Kidney failure BUN levels HIGH.. need some guidance

[MybunDleOfJoy]

Last week, my princess Mia, was becoming less interested in her food. She does this from time to time so I sprinkled a little bit of shredded cheese which encouraged her to finish her meal.(FYI- For yrs I struggled finding a food that Mia and Max would do well on, so the past few yrs they have both been doing good on Natural Balance- Venison and sweet Potato.)

By Wednesday, I noticed she started having a bit of diarrhea. Over the week, they did get treats here and there, 1 of those was new to both of them. On Thursday, my husband mentioned her stool was somewhat back to normal, only the end was watery. Friday she continued having diarrhea.

On Mother's day this Sunday, I woke up at the sound of her vomiting last nights meal undigested and she seemed lethargic. Both kibble and the wet food mix. Because it was Sunday, finding a vet that was open near me was challenging. I ended up taking my baby to an emergency group that's open 24 hours. Upon entering, the vet checked her vitals which were normal. I explained the situation and she recommended Bloodwork and XRAY for a total of nearly $2000. Unfortunately, that was beyond what I could afford to simply know what was wrong. I've had bloodwork and XRAYs on both my dogs in the past and have never paid this absurd amount of $. I was worried for my baby so she suggested some SQ fluid and nausea meds to hold till the next day. That alone $600 which I accepted.

Unfortunately, Mia's routine vet stopped taking walking's during the pandemic so I had to take her to another vet that was accepting walk-in on Monday (yesterday). After calling multiple locations, I was able to locate one that accepted Mia within the hour. I showed him an image of what her stool looked like and when I explained the situation, he recommended bloodwork, fecal test, UV, bland diet and antibiotics for about $700 which I accepted. When I told him what I had just paid the day prior and what they were charging me, even he was shocked. By yesterday afternoon, my baby had better energy, she at least walked around and followed me twice before going to lay down. When my husband arrived that night, she actually jump down and wiggled her tail a little bit to greet him and then come back to bed. Although she was still not eating her meals, she was having a lick or 2 of blended/pureed boiled chicken/rice. She also kind off started growling at sounds again with her brother, which I though was a good sign since she hasn't barked much. Mia is not an excessive barker like her brother, but she does enjoy a growl or good bark here and there.

This morning around 6am she did vomit yellow bile which indicates her empty stomach. Later at 9am, I received a call from the vet with her bloodwork results. He said she has kidney failure, to please come in so that he can show me how to administer fluids. I went in right away. He also said that she should be on a KD diet, recommended Hills Science.

When I requested her results it read the following:

Urea Nitrogen 188(HIGH)
Creatinine 4.5(HIGH)
SDMA 42.8(HIGH)

BUN/Creatinine ratio 42(HIGH)
Phosphorus 16.9(HIGH)

The fluids provided is for 5 days, 2x per day. When I was paying, I asked what will be the next step, the receptionist told me she had to wait for the vets instructions and that they will reach out. Once we arrived home, she did vomit yellow bile once again so I know her stomach needs food. I began watering down the KD wet food and giving it her using a syringe he provided yesterday. After giving her 3ml of watered down food which is one whole syringe, she did come down and take a few licks off the plate on her own before going back to bed. not sure, maybe its because she liked it. She gets up from bed to drink water and pee on the pad but she is shaking again, not sure if its because she hasn't eaten. I'm continuing the antibiotics and fluids as prescribed. Should I continue trying to feed her using the syringe?

Unfortunately, I've tried to understand her bloodwork but google has me in tears here. Could anyone please provide some guidance, is this manageable? should I request an x-ray or sometime else? share some experience please.

For reference, Mia is currently 10 yrs old.

[ladyjane]

I am sorry your Mia is so very ill. Sounds like this has been going on a very long time and without treatment they just keep getting worse. The only thing I can advise is for you to have a long talk with the vet you are now seeing and ask about treatment and prognosis.
Kidney disease is devastating and it sounds like Mia is very ill. With one like that, they usually hospitalize for IV fluids for a few days to try to stabilize them. Yes, it is expensive but you can buy time. I went throught it with two of my pups a couple of years ago....they were siblings and were poisoned (long story) .. they were in stage 4 when diagnosed yet with hospitalization and with me doing the things you mentioned about plus some meds for appetite, they lived for another 18 months. They had been given only days to weeks when first diagnosed.

It is very serious but you can buy time. I wish I could say there is a magical cure, but they don't do kidney transplants in dogs.

Keeping you and Mia in my thoughts.

PS. You need to have ONE vet and not a walk in vet. Someone you can rely on. And, yes, if you go to an EC at night or on weekends it is terribly expensive.
I advise every new pet owner that I meet to get insurance because the cost of vet care is rising to a crazy point now!

[ladyjane]

About the food. If she likes the Hill's KD, that's fine. I have not had much success with it over the years and have used other prescription kidney diets.

I use Royal Canin foods mostly.

So, if she has problems with the food, speak with your vet about one of them. If he doesn't stock them, you can get him to give you a prescription and you can purchase at Petsmart...or you can order online through Chewy.

There are also appetite stimulants he can give her. Ask him about that as well.