Kidney Issue Hello Everyone, It has now been a year since my beloved yorkie Louise passed away, and we're facing health issues with our other yorkie, Luca. He was very lethargic and had trouble keeping his hind limbs up, so I brought him in to the vet. He also started shivering and not eating his normal food. They did blood work which revealed high protein levels showing the kidneys were not functioning properly, anemia, and elevated white blood cells. I'm not certain of his age, but I would say about 12-14 years old. He has always been very healthy except for some dental issues that were present when we adopted him 2 years ago. The doctor suspects that possibly there is an infection related to the dental issues and gave me a liquid oral antibiotic. I'm wondering if any of you have experienced similar symptoms in an older yorkie and if they were resolved? Also, have any of you had dental work done on an older yorkie (with anesthesia)? I'm collecting a urine sample today and will be giving him iron supplements for the anemia. Thanks, I'm always struggling with decisions to be made with the health of our pets. |
My dog was 14 at her last dental. If your vet feels they can safely place your dog under anesthesia to deal with the dental issues, then I would go forward with it. If you feel you need a higher level of care with a dental specialist, I would go to Boston and contact the dentistry department at Angell animal medical center. |
My dearly departed Scooby was 13 when he was diagnosed with kidney disease. He had protein in his urine as well and it was eventually determined that he had a genetic condition called Polycystic Kidney Disease and that was the cause of the proteinuria. Did the kidney issues ever resolve? No, unfortunately it didn't, but we were able to manage it well for a long time and we were privileged to have him with us for about three and a half more years in spite of his kidney failure. He lived a good life and was a happy little dog. Your vet will need to do blood work, urinalysis and other testing to determine the cause and severity of the kidney disease, and then you can work out a treatment plan from there. Whether your pup is a good candidate for anesthesia can be better determined after you have more information about his kidney disease. Kidney disease isn't usually curable but it can be manageable with diet, supplements and often fluids. Hang in there and try not to worry too much until you have more specifics about what you're dealing with. Diana |
Thank you Thank you for the advice everyone. I have been giving Luca antibiotics and Iron supplements and he seems to be slightly better. I submitted the urine sample and I'm waiting to hear back about the results. Diana, I'm sorry to hear about Scooby. We still haven't gotten over the loss of our Louise. What has made matters worse is that I feel incredible guilt for the way things ended and that she died alone in a hospital. It's comforting to hear that you were able to manage Scooby's illness for so long. |
Kidney disease I am learning along with you about the kidney disease. Bentley is 14.5 years old and was recently diagnosed with kidney disease. We are learning more everyday. The hardest part for us is getting him to eat. He is now 2.73 lbs. This is the best forum for learning about our babies and their problems. |
Wow, 2.73 pounds is very small. Luca weighed 5 lb.s and is currently weighing 4 lb.s. I tried to use chicken broth instead of water today, but he wouldn't drink any of it. I have been squirting water in his mouth with a 10 cc syringe. This evening he finally started drinking water on his own. Good luck to you and Bentley! |
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