[Hercules and Coco]

I took my 13 yr old chihuahua to the vet yesterday for a routine teeth cleaning. It hasn't been done in awhile and they are bad. I stressed having blood work done before putting her asleep b/c of her age. Well, the blood results show beginning stages of kidney failure. :cry: Obviously they didn't put her asleep. But they did put her on Prescription K/d canned food and we're supposed to do the blood work again in 2 weeks. I'm not happy about them putting her back on Science Diet when I just weaned her off of it when I found out how crappy it is. I don't know alot about chronic kidney failure except the little bit of reading I've done on the internet since yesterday. At this point, I'm just doing what the vet says. Of course, I want to prolong her quality of life as long as I can. For now, she seems to be a normal healthy dog. No symptoms of kidney failure. anyone have more insight into this?

[DoggieVogue]

I don't know any thing about this ailment, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry to hear about your pup and that my heart goes out to you.

[CorkyMax]

I have 2 books to do some quoting from so will take a while and prob a lot of space--may have to put it in 2 separate posts here! Note that one book is 9 yrs. old and other is 11--but info should still be good.
!st book: Kidney Failure: Defined as the inability of the kidneys to remove waste products from the blood. The buildup of toxins produces the signs and symptoms of uremic poisoning. Kidney failure can appear suddenly (acute kidney failure) or come on gradually over months. Most cases are of the gradual onset type, and are caused by nephritis and nephrosis.
Will copy the chapters on Nephritis and Nephrosis little later here. Causes of acute kidney failure include:
#1.--Complete urinary tract obstruction caused by a stone. (Was your dog checked for that possibility?) #2.--Rupture of the bladder or urethra. #3.--Congestive heart failure with low blood pressure and reduced blood flow to the kidneys. #4.--Poisoning, esp. frm antifreeze. Dogs with kidney failure do not show signs of UREMIA until 75% of functioning kidney tissue is destroyed. Thus a considerable amount of damage occurs before the signs are noticed.

SIGNS OF KIDNEY FAILURE--( you evidently have read up on that so will 'bypass' most of the info here.) As kidney function declines, the dog retains ammonia, nitrogen, acids and other chemical wastes in his blood and tissues. This is called UREMIA. The degree of uremia is determined by measuring serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and electrolytes. (will not give you the signs of uremia--You prob. saw that elsewhere too or could find it on net.
---A condition called RUBBER JAW may be seen with chronic kidney failure. It is characterized by loosening of the teeth and ulcerations of the mouth and gums.
---Your vet may wish to make an exact diagnosis by performing exploratory surgery and biopsy of the kidney. This helps to guide treatment and determine whether the disease is treatable.
---TREATMENT of KIDNEY FAILURE: Dogs with kidney failure require periodic monitoring of blood chemistries in order to detect changes in kidney function that may require medical intervention.
---A most important step is to restrict salt intake. This helps to prevent edema (loss of fluid into the legs), ascites (loss of fluids into the abdominal cavity), and hypertension. Another important step is to restrict protein intake. Protein is poorly metabolized by dogs with kidney failure. A diet rich in meat, or one that contains poor-quality protein, creates an increased nitrogen load that must be handled by the liver and kidneys. Dogs with weak kidneys can be thrown into failure by feeding them more protein than they can handle. Also restrict phosphorus intake. The best way to accomplish all of the above is to feed a highly digestible, low-protein, low-salt diet such as Hill's Prescription Diet k/d. I have to say here that I do not agree with any crappy commercial dog food. I feed mostly a raw food diet with a little home-cooked---To me any commercial dog food is not fit for dogs!! I realize you are between a rock and a hard place but I sure would study on feeding either a raw food diet or home-cooked (with additional vitamins and supplements). It would take some intense studying to come up with just the right ingredients that would help the kidneys situation and also just to be a balanced diet--But it can be done!! In my very biased opinion--Yes the Hill's prescription Diet k/d may have the required things for the kidneys to not be stressed--BUT--nothing much in the form of good nutrition!! It is so bad that there are so many greedy people out for a buck--our dogs have to suffer---Okay, so on with this post (and remember that this book was written by a vet--and he prob. sells this Hill's Diet!)
---It is extremely important to provide fresh water at all times. The dog must be able to take in enough water to compensate for his large urine output. B vitamins are lost in the urine of uremic dogs. These losses should be replaced by giving vitamin B supplements. Sodium bicarbonate tablets may be prescribed by your vet to correct an acid-base imbalance. A phosphorous binder, such as Amphogel (I would look that word up to see what side effects there might be!), may be recommended to lower the serum phosphorus.
---A dog that becomes dehydrated because of illness or failure to drink enough water may decompose suddenly, a condition called a uremic crisis. The dog should be hospitalized and rehydrated with intravenous fluids and balanced electrolyte solutions. to be continued----------------------------------------->
Just found this address by accident---A lot of info here---BUT PLEASE NEVER GIVE YOUR DOG RIMADYL----PURE POISON ESP. INVOLVING THE LIVER AND KIDNEYS----Look it up in this forum if you need to see how bad this crap is!!

http://home.earthlink.net/~texas2step/crf.html
a couple more sites on Amphogel:
http://www.medicinenet.com/aluminum_...al/article.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_dogs_take_tums --You would have to check the ingredients listed on the label---See all the nono's for certain ingredients!

More to come--but is storming here and I don't like thunder and lightning so may be a while!!

[CorkyMax]

This is the last of what I have from the book quoted from above (1st book-2nd book to follow this post.
Nephritis and Nephrosis are names given to diseases of the kidneys that produce scarring and kidney failure.
Nephritis is an inflammatory process associated with certain infectious diseases, including canine hepatitis, canine ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and others. Dogs with systemic lupus erythematosus and chronic pancreatitis can develop nephritis. A familial predisposition for a condition called glomerulonephritis occurs in Dobermans, Samoyeds and Bull Terriors.
--Nephrosis is the result of degenerative changes caused by toxins and poisons that target the kidneys. The most important nephrotoxins are aspirin, ibuprofen and butazolidin. Certain antibiotics are nephrotoxic, particularly when given for prolonged periods or in high doses. They include polymyxin B, gentamicin, amphotericin B and kanamycin. And you can 'bet your booties' this includes Rimadyl--but this book was written 9 yrs. ago and they didn't know about this (and prob. some others) drug that should be taken off the market--greedy pharmacutical companies--ugh!! They won't give it to people anymore so once again greed 'kicks in' and our pets are dying because of it--How in h_ll can they not know it would be more dangerous for dogs than for people--It sure goes to the kidneys faster given the dog's rapid transit of food, etc!! and the dog is getting a higer dose because of the difference in size (over all)
I am not an expert but I'll bet there are other reasons it is more dangerous for the dog!! Sorry, I get so frustrated when I know our dogs are getting s__t on again and again and not much can be done about it---EXCEPT make people aware of these poisons that are killing our dogs and will know not to use them!!!! The diagnosis of nephritis or nephrosis is established by kidney biopsy.
---Dogs with nephritis or nephrosis may develop a condition called the neprotic syndrome. Large amounts of protein are excreted into the urine from the damaged kidneys. In consequence, serum protein levels are low. The results in loss of fluid into the legs (edema), the abdominal cavity (ascites) and the chest cavity (pleural effusion). The swollen limbs and pot-bellied appearance of the nephrotic syndrome suggest right-sided congestive heart failure, but laboratory studies will distinguish between these 2 conditions.
---Treatment: Nephritis, if caught in time, responds to elimination of the predisposing cause. For treatment of the nephrotic syndrome, see Kidney Failure that I posted in 1st post! Actually I should of posted this post 1st and the Kidney Failure chapter after it---so if you want to start with this post and then read the 1st post---may be easier to understand! Sorry, I was going to skip this part but found out I should have it here after going through the other part!!---------> continued-(from 2nd book)

[CorkyMax]

Some of this may be a repeat--I am just not going to skip anything and print it word for word (from the point I start at): A dog is considered to be experiencing kidney failure when 65-75% of both kidneys are not functioning. Kidney disease (as compared to kidney failure) is rarely diagnosed in dogs, because the loss of kidney function is usually not symptomatic until the dog experiences kidney failure. ( my comment here: I think you may be lucky that you found out about this accidently--the blood work showing this up very early so you can try to fix it or at least slow it down! Just think how bad it could of been when your dog started showing symptoms when the kidneys were 65-75% not functioning!!)
--Kidney failure can be caused by a poor diet; toxins such as pesticides; anything that affects the flow of blood such as high or low blood pressure and heart disease; all infections including those of skin, TEETH, and GUMS; an imbalance of electrolytes; dehydration; any kind of trauma such as an accident; or a severe illness such as cancer. Over time, a diet too high in acid, phosphorus, sodium, or protein or a diet low in potassium can cause kidney failure.
--Kidney failure is a critical condition that must be treated by a vet immediately. Long-term sucessful treatment of kidney failure is labor-intensive for you and your vet. It requires a strong commitment of time and money to keep a dog healthy after it has had kidney failure. Special meals have to be prepared, in combination with daily supplements and frequent trips to the vet. Nothing can be taken for granted with a dog that has had kidney failure. (BUt do remember here that your dog is not considered in kidney failure at this point, that this is kidney disease as of the time being--BUT certainly you would want to do some of the same things to try and keep it from getting to that point and a lot of the treatments for the failure should be good to follow for the kidney disease I would think!!) Me talking here---The rest of this 'article' is about a dog who was in total kidney failure and what was done for it. Keep in mind this was written 11 yrs. ago.
A six-month-old springer spaniel named Mandy was in total kidney failure and given a few wks. to live by a conventional vet. Mandy came to Dr. Beverly Cappel-King with breath that smelled like a mixture of bad fish and ammonia, vomiting, and diarrhea. She was so weak she could barely walk. Dr. King's diagnosis was that Mandy was in kidney failure as a result of renal dysplasia, a congenital kidney disease. She immediately put Mandy on intravenous therapy that included fluids, vitamin C, and B-complex vitamins. Over the next 2 wks, Dr. King also used homeopathic
remedies, special supplements, an herbal formula called Essiac to help flush out the liver and kidneys, Chinese herbs, and some acupuncture to stimulate the kidneys. She gave Mandy's owners instructions for home-cooked meals and a dandilion and parsley tea, which they gave her 2 or 3 times a day to help flush her kidneys. Mandy made a full recovery and has been maintaining
healthy kidneys for a year and a half. (This was written evidentally when the dog was maintaining for a year and a half---Who knows how much longer she probably stayed free of the kidney problem!!?? Will continue this in upcoming post (getting long)---->

[CorkyMax]

Dr.King carefully monitors Mandy, and the owners are vigilant in keeping her on a strict diet, which includes liver (liver is easy to digest) Me talking: Liver is where all the toxins end up in whatever liver you are feeding---So it would be very smart to buy organic and the safest liver you can!! More foods on this strict diet: small portions of other meats, eggs, (I would also buy the better eggs with omega 3, etc--Eggland's is expensive but know Walmart has another brand that is good and a better price. I buy it for my dogs--It is called All Natural Omega-3 by Great Day Naturals--has 350mg omega -3 per egg--also has 300 mcg. Lutein per egg.) On with the foods to feed--cheese, and lots of grains (not sure I agree with lots of grains), and vegetables. Dandelion and parsley are added to Mandy's food to keep her kidneys flushed. Mandy also drinks a variety of fluids to keep her kidneys flushed. When she gets tired of drinking home-made chicken broth ( Me here: canned has too much SODIUM), clam broth, and water from tuna fish (watch the salt!), they offer her melted ice cream. Aside from being a fluid when it is melted, ice cream is high in fat, does not have a lot of protein (which Mandy has to stay away from), and is high in carbohydrates and sugar, which give her energy.
---Mandy also takes kidney supplements that contain raw kidney, high doses of the B-complex vitamins, vitamin A, and vitamin C, along with an essential fatty acid supplement.
---The key to preventing kidney failure is to keep your whole dog healthy. If your dog is exposed to a lot of pesticides, the kidneys will be stressed as they work to detoxify the blood. end of quotes. Find the info on how to make your dog's immune system as healthy as you can. I would also check into a holistic or homeopathic vet like the Dr. King mentioned. Reg. vets are just not good enough on preventing things!! I would hope that after reading all of this--You would have some big questions for your vet--Maybe need a different vet? Being as you know what is happening with your dog--Now is the time to find out what to do to cure or prevent more coming problems!! I wish I had a holistic vet near-by if my 2 dogs ever have serious problems. Yes more expensive but more apt to save your dog's life!! I know more info on the dandelion 'thing' but I just can't write anymore now---Try putting dandelion in the search field---Look for the blue strip across top of page with the white words--Find search--click--put word dandelion in search box--keep it on threads for starters (if no results --go back and click posts instead of threads---I may have written on this in here before--check it out!! If not found--mention it to me and I will find the info!

[lulusmom]

Wow, Corky/Max has given you a ton of information already so I don't have much to add except there can be other underlying conditions that can impact kidney values. For instance, about 75% of dogs with cushing's will show excess protein in the urine that is an indication of kidney problems; however, this is secondary to cushing's and most of these dogs never develop true kidney disease.

It would help some of us understand things a bit better if you could post the results of the blood work and make sure you include the reference ranges. unless a dog is in acute renal failure, there is no need to limit protein. If a dog is in acute renal failure, it is important to limit the phosphorus. Since a lot of phosphorus is found in protein, you need to reduce the protein substantially to take the workload off the kidneys.

I too am not thrilled with Hills prescription diets either and would much rather home cook for my dogs. I've provided a link below to some great information on kidney disease and kidney diet. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about any condition that your vet discusses with you so that you can be the best advocate possible for your dog.

Kidney Disease

[CorkyMax]

This was put in for a liver aid for another member but evidently is good for the kidneys too!
Keeping your dog in optimal health will keep his liver in optimal health. If your dog has to take medications over a long period of time, has had a high exposure to toxins, or has spent his life on a low-quality diet, there is no doubt that his liver has suffered.
Milk thistle and alpha lipoic acid are both nutrients that can help restore the health of the liver.
Milk thistle is a member of the daisy family and contains a flavonoid called silymarin, which enhances liver function, stimulates production of new cells, and has antioxidant properties that protect the liver cells from damage. Daily doses for milk thistle are: sm. dogs--1/2 capsule, med. and lg. dogs--1 capsule and giant dogs--2 capsules. For maintenance of a healthy liver, I recommend milk thistle (silymarin) for a month each year for all dogs over six yrs old. This is me (Corky/Max) 'talking now---I have read that too much of this can cause a kind of false elevated liver reading in blood tests--not harmful. But I take where it states above about the daily doses to mean only a period of time when the liver needs to be 'restored' from the harm that has been done to it. And then all dogs over 6 yrs. old to have it for 1 mon. of each yr. for maintenance. Back to quoting:
Alpha lipoic acid is an antioxidant that is a potent promoter of glutathione. Glutathione (GSH), a major antioxidant and detoxifying agent, is found in highest concentrations in the liver, which is the primary organ in charge of detoxifying the body. If your dog has been or is on any kind of medications for an extended period of time, I recommend supplementing with alpha lipoic acid at the following daily doses: sm. dogs--50 mgs, med. dogs--
100 mgs, lg. dogs--200 mgs, and giant dogs--300 mgs. Mindell considers sm.
dogs=up to 20# med. dogs=20 to 50# lg. dogs= 50 to 100# giant dogs= over 100#
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL THIS INFO IS QUOTED FROM A BOOK I HAVE, lol, ALL THE "I RECOMMENDS" ARE THE AUTHOR'S WORDS! I am merely the messenger!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Lara's mom]

I must agree with lulu'smom. Science Diet is terrible food. If you can possibly manage it, look on the net for specific recipes for homemade food for your dogs condition. The dog will enjoy it way more and you'll know that your baby is getting high quality food.

While over-the-counter Science Diet food isn't the best, K/D is part of the Hill's Prescription Diet line which is much better. I've had my dane on I/D (intestinal diet) for years and am very happy with the results and quality.

[Hercules and Coco]

Originally Posted by lulusmom

Wow, Corky/Max has given you a ton of information already so I don't have much to add except there can be other underlying conditions that can impact kidney values. For instance, about 75% of dogs with cushing's will show excess protein in the urine that is an indication of kidney problems; however, this is secondary to cushing's and most of these dogs never develop true kidney disease.

It would help some of us understand things a bit better if you could post the results of the blood work and make sure you include the reference ranges. unless a dog is in acute renal failure, there is no need to limit protein. If a dog is in acute renal failure, it is important to limit the phosphorus. Since a lot of phosphorus is found in protein, you need to reduce the protein substantially to take the workload off the kidneys.

I too am not thrilled with Hills prescription diets either and would much rather home cook for my dogs. I've provided a link below to some great information on kidney disease and kidney diet. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about any condition that your vet discusses with you so that you can be the best advocate possible for your dog.

Kidney Disease

that was a really good link. I feel alot dumber now though as it is very hard to understand a lot of it. I printed out alot of the graphs though that I may use later.
I'll try to remember to get the blood work results next time we go.

[Lara's mom]

Some vets, like some human Doctors seem to have trouble converting "medicalspeak" into plain English. Don't be embarassed to ask as many questions as you need to in order to make sure you fully understand what is going on with your baby. Remember, the only dumb question is the one you DON'T ask!!!

[Hercules and Coco]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

--Kidney failure can be caused by a poor diet; toxins such as pesticides; anything that affects the flow of blood such as high or low blood pressure and heart disease; all infections including those of skin, TEETH, and GUMS; an imbalance of electrolytes; dehydration; any kind of trauma such as an accident; or a severe illness such as cancer. Over time, a diet too high in acid, phosphorus, sodium, or protein or a diet low in potassium can cause kidney failure.
COLOR]

I do wonder if her teeth is the culprit for the bad results. They are HORRIBLE. And I know that bad teeth can hurt organs. I'm ashamed I let them get that bad but I was too scared to have her put to sleep. So I feel bad it may be my fault that she's having kidney probs. Hopefully, if we can get the teeth cleaned (and the bad ones pulled) this will take care of alot of the kidney probs. I do figure her diet has contributed to the condition as well. I just found out in the last month how bad Science Diet is. Coco has been on SD most of her life. Poor thang. I didn't even know what I was doing to her. I won't make the same mistake with the new puppy.
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. It's alot of info to sort through and I still don't know exactly how to tackle this. I've learned alot but feel I have ALOT more to learn. For now, I'm keeping her on the k/d until the next round of blood work. According to those results, I'll decide what to do from there. Maybe keep her on the k/d and supplement with some homeade food? Not sure. I'm sure I'll be back to get your help!

From my understanding, a lot of time all of the bacteria that builds up in the mouth can cause some trouble when it gets into the blood stream.

Originally Posted by Hercules and Coco

I do wonder if her teeth is the culprit for the bad results. They are HORRIBLE. And I know that bad teeth can hurt organs. I'm ashamed I let them get that bad but I was too scared to have her put to sleep. So I feel bad it may be my fault that she's having kidney probs. Hopefully, if we can get the teeth cleaned (and the bad ones pulled) this will take care of alot of the kidney probs. I do figure her diet has contributed to the condition as well. I just found out in the last month how bad Science Diet is. Coco has been on SD most of her life. Poor thang. I didn't even know what I was doing to her. I won't make the same mistake with the new puppy.
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. It's alot of info to sort through and I still don't know exactly how to tackle this. I've learned alot but feel I have ALOT more to learn. For now, I'm keeping her on the k/d until the next round of blood work. According to those results, I'll decide what to do from there. Maybe keep her on the k/d and supplement with some homeade food? Not sure. I'm sure I'll be back to get your help!