Phaedra3 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 My 10 year old male greyhound, Moses, has been diagnosed with early stage chronic kidney failure. He is now due for his monthly sentinel heartworm med and I am concerned if it will be harmful to his kidneys. My vet told me that I should continue to administer it monthly. Does anyone else give heartworm meds to their kidney impaired dog? Besides putting him on a royal canin prescription food and giving omega 3 supplements, my vet also suggested putting him on a daily dose of enalapril. I have read that enalapril has benefits for dogs diagnosed with kidney disease but I have also read that it can cause kidney disease to worsen. Very confused about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Sorry to read that your Moses has early stage CRF. Often when it is caught soon you can help them by modifying the diet and helping to maintain electrolyte balances. How long this will work varies from dog to dog. I've lost 3 to it, two of them needing to be euthanased within a couple of months of dx. but the other got 18 more months of good quality life and reached 14! It is a truly horrible disease and I've learnt that as long as you know what to look for that signals end stage (when they start to feel really really bad permanently) that we can and should go that extra mile and try reasonable treatments for them. When my last dog will ill with CRF I found a really busy helpful and knowledgeable support group on Yahoo called K9Kidneys . You had to apply to join and have recent vet. lab results that you could share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 And...is your vet aware of greyhound renal values? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedra3 Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 Yes, she said that she is aware that greyhound values run a little higher. His BUN was 41, creatinine 2.1 and SDMA 17. Urine concentration came back good at 1.040. He is due for his heartworm meds today and I'm leary about giving them to him for fear they will cause more damage to his kidneys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smurfette Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) You might want to look into solidago compositum by heel. It is an amazing remedy for kidneys. There is a therapy called suc - therapy (solidago compositum, ubichinon compositum, coenzym compisitum) but I don't know if it is available in the US. Edited January 27, 2018 by smurfette Quote Sorry for butchering the english language. I try to keep the mistakes to a minimum. Nadine with Paddy (Zippy Mullane), Saoirse (Lizzie Be Nice), Abu (Cillowen Abu) and bridge angels Colin (Dessies Hero) and Andy (Riot Officer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Yes, she said that she is aware that greyhound values run a little higher. His BUN was 41, creatinine 2.1 and SDMA 17. Urine concentration came back good at 1.040. He is due for his heartworm meds today and I'm leary about giving them to him for fear they will cause more damage to his kidneys. To be honest-doesn't sound like awful renal disease. The smda tends to run high in gh's making it a rather inaccurate test imo, the creatinine could be perfectly normal for your hound (many hounds run in that range) and the usg is fantastic. Do you have a previous test to compare the bun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedra3 Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 Last years Bun was was 24, creatinine was 1.8 and SDMA was 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Last years Bun was was 24, creatinine was 1.8 and SDMA was 14With an upward trend I too would consider early intervention but, I wouldn’t hesitate to continue your heartworm prevention.Enalapril is prescribed for renal patients but, (I know is confusing) technically you should have another blood draw 2 weeks after starting it just to make sure your dogs kidneys are not having an adverse reaction (rare but best to be cautious). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Have you recently changed the diet ? what is the protein content ? Maybe giving different treats ? The reason that I ask is that the Specific gravity is good and I would have expected to see it in the teens or low twenties with kidney problems. Was Moses dehydrated ? Do you know if a Blood pressure reading was done ? Was there protein in the urine ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racindog Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I have used heartworm preventitive on kidney dogs before for years without any apparent negative effects. I have also used Enalapril on 2 different kidney dogs for years. I believe it to be a safe and good drug and I actually think it helps them. And just for the record if I decide that something is safe it is a rarity because everybody on here knows I don't believe in putting "chemicals" into my dogs so I don't use hardly any medications-no NSAIDS etc.or 'strong' fleas & tick stuff etc. However, in my years of experience with them on different dogs the heartworm meds and the enalapril are safe and beneficial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedra3 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 He was on limited ingredient nutro lamb and sweet potato with a crude protein content of 20.0% and I also would mix in some boiled chicken to get him to eat. He was always a finicky eater. As for the treats, yes for the last few months I was giving him 2 purina beyond chicken and carrot jerky treaty's which has 34.0% protein. There was some protein in the urine. The vet was saying protein to creatinine ratio was 1.4. They did not do a BP reading just because the vet felt it would be inaccurate since he is very stressed in the car and at the vet office. He was not dehydrated. I like the idea of doing blood work 2 weeks after starting enalapril. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedra3 Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 I have also added salmon oil into his diet. I also have welactin fish oil, any advise as to which is better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedra3 Posted February 1, 2018 Author Share Posted February 1, 2018 Going to start Moses on enalapril as per the vets instructions. Should I expect to see any side effects from this drug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 It's been many years since I had a dog with kidney disease, but I do not remember him having any side effects from enalapril. He was put on it to control high blood pressure, which as I understand is associated with kidney disease in dogs. There are some possible side effects listed for the drug. I read a lot of diet info on this site: http://dogaware.com/health/kidneydiet.html It advocates not going very low protein until advanced stages of the disease. My boy was also diagnosed around age 10, and he made it to 13 with good quality of life until the last few months. Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 You may want to switch to a different treat with less protein. Also, you might want to check the salt content on the dog food that you are using. I've had dogs with kidney issues and that is one of the reasons that I went to home-made food - I have more control over the amount of protein and salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaedra3 Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 I have switched treats and I have changed his diet. I feed him the Royal Canin renal support for breakfast and boiled chicken and rice for his dinner meal. I also have tried hamburger and rice but he is not a big fan. Can you suggest some homemade diets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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