older doxie with kidney failure

[winter737]

my 15 yr old dachshund was diagnosed with kidney failure last night, he is on 250cc X2 a day sub Q.  Anti nausea and appti increase meds.
He lab results
Urine Specific Gravity 1.015
BUN 122
Creatinine 2.6
Phosphorus 11.4

I gave him his saline under skin last night and this am, this am he is eating and walking and chipper.
I will go home and add another 250 cc
The UA displayed crystals not normal more like antifreeze but there is NO way i have looked everywhere high and low it is impossible. I also have 4 other dachshunds.  I explained to the vet and she said can just be kidney failure period.  Moderate Failure.  My question is can bird seed or bird poop cause this as well?   Also am i doing everything i can do ?   Please reply asap.  

Hydrate under skin 250-300cc x 2 a day
Appetite stimulant Mirtazapire 1/2 tab daily
antibiotics for bladder (clavamox) x2 daily
1/2 pill anti nausea (pepcid)

[tonyb286]

Hi. That's fine. If it's lactated ringers then it's balanced fluids. Even lactated ringers have an amount of sodium (simply because all dogs, like humans, need some of these minerals). The point is, LR are much better than saline solution, which has far more sodium in it.

On your blood and urinalysis ... Spec Gravity is just within normal values, so that's okay. BUN (blood urea nitrogen) is very high. Creatinine is moderately high. Phosphorus is moderately high.

These values certainly suggest a kidney problem. Fluids will help, so keep them going. It's also essential to start reducing phosphorus content in food. I would advise trying a specialised canned kidney dog food like Hills kd or similar. The alternative is to start a homemade diet, but that can be very difficult and time consuming, as meat content needs to be all high quality protein (human grade meats, poultry and particular types of fish). I would also be aware that most treats for dogs are full of bad things for kidney disease dogs, so they are mostly best avoided.

I am interested in the prescription for clavamox, which is an antibiotic for bacterial infections. Did the vet do a culture and sensitivity test on your dog's urine? If not, this antibiotic may not work, because it needs a culture and sensitivity test to determine the best kind of antibiotic to do the job.

Hope some of this helps.

Tony

[winter737]

Thank you I will talk to the vet today, It is labeled Lactated Ringers but the ingredients are Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lactate....

thanks

[tonyb286]

To answer your first question, yes, it is possible for bird poo to cause an episode of acute kidney failure if eaten by a dog. This is due to the mycotoxins, as described earlier. That said, it does depend how much is eaten and how long ago it was eaten. I can understand the vet's questioning of anti-freeze, which is a very major and extremely common dangerous substance with dogs.

The real issue is, regardless of what happened and how it happened, it happened and you now need to concentrate on the effects of it. Of course, it is worth you checking everywhere in your house and garden areas, and become aware of any high risk substances that are lying around in accessible areas or household chemicals, human medicines and garden pesticides and products that might be used. These are all substances that can inflict kidney problems.

I'll get back on other matters shortly.

Tony

[tonyb286]

Hi. That's a very good question. Blood levels will indicate if there is a sodium problem. If there's too little (the level is below normal) then saline will help restore the level. The problem is more often that sodium levels will be normal, or above normal or severely above normal, in kidney failure. And that does present a problem. SubQs for kidney failure are far better given with fluids called Lactated Ringers (LR). The reason is, LR is a balanced fluid - it is much the same in terms of electrolytes, minerals, etc., as a dog's own body fluids. The idea is that vets can add anything they think appropriate to the LR fluids, including essential minerals, electrolytes and medications, that may be needed to supplement low blood readings.

This is definitely something to talk to your vet about.

Sodium is often best avoided, not just because of the kidney disease, but also because of what it does to the heart and blood vessels.

I am going to come back and talk about the blood levels you've given and the medications. But again, I would appreciate you having a read of this article of mine, which explains diet control, which is the next most important thing you can do:

http://www.infobarrel.com/How_Diet_Affects_Dogs_with_Chronic_Kidney_Disease

Tony

[winter737]

My vet prescribed Fluids under the skin 250cc-300cc x2 a day.  The bad says each 100ml contains sodium chloride 600mg sodium lactate bla bla bla,,, my question is.... my dog has a failing kidney why the heck are we injecting sodium into him??  Please reply on this and my first comment.

[tonyb286]

Hello and welcome to our User Group.

Bird seed and bird poo can present a problem, but not necessarily how you might imagine. One of the biggest concerns of bird seed are the type of seeds. Most of them are ok for dogs (in very small doses). They may cause a dog to feel sickly, but it's unlikely to do any great or longlasting harm. Sunflower seeds are a little different, as they have enormous amounts of fat in them, which can lead to pancreatitis, if a dog eats them regularly.

Bird poo can also generally be a problem, because it may contain parasites. which then get into the dog's digestive tract. So, never let a dog get near to bird poo.

Another BIG problem with bird seed and bird poo is mould. The type of mould that grows on seed and bird poo include mycotoxins, which can cause tremors and other neurologic problems in dogs.

That answers the bird seed and bird poo issue. I'll come back and talk about the kidney failure in a short while. In the meantime, please have a read of my article on newly diagnosed dogs:

http://www.infobarrel.com/My_10-Point_Plan_for_Dogs_with_Kidney_Failure

Tony