Kidney Failure

[flora]

can anyone tell me there experience of a dog with kidney failure my girl has got this at the age of 11 and though she is drinking and weeing a lot is not to bad in her self at the  the vet just said that it might be best to pts but i will not do this yet as she seems ok i would like to know what to expect in the future as i know there is no cure.  

[Jane S]

It is never easy deciding when is the right time to let a much loved Cocker friend go but I have to warn you that end stage kidney failure is really very unpleasant & painful. This summer, an elderly Cocker we bred who was staying with us while his owners were on holiday went into acute kidney failure which did not respond to treatment - we had to make the heartbreaking decision to have him pts in his owner's absence as there was no way anyone could have allowed a dog to continue to suffer in that way. His whole system began to shut down & at the end he was in an awful lot of pain I'm not suggesting you should make this decision for your girl now but just warning you what to expect eventually - it's not very positive I know but it's better to be honest about these things I think. There is a wise saying that it's better a day too soon than a day too late when deciding when to make that final decision, something I think is very true.

Thinking of you & hoping you have a good while longer with your girl

Jane
 

[Luvly]

 

[*Jay*]

I don't have personal experience of a dog suffering kideny failure but I have seen a few at work.  Like Jane says, it is not nice to see a dog at the last stages As her disease progresses, the toxins will accumulate in her system and she will eventually go off her food as she will feel really miserable. I'm not sure if its the same in dogs, but in cats soemtimes they can get ulcers on their tongue as a result of the uraemia build up resulting in a lot of pain.  To put her on a flush, she would need to be on a drip for at least 2-3 days with no guarantee that it would help. You would just have to assess whether it would be worth it.  My old dog Brook developed hepatitis and the vet put him on a drip for 4 days. He was thoroughly miserable when he was in the vets(as I knew he would be) and as it turned out, I only got another 8 days with him before I had to have him PTS due to his liver failing rapidly.

You know her best so you will be best to judge how she is coping. I thought I wouldn't be able to tell when the time came as I would obviously be trying to keep him with me as long as possible, but I just knew. I'm sure you will too when the time comes.

[Luvly]

 

[bluegirl]

I had a dog with kidney failure she was diagnosed when she was 10. We put her on a low protein diet and she managed well on it. The most important thing is even if she pleads with you, you must not give her any more protein than her daily quota as it will make her already diseased kidneys work even harder and she will feel ill. Give her chopped parsley on her food and put a teaspoon of honey on her food twice a day aswell, as this soothes her kidneys and will help them cope alittle better, as you know there is no cure. This is when I first discovered the power of the herbs. I was desperate to keep Cindy well for as long as possible.
When you see her vomiting or with tarry stools or diarrhoea then I am afraid that this is the end stages of the disease and you will know her time is short. My dog waited for me to come home from work one January and died in my arms a couple of hours later after what looked like a fit.
The most important things are to know your own dogs health and to stick to a low protein diet.
Pm me if you want for further info.