Posted by dottiesyrky

So sorry your baby is going thru this horrible disease. i have been there and know how painful it is for you too.
Apart from the special food, is she getting fluids IV or sub Q to keep her well hydrated as that seemed to be the main treatment for my dog?
Good Luck, our prayers are with you.

Sorry about your dog, it must be very hard to have to rehydrate them all the time. Can you tell me your story? How long has your baby been sick?

[Sammy Mommy]

For snacks and treats we would give Sammy dry k/d or a little piece of vanilla wafer. You can ask your vet for any suggestions for treats. Good luck!

[Patti]

I am sorry to hear your baby is going through this. I have Nikki who is estimated to be about 19 years old. He was a senior rescue so no history on him. About a year and a half ago he was diagnosed with early kidney failure. The vet put him on KD diet. I give him the canned as he has no teeth and it's easier for him to eat. His blood work from a month ago had not changed. But this past week he didn't want to eat and he was very lethargic and having trouble standing. So I took him to the vet and his blood work was a little worse. His BUN went to 46 and his creatine was 1.6 or 1.7 I can't remember. The vet wasn't too worried about the kidney values as he was not eating and had evidence of some sort of infection. So I think the KD diet has helped keep Nikki's kidney failure from getting much worse. Until recently he loved the KD diet. My 3 girls think it is a special treat and try and steal his food (he's blind) when they can. I started warming it now and on vets advice mix it with chicken baby food. He is now eating like normal. I hope your baby can live a long time with the disease under control. I will keep her in my prayers.

[dottiesyrky]

I do feel for all you posters and the pets who have to deal with KD. I am sure if it is caught early, the life of the pets can be managed so the dog is comfortable and happy for many years. Cindy, it is great that she is drinking and hydrated. Thank God when it is diagnosed early and it can be treated and managed before it becomes untreatable.
What happened to my baby? You may not wish to read, as it is horrible.
My situation was very sad and urgent as she had 75 % loss of kidney function, and my poor little one passed in 3 days from diagnosis. She was only 11.5 years and had always been healthy with only occasional bouts of minor (well managed I thought!) pancreatitis. She was fine but had a little tummy upset and I took her to the vet the same day, on a Friday. I had no idea she was sick as she walked, ate, etc as usual until that Friday. He did exam and various tests, x-rays etc etc and diagnosed acute kidney failure. She was very constipated (I did not know this as she was still pooping) and had pancreatitis as well. He gave an enema and had her on IV hydration in the office for 2 days. When stabilized, we brought her home and proceeded with the sub Q hydration. She would be fine for about one hour and then would go back to the miserable symptoms of vomiting, pooping blood etc. It was so pitiful to see her like this. We kept up the hydration which was very unpleasant for her, but every time she would quickly regress. After sitting up with her again on Sunday night with all the symptoms unabated, we decided she could not go on like this and that the kidneys could not be kept running by hydration. So we made the awful decision to give her peace on Monday am. It was such a shock to have this happen so quickly with no warning. How could she be so sick and we did not know??? The guilt never goes away. What did we miss and how????
Sorry for the sad story.

[CindyP812]

Originally Posted by dottiesyrky

I do feel for all you posters and the pets who have to deal with KD. I am sure if it is caught early, the life of the pets can be managed so the dog is comfortable and happy for many years. Cindy, it is great that she is drinking and hydrated. Thank God when it is diagnosed early and it can be treated and managed before it becomes untreatable.
What happened to my baby? You may not wish to read, as it is horrible.
My situation was very sad and urgent as she had 75 % loss of kidney function, and my poor little one passed in 3 days from diagnosis. She was only 11.5 years and had always been healthy with only occasional bouts of minor (well managed I thought!) pancreatitis. She was fine but had a little tummy upset and I took her to the vet the same day, on a Friday. I had no idea she was sick as she walked, ate, etc as usual until that Friday. He did exam and various tests, x-rays etc etc and diagnosed acute kidney failure. She was very constipated (I did not know this as she was still pooping) and had pancreatitis as well. He gave an enema and had her on IV hydration in the office for 2 days. When stabilized, we brought her home and proceeded with the sub Q hydration. She would be fine for about one hour and then would go back to the miserable symptoms of vomiting, pooping blood etc. It was so pitiful to see her like this. We kept up the hydration which was very unpleasant for her, but every time she would quickly regress. After sitting up with her again on Sunday night with all the symptoms unabated, we decided she could not go on like this and that the kidneys could not be kept running by hydration. So we made the awful decision to give her peace on Monday am. It was such a shock to have this happen so quickly with no warning. How could she be so sick and we did not know??? The guilt never goes away. What did we miss and how????
Sorry for the sad story.

Dorothy, I am so sorry for your loss. I have been through losing several of my beloved pets and there is no pain that compares to it except for losing a child. Their care falls to us and it also falls to us to make their decisions for them.
My Zoey has had bouts of tummy problems for as long as I have had her. I have not thought much about it either. I took her in for a routine dental and I always get the preliminary blood work and it was there that they found high protein in her blood. My vet them drew more blood and sent it out. I had taken her to the vet last year because she was drinking too much and at that time they sent out blood but it was mostly normal. I was just lucky that they have caught it early.
I had a little shih tzu that I had a similar thing happen in 2008, she would get an upset stomach from time to time and I never thought much about it. She was 15 years old and it was the week after my son died. She just stopped eating. I got her to the vet and it ended up being a huge mass on her liver. We had to say goodbye that day. I held her while they took her. Don't fret too much about what you think you should have done or missed. You were there for 11 1/2 years and that is a good long time that she had with you.
There are so many dogs out there that never know love at all.
I pray that you will find peace with your loss.
Cindy

[CindyP812]

The most painful thing I have ever experienced in the way of a pet was losing my first yorkie Reese. She was 6 years old and had bad knee's. She got to where she could hardly walk. I took her to my vet and he told me he had done knee cap surgery on many dogs. That morning I dropped her off, I had to be at work, I was a single mom and we needed my income even though that day was a day most of my department got let go. I did not know it at the time. My daughter said to me as I was going out the door to take her to the vets office "watch her die on the table". I dismissed it and went on to take her to the vet. Now this was the best little dog anyone could ever ask for. My friend brought her to me all the way from California when my husband ran off with a younger woman. Anyway, I called the vets office just after lunch and he picked up the phone and told me that he was worried about her, that her heart had stopped and that they had to do CPR on her. She suffered brain damage. He kept her there for a week in oxygen, she was in pain and she cried a lot. She would lay on her side and dog paddle. I brought her home that way. I bought a baby crib and would tube feed her all her meals, give her enemas to help her eliminate. I gave her SQ valium to keep her calm. After 4 weeks it was not improving and I had to make the painful decision to let her go. I still feel guilty that maybe I did not give it enough time. That was in 2005 and I can still cry over it. She went in there a fat and healthy little girl and came out brain damaged.

[MikaTallulah]

Zoey's long story made short

My 4 year old yorkie, had since she was born, was poisoned by Nestle Purina's Waggin Train and Canyon Creeks's sweet potato and chicken jerky treats. She was diagnosed in Feb. 2012 and died April 20th, 2012. The vet only gave her a few days but she lived +2 months after diagnosis. I was home cooking for her and giving her SQ fluids daily as well as supplements. She was born and died in my arms.

(She has her own thread for the long story)

I hope you do better with your little one.

[dottiesyrky]

Hello Cindy.
Thank you for your comforting words. It was my first dog and a terrible experience to lose her so suddenly. I can now better accept her passing and the guilt is getting less as time goes by. I am so sorry that you have had to say goodbye to some of your beloved pets, the pain is still as dreadful I am sure.
We do our best for our fur babes, but they are so long suffering and do not let us know they are sick. Not until it is serious and often too late to help them.
What an awful thing to happen, losing your son and fur kid at the same time! I cannot imagine the pain you went through, I am so sorry.
On a more positive note, you did catch little Zoey at an early stage and she is responding well to care and treatment. It shows that frequent testing pays off to check on these latent diseases our babies can have. Wishing her a long and happy life under your loving and tender care. Sorry I cant help with diet and treats, but it seems you are doing a great job with her food. I did find that with a picky eater, a very very small sprinkle of Parmesan made the food very attractive. Not enough cheese to affect dietary restrictions, but I think the strong smell does the trick. Hugs.

[ladyjane]

I have been through renal failure in the past with pups. My Cody who passed in 2006 was with me for 4 years...I adopted him at the age of 8. He did very well on Purina NF until the last six months of his life when he stopped eating and was failing. I consulted with a vet nutritionist and he did very well on a home cooked diet....he was almost ready to go to the bridge when we opted to do that and it gave him an extra 6 months.
Since you seem to want to add things to your pup's diet, I strongly recommend that you consult with a vet nutritionist. They can advise you best about diets. You can find one at American College of Veterinary Nutrition
Good luck!

[CindyP812]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I have been through renal failure in the past with pups. My Cody who passed in 2006 was with me for 4 years...I adopted him at the age of 8. He did very well on Purina NF until the last six months of his life when he stopped eating and was failing. I consulted with a vet nutritionist and he did very well on a home cooked diet....he was almost ready to go to the bridge when we opted to do that and it gave him an extra 6 months.
Since you seem to want to add things to your pup's diet, I strongly recommend that you consult with a vet nutritionist. They can advise you best about diets. You can find one at American College of Veterinary Nutrition
Good luck!

I am so sorry for your loss! It must have been devastating to lose your beloved pet from something that could have been avoided, had those treats not been tainted. I have heard bad things about the treats. You are in my prayers. God Bless!

[MikaTallulah]

Originally Posted by CindyP812

I am so sorry for your loss! It must have been devastating to lose your beloved pet from something that could have been avoided, had those treats not been tainted. I have heard bad things about the treats. You are in my prayers. God Bless!

I cry for her daily. But is she saves just one life she will have not died in vain.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by CindyP812

I am so sorry for your loss! It must have been devastating to lose your beloved pet from something that could have been avoided, had those treats not been tainted. I have heard bad things about the treats. You are in my prayers. God Bless!

You quoted me, but it was not my pup that had bad treats.

[CindyP812]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

You quoted me, but it was not my pup that had bad treats.

Sorry!