Looking for answers (and hope)

[14Karit]

Ginger is my heart.  She's a 14-1/2 year old golden retriever/english shepherd mix that I adopted 13-1/2 years ago. To be clear, she rescued me -- not the other way around. Given her age, I've anticipated my days with her are most likely nearing an end -- the thought of which makes my heart ache. In the last 6 months, she moves noticeably slower -- her back legs showing signs of arthritis and she sometimes cannot go through the day without wetting the newspapers we put down for her (my husband and I both work a full day). Our vet said it was a common bladder problem with aging females and nothing out of the "ordinary" aging process.
I took her to the vet last week for her annual check-up and was told "her blood work causes some concern about her kidneys" -- I want to know exactly what that means. The 2 numbers they referenced were: Creatinine is 3.6 mg/dL (1.1 last year), BUN is 104 mg/dL (25 last year). Her other blood chemistry numbers are within normal ranges but Hematology numbers are a little below normal. We've started her on a renal KD food and happy to see she likes it -- sometimes she can be a picky eater. The vet wants to see her back in 3-4 weeks to repeat testing. What should I expect? Her numbers seems so much higher than any others I'm reading about on your forum. Hoping someone can shed some light on what I could/should realistically expect. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Fitmaltesemom]

My Oliver who is 15 years old went into severe kidney failure in April. His Bun level was 157/ Creatinine 2.1. His numbers were pretty high. He was given a very little chance of surviving. The vet predicted he had 2-3 months left.
Well, guess what its been six months and my Oliver is still here. His BUN is 24 and Creatinine is 1.7.  He goes in for blood work in November. He has been on the KD prescription diet / drinks water/ fish oil since April.  He went from 2.9lbs to a solid 3.85lbs.  Vet is amazed at his recovery and calls him a miracle Maltese. I know all situations are different and with Oliver his condition may change at any time.  What I am saying is never give up hope.   We are here to support you. Tony is and continues to be a great help to all of us.  Wishing you the best. Hugs, Elsa & Oliver.

[Kaymbsc]

I am so sorry to read about Ginger. I'm new to this group, but in the two weeks I've been here, I've found more useful and easy-to-understand info here than anywhere on the web. In particular, Tony is a wealth of knowledge.

Ten years ago, like your Ginger, my little girl Mandy also saved me. Now Mandy has kidney disease with BUN and Creatinine levels very similar to Ginger's -- but last week those numbers came down a little, offering some hope. Maybe Ginger's numbers can come down, too.

The folks here are a great sounding board for your questions and generous with their answers.

Best wishes to you and Ginger.

Kay

[tonyb286]

Hello. I am very sorry to hear about Ginger's diagnosis, but you have come to a good place where you will find bucketloads of support, advice and information from people who understand and empathise.

Are you ready for some reading? Sorry, but this is the best way to bring you up-to-date with information - some of which will certainly help you and Ginger, I'm sure of it. BUN refers to blood urea nitrogen and is a major indication of the toxin build-up, but creatinine is the more important blood result. You have certainly done the right thing in adopting a KD specific diet straight away, and this should have some positive influence on her blood levels over a short time.

Now to the reading ...

There's a document that tries it's best to explain all the bloodwork more easily than some rather scientific articles online. You only need concentrate on the things like BUN, Creatinine and Phosphorus, for now. You can find my article on that (really more of a list with explanations) here:

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Pets/Canine-Blood-Chemistry-Results-Reference-Guide/show/1296?cid=3

The next articles are again written by me and all have relevance, the first one being the most important right now:

http://www.infobarrel.com/How_Diet_Affects_Dogs_with_Chronic_Kidney_Disease

http://www.infobarrel.com/Calcitriol_Therapy_For_Dogs_With_Kidney_Disease

http://www.infobarrel.com/Supplements_Useful_For_Kidney_Failure_Dogs

http://www.infobarrel.com/Why_Dry_Dog_Food_Is_Bad_For_Dogs

http://www.infobarrel.com/Everyday_Foods_That_Are_Poisonous_To_Dogs

The last two in the list above are just to be sure you aren't feeding things you shouldn't be feeding, even as treats.

Once you have read through these documents, please ask any questions you may have. It is virtually impossible to say what you can expect in terms of quality and longevity of life at this very early stage. This largely depends on how far the kidney disease has progressed, how resilient Ginger is and how well she reacts to diet and other interventions. For now, it is best to take things one day at a time.

I hope you find joining our Group (I call it a 'family' of friends) proves helpful.

Tony

[DarbiesMom]

We're here to help! As my friend, Charlene said, Tony is our Hero who has given us wonderful advice and support over these past months.Actually, every lovely person on this forum is a hero and a friend.

Ginger is beautiful. As CKD is a difficult journey, I know you're in the best of care here.

Very best wishes to you

Fondly,

Lynne and Darbie

[DogBlog]

Welcome to our family although we wish people didn't have to join us!!  To keep this post short, please read Tony's articles regarding diets for dogs in kidney failure. Although I lost my baby 4 weeks ago, I truly believe she was with me longer because of following all the advice.  One of the key factors for my dog was giving her tums and famotadine for her stomach.  Dogs in kidney failure really start to have stomach issues.  Plus I cooked her food.  You'll find Tony's articles on these blogs.  Once you read, you'll have many more questions which we're happy to answer, if we can.  Tony is our HERO and has lots to offer.

We will be here for you and hope you are able to help Ginger's numbers improve.  I was able to for many months.