BUN and Creatinine slowly increasing

[ltret0294]

Spike(now Zipp) the 15 year old OH pup I adopted a couple of weeks ago had a dental 3/15. The dental was great despite grunchy looking teeth that are now clean, did not lose a tooth, has mouthful too and he gained almost a pound from our 3/1 visit. His BUN and creatinine however, increased a little from his Nov 09 values taken in Ohio. The BUN went from 35 to 39 and creatinine from 1.3 to 1.5. The BUN is just above the lower high limit. I/Dr B. have started him on a K/D diet to lower the protein, phorpous etc. I know there are limited prescription diets, Hills Royal Canin and Purnia. They have a larger kibble for a smaller dog. Am I "stuck" with the above 3 or does anyone know of a lower protein/phorpous kibble and wet food I can buy. I did belong to the various Yahoo pet kidney disease groups and most likely will have to rejoin.
Tks,
Bob

[Nancy1999]

I can't help you with the diet, but I just want to say bless you for taking in this dog. For those not familiar with the story, here's the link: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ml#post3030537. It's amazing he's in such good condition, and I'm glad he got the dental; I'm curious what his old home fed him, I hope Joey doesn that well at 15.

[Patti]

I am not sure what food is best but I have mine on California Natural because one of mine is liver compromised. I recently took in a 13-15 year old male yorkie from a lady that had a stroke and he wasn't eating so I took him to the vet and they did blood work and his BUN was 30 but he said based on all his other numbers he wasn't too concerned. His BUN was normal in Nov when he had a dental and all teeth extracted. Maybe when they get to this age it isn't too unusual to see a little higher numbers. I will watch this thread for some ideas on good food for older dogs. It sounds like Zipp is doing great!! Bless you for going the extra mile to get him and make sure his golden years are great.

[ltret0294]

Thanks for the kind words.
The rescue in OH just started him on a kidney diet a week or so before I got him. There was some miscomms between the rescue h/w from Spike's original vet visit early Nov. Our Vet put him on an IV while doing the dental to prevent more kidney problems. He is an amazing old guy, playful at time, fiesty according to the Vet Techs.
I will be sure to post updates.
Bob

[Ellie May]

I think at the first sign of kidneys problems in Yorkies, it isn't a bad idea to consider kidney diets. The ones you listed are probably the best choices. You can try a "holistic" dog food (Natural Balance, Innova), but a veterinary nutritionist would need to look at it first to make sure that's a good choice. Otherwise they can formulate a homecooked recipe for you if you are really opposed to feeing rx diets.

[ltret0294]

Originally Posted by ltret0294

Spike(now Zipp) the 15 year old OH pup I adopted a couple of weeks ago had a dental 3/15. The dental was great despite grunchy looking teeth that are now clean, did not lose a tooth, has mouthful too and he gained almost a pound from our 3/1 visit. His BUN and creatinine however, increased a little from his Nov 09 values taken in Ohio. The BUN went from 35 to 39 and creatinine from 1.3 to 1.5. The BUN is just above the lower high limit. I/Dr B. have started him on a K/D diet to lower the protein, phorpous etc. I know there are limited prescription diets, Hills Royal Canin and Purnia. They have a larger kibble for a smaller dog. Am I "stuck" with the above 3 or does anyone know of a lower protein/phorpous kibble and wet food I can buy. I did belong to the various Yahoo pet kidney disease groups and most likely will have to rejoin.
Tks,
Bob

I searched YT for this original thread I posted Mar 2010.
Zipp's BUN values went from 19(?) 9/10 to 37 3/11 and, more importantly his creatinine(sp) from 1.7 to 2.6 same dates. He was on 25mg Tramadol 3X, Diazepam 2.5mb 4X and 5mg Prednisone 1X for a few days for a herniated disk. I weaned him off the meds, especially the Predisone, quickly when he started to drink and pee a lot. I know "Pred" can effect the kidneys short term. He's on K/D but sneaks some of the NB/Merrick that the other pups may leave behind. I'm going to catch some urnine for an analysis next day or so.
Any thoughts why the creatinine jumped so much. He's lost a step or two but still scoots around, has a healthy appetite. He's about 16 if the rescue group's info was correct.
Tks,
Bob

[Patti]

I don't know why it would jump other than with aging the kidneys are not working as well. Nikki who had a 30 BUN last year is now at a 36 BUN and the vet out him on KD canned as he has no teeth. Nikki is estimated to be 17. His creatinine was up a little too. I know my vet said they can show no symptoms until they have 25% kidney function left so the tests help judge the severity of the disease. I will keep positive thoughts for him.

[Sammy Mommy]

Hi Bob and Zipp. My Sammy just started on the k/d food last week and he likes it. Sammy's BUN was 136 and the creatanine was 2.6 also has bacteria in the urine so he is taking Orbax antibiotic. Sammy will be 13 in June. We'll see how everything is when he has his follow up tests. Good luck to you and Zipp and thank you so much for rescuing doggies!!! From what I've read here on YT k/d is given to these pups and also Purina nf is good too.

[ltret0294]

Tks for the responses and words of encouragement. Just got done feeding the gang. The old guy was jumping for supper. We will try another test in a month.