Young Grey Kidney Disease?

[Simonsays]

Simon (4years old) has been peeing in the house recently after being fully housetrained for two years. Occasionally Ill come home to a huge puddle by the door and thought maybe it was separation anxiety due to my relationship ending and a new work schedule. I thought maybe he needs a buddy since my ex left with the other dog who has since died from cancer. Then I noticed a pee smell in the bedroom and couldnt find where it was coming from (thought it may have been my cat) until I realized its his bed and it was absolutely saturated through the orthopaedic slumber ball foam and down into the foam base layer and carpet. I threw it out as well as his other beds that had a little pee in them too and ordered waterproof ones. I also noticed when he sleeps on my bed hell jerk awake suddenly in the am to lick his penis and theres a little spot of pee on the blanket.

Hes not drinking more frequently than normal but when he does he drinks a huge amount at a time.

 

So I took him to the vet with a urine sample and the concentration is low so did bloodwork also. No infection, but the vet says hes got some kidney failure. His blood work was creat 228 (ref range 44-159), SDMA 17 ( ref range 0-14), BUN/crea 9. His baseline back in mar 2017 was Creat 163, BUN/crea 12. I dont know the difference between Canadian and American lab values, they seem to be different. Can anyone help me there? She told me to feed him a kidney diet to support his kidneys and we will do an ultrasound after Christmas. He tested negative for lepto. I got samples of royal canin renal support a and he eats it happily but had to order a bag so hes still getting his regular food.

She said she doesnt know if its an acute kidney injury thats resolving or if its genetic. I know greyhounds have different lab values, but same urinalysis as other dogs and want to hear any thoughts or advice please? How bad is this? He behaves normally except for the drinking and peeing issue and has a voracious appetite. Im worried, I love him so much and couldnt bear to lose him. Please share your greytalk wisdom!

Ps would putting pee pads by the door when I go out be a good or bad idea?

[Time4ANap]

Someone more knowledgeable will be along about the labs. Things are often a little slow here on holidays.

 

Rocket had to go on a kidney diet and did very well on the Purina NF Kidney Function Diet. There is a kibble and a canned and he loved both of them. The other dogs who stay with us also always tried to get his leftovers, so apparently it must be delicious. Just throwing it out there in case you need another option. A prescription is required for it in the US, not sure about Canada.

 

Good luck and keep us updated.

[MaryJane]

Was the urine a first morning specimen ?

[Simonsays]

Thank you for the replies, if he has to stay on a kidney diet I might try the Purina as the royal canin doesnt even look like it has meat in it.

 

It was his second pee of the day at 1230, so she knew it wasnt the first but Ill make sure to get first morning urine for any follow ups

[XTRAWLD]

I'd say 4 is rather young. Was there protein in the urine? You will want a morning catch to test properly. The idea is it should be in his system for a long time (8 hrs) to get a good reading. Did they check for a UTI? I wonder if there is an infection going on in his system somewhere.

 

A kidney diet is essentially a low protein diet as to not tax the system too hard. Stick with royal canin for about a month at least if you can and then retest. You can only get the renal stuff at the vet. Feel free to get wet food as well - moist food going in is easier for the body to handle than dry, but even soaking the kibble a bit before feeding is beneficial.

[Simonsays]

Im not sure if there was protein in his urine, but it had sediment and she said there was no UTI and no signs of infection with his bloodwork. The vet office gave me some wet and dry samples, Im a little afraid to try wet, I finally just found the perfect combo to fix his soft stool problems after all this time and now I have to change his food again. But with some royal canin mixed in each meal so far so good. They didnt have a big bag in stock but I ordered one that should arrive by the end of the week. Ill try some wet too and give it if it agrees with his sensitive stomach.

[XTRAWLD]

You can return the food if it doesn't work out, but it is highly digestible. It's very promising that he is eating for you period! Good luck.

[MaryJane]

If it was the second pee, it was diluted and a diagnosis on that would not be accurate. Bring in a first morning specimen and you probably also want to make sure it is put in sterile container (and also clean him with warm water the night before - no soap). You should be able to get sterile container from vet. If they see bacteria in the urinalysis, they will be able to do culture and get reliable results if the urine is sterile.

[XTRAWLD]

If it was the second pee, it was diluted and a diagnosis on that would not be accurate. Bring in a first morning specimen and you probably also want to make sure it is put in sterile container (and also clean him with warm water the night before - no soap). You should be able to get sterile container from vet. If they see bacteria in the urinalysis, they will be able to do culture and get reliable results if the urine is sterile.

Agreed. Consistency is always key with these tests too. And actually for protein, you'd want to do a pooled sample instead. Morning catch 4 mornings in a row. They would average the sample and it has less tendency for a spike in a reading.

[tbhounds]

Can you post what the bun was? Was the increased amount of water intake acute? You might consider starting an antibiotic (ask about clavamox)-with really dilute urine it’s hard to know if an infection is present.

[Simonsays]

The BUN is 9. I think the water increase was at least kind of gradual because I didn't notice until he couldn't hold his pee as long as normal. It wasn't overnight anyway

[Brandiandwe]

I've got mixed news. A friend had a grey who ended up needing to be put down at under 3 from kidney failure. Lovely dog. He ate the kidney diet, but hated it and based on her experience, she said that she would next time keep on feeding as normal. The grey couldn't really be exercised, so while the diet lengthened his life by about 9 months, his quality of life was appalling.

 

One of my girls, who is nearly 8, has had kidney problems since we had her. They've stabilised, but she can't hold her pee for more than about 3.5 hours, so she is now litterbox trained. The vet and I discussed a kidney diet, but I've refused. She loves her raw diet and is happy and look great on it. She loves her food, and while this decision is probably shortening her life, she is full of energy and very happy, so I am aiming for quality over quantity. When she goes it will be quickly and I have made my peace with it. That said, it's been 6 years now, so it's by no means a death sentence.

[tbhounds]

The BUN is 9. I think the water increase was at least kind of gradual because I didn't notice until he couldn't hold his pee as long as normal. It wasn't overnight anyway

Ahhhhh-you posted bun/crea—got it now-it’s the bun/urea. ;-)

[Simonsays]

a litter box is genius, not sure he'd catch on haha but a good idea to reserve as a possible option. I'm lucky his appetite is so great, he'll eat anything crunchy. He'd eat wood chips for breakfast if I let him. I tried a belly band on him just to see, he's not much of a fan but its pretty snug so I can't blame him. Thanks for all the responses, hopefully this will be stable and slow and he gets the long happy life he deserves. When I know more I'll post it.

[turbotaina]

I don't know the Canadian lab values, but has your vet considered diabetes insipidus? I've known several greyhounds with it.

[Simonsays]

Thank you Ill research that and ask about it

[Simonsays]

Had his ultrasound today. Turns out he only has one kidney! They collected a sterile urine sample for culture and there will be a final report from the ultrasound I think tomorrow.