Not One But Two ...

[Guest NahlaGreys2]

So I had posted in the food/dietary forum that my 12 y/o girl, Kota, has had a significant loss of appetite in the last few days. I was really hoping it was either a bad batch of food, maybe a bad tooth, just tired of the current diet - or at most sympathy pains for my 11 y/o girl who was just diagnosed with TCC. Took Kota to the vet after work today to run bloodwork and a urinalysis. Long of the short - her kidneys aren't running at full capacity. Didn't use the words renal failure but I suppose that's where this is headed left untreated. So the vet is starting her on a renal diet and daily dose of pepcid. Sigh. Merry Christmas to me.

[Batmom]

Hopefully that will help her. Keep us posted on how your pups get on, OK? It is hard having one not doing well, let alone two.

[TheFullHouse]

Oh I'm glad you took her in. Hopefully she responds well. It is bad enough having one sick let alone two.

[RedFawnMom]

I am so sorry. Having two sick pups must be so hard. Hopefully the renal diet will help.

[EllenEveBaz]

[Guest PhillyPups]

 

I am right there with you with 2 failing. It does sukk.

[greyhead]

Oh dear. Glad you took Kota to the vet. I hope the renal diet improves things. Let us know how it goes, okay?

[Guest Diablo]

I'm so sorry for you and your pups, hope they both get better soon

[Guest Stripeyfan]

I'm so sorry! Hope your girls feel better soon and hugs to all of you.

[Guest NahlaGreys2]

First off ... If this place wasn't around, I'd be in a real quandry .. this place is just such a wealth of information and kindness!

 

Second - Kota just wolfed down this morning's renal kibble Now just hoping I return home this afternoon to find out she tolerated it digesting.

 

The downside .. Annie turned her nose up at her own kibble. I'm really chomping at the bit to find another food she'll like better - but the last thing she needs right now is something else to potentially upset her stomach Any words of wisdom, I'm really at a loss here

Edited December 21, 2010 by NahlaGreys2

[Batmom]

Does Annie need a special diet, or can she have most anything normal? Could try soaking her kibble in low-sodium chicken or beef broth, or switching from kibble to rice + meat/eggs.

[Guest NahlaGreys2]

Does Annie need a special diet, or can she have most anything normal? Could try soaking her kibble in low-sodium chicken or beef broth, or switching from kibble to rice + meat/eggs.

 

So far the vet doesn't have her on a special diet. However- I don't know if it is her illness that has her turning up her nose - or the fact that Purina One recently slightly revamped their lamb/rice to the "smart blend". The girls seemed to tolerate it for a while when it first changed but have increasingly not seemed to be happy with it. So even before their health issues came up, I was considering switching. I just don't know what to try - a local pet store has probably had it with me returning foods because it gives the girls the big D.

 

I should add that I've never given them people food - at most bread, cheese or peanut butter to give medications.

Edited December 21, 2010 by NahlaGreys2

[Batmom]

Might try a small bag of IAMS Adult Lamb & Rice, or one of the Taste of the Wild formulas. These smell pretty good and seem to go through most dogs well. Chicken Soup Adult is another one.

 

Don't worry about the store -- they'll get their $$ back from the distributor, who will get theirs back from the manufacturer.

[Guest Energy11]

Our Cari is a VERY picky eater, BUT, she will eat Taste of the Wild, Bison and Venison, mixed with Chicken Soup Senior canned food. To get her "started," we still have to ply her with a treat. She has to SEE us breaking it up, and putting it in her food!!!

 

My Goldie was on a renal diet for acute kidney failure from a very bad kidney infection, and ended up staying on it. She loves it, and that is all she will eat. She eats Purina NF, which a lot of dogs prefer over Science Diet KD. The renal diet really SHOULD make a big difference, and, she likes it!

 

Sending hugs and good thoughts your way!

 

 

[Guest NahlaGreys2]

Might try a small bag of IAMS Adult Lamb & Rice, or one of the Taste of the Wild formulas. These smell pretty good and seem to go through most dogs well. Chicken Soup Adult is another one.

 

Don't worry about the store -- they'll get their $$ back from the distributor, who will get theirs back from the manufacturer.

 

 

Our Cari is a VERY picky eater, BUT, she will eat Taste of the Wild, Bison and Venison, mixed with Chicken Soup Senior canned food. To get her "started," we still have to ply her with a treat. She has to SEE us breaking it up, and putting it in her food!!!

 

My Goldie was on a renal diet for acute kidney failure from a very bad kidney infection, and ended up staying on it. She loves it, and that is all she will eat. She eats Purina NF, which a lot of dogs prefer over Science Diet KD. The renal diet really SHOULD make a big difference, and, she likes it!

 

Sending hugs and good thoughts your way!

 

Tried Chicken Soup (Senior) and even mixing 1/2 with her old food, Annie almost immediately had the big D. Just so many foods to choose from

[tbhounds]

Is Annie taking piroxicam ?? It's tough on the tummy. You might aak your vet about starting some tummy protectors.

[Guest NahlaGreys2]

Is Annie taking piroxicam ?? It's tough on the tummy. You might aak your vet about starting some tummy protectors.

 

She's on piroxicam, misoprostol and pepcid. I need to check back on the misoprostol, I'm unclear if that was meant to be continued long-term in addition to the piroxicam/pepcid.

[Batmom]

If Chicken Soup didn't work, I would probably try the IAMS next. When I was looking for a new food for Gidget -- I got spooked by a bad bag of her regular food -- I tried @ 10 different things with increasingly worse results, then instant success with the IAMS Lamb & Rice. Of course YMMV but IAMS has some beet pulp which is helpful for many dogs.

[fionasmom]

My mutt Sammie was diagnosed with renal failure on April 1, 2009. I lost her on November 27, 2010; more that a year and a half later. It was actually a stroke that was the final straw for us.

 

The renal diet can make a huge difference. Sammie's numbers actually improrved after she started the diet and stayed stable for more than a year.

[carronstar]

Many good thoughts and prayers for your pups.

[Guest Swifthounds]

 

You might want to join the K9Kidneys yahoo group. There is no better source of help and advice for kidney issues in dogs. Nice bunch of people as well.

[Guest NahlaGreys2]

 

You might want to join the K9Kidneys yahoo group. There is no better source of help and advice for kidney issues in dogs. Nice bunch of people as well.

 

The only group the search pulled was k9_lyme_nephritis, is that it? ETA: found it I will take all the help I can get, I live alone so their health and treatment is completely up to me and having both girls ill is a bit daunting.

Edited December 21, 2010 by NahlaGreys2

[Guest NahlaGreys2]

So dinner was a positive experience tonight - I called my mother so giddy I was almost in tears! Kota polished off her dish of RC-renal and what she had for breakfast didn't leave any big D for me to find after a full day of work.

 

Picked up a small bag of TOTW/lamb for Annie and she polished off her entire dish of kibble. First time I've see that in probably a couple of weeks without serious coaxing! Now just really hoping it agrees with her stomach, I am really antsy to get them stable for a period of time

[Guest ChasesMum]

thumbs up!

[kudzu]

Remember that protein itself isn't the big buggaboo. They still need plenty of protein to be healthy. It is excess phosphorus that can really make them feel bad & further damage the kidneys. It's a catch 22 in ways though. Nearly every source of quality protein has a generous helping of phosphorus as well. My suggestion would be to gather up copies of her lab work & join K9KidneyDiet & Canine Kidneys aka K9Kidneys on YahooGroups. You will get a lot of help from them. Though the term renal failure is used most often chronic renal failure would be more aptly described as chronic renal insufficiency. The kidney function is declining & not likely to improve. However, there are things you can do to help them be more efficient. Adjusting the diet is part of that. It is aimed at trying to provide the nutrients still needed but not an excess of those the kidneys have the most difficulty filtering out. Phosphorus is one of those. BUN is another. BUN is a protein metabolite. Higher quality protein means less metabolites & less BUN. Elevated BUN makes dogs feel bad. Phosphorus, though still a needed mineral, is difficult to filter so the kidneys are not able to clear it from the system as they once could. As a result it tends to build up. It too makes the dog feel bad. Renal diets are usually low protein in an effort to avoid elevating BUN & phosphorus. (That's my very simplistic explanation. The whole topic is much more complicated.) The problem here is that if you feed a diet too low in protein the dog's body may need to actually break down muscle to get the needed protein. That is a very inefficient way to get protein & can actually generate more metabolites in the long run.

 

This does not mean all renal diets are bad. Just do your research. Just because they sell it & your vet suggests it does not make it good. Of course, just because someone else may say it's bad doesn't mean it is. Pay attention both to the lab work but just as & often more importantly to your dog. The number one things, it's a tie, about renal failure are 1a) Keep your dog feeling as good & as happy as possible. 1b) Keep them eating. The healthiest food in the world won't help if your dog won't eat it. Better a good day eating supposedly bad food than a bad day eating nothing.

 

Good luck. I've gone through this with a senior cat & a middle aged dog. For many it can be managed for quite a while. My dog died with CRF but not because of it.