renal failure in dogs

[beaglet]

i'm not sure what stage my redness is in, i'm certain it's probably stage 4 just by reading some of the other posts. he drinks quite a bit, and of course the loss of appetite. we were mixing wet food with his dry food, that no longer works, so now we boil chicken, add chicken broth or chicken gravy and now tonight he doesn't want to eat that. He did throw up probably 3 times today, so i'm sure it's because his little tummy is upset. The vet advised a couple of weeks ago to give him pepcid (i believe) that however made him throw up A LOT. he has a sensitive stomach. but i have a couple of questions. 1. is there anything else that we might be able to try to ease his tummy aches? 2. is my redness in pain at this point, he doesn't act like he is, but he is however a furbaby and can't speak and tell me, i don't want to be selfish if he is in pain. but at the same time i'm not ready to say goodbye. he still likes to chase his ball and barks when running after it, with tail wagging non-stop. now when we are in the house, he lays around and sleeps mostly. any advice is so helpful! thanks to all!!!!

[TwoBitsMom]

Hi Beaglet,
I was saddened to read the news about Redness. My heart hurts for your loss.
Please accept my sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy.
God Bless Redness's Beautiful Spirit and Soul.
Hugs to you...
Connie

[beaglet]

thank you all for your words of advice, and caring words....we made the decision yesterday 11/11/13 to let our redboy go to the rainbow bridge. he was declining, and we couldn't put him thru anymore for us. he was a brave strong boy and will be missed!! but he will forever be in our hearts!

[Margot49]

So sorry to read this.  You have been given good advice.
Dealt with renal failure in an older dog and a cat.  When it became a quality if life issue, I made the decision to let them go as I knew their days were miserable.

[beaglet]

thank you so much for the info, i will definitely check that out. my husband said he did not think he wanted to do the fluids at home, if it came to that point, he said he felt like that would be the end of it, that he did not want to be selfish and put him thru that for us. but i will check out the other suggestions that you gave maybe that will give him more good days!

[TwoBitsMom]

Hi,
It's good to hear that Redness is feeling a little better. Keeping him hydrated is crucial. Be sure to keep plenty of clean fresh water available for him. Distilled water is considered to be the best water for the kidneys. Everything has been removed from the water, which will make things a little easier for the kidneys.
Now would be a good time for you to look into, and consider the possibility of Sub-Q fluids for your dog.

You will also want to ask your vet about, medications to treat, nausea, and ulcers.
You said you are giving him people food...so, you should incorporated a phosphorus binder into his diet.

It has been awhile since I have offered any advice concerning renal failure...but, I have covered a few of the basics.
You might want to check out the following website...

http://dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

It is loaded with valuable information that you will find helpful.

You can also check out the K9 kidney group on Yahoo.
It's easy to join.
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/K9KIDNEYS/info

My thoughts are with you...
Connie

[beaglet]

hi, thanks for the response. he is doing a lot better than he was. we had to take him into the vet on saturday, they gave him fluids because he was dehydrated, and also gave him a shot for the nausea, he slept the entire weekend, but monday afternoon he began eating good. he ate some on saturday and a little on sunday but hardly at all....and his appetite has so far stayed the same and eating well! which is good to see. he is eating "people food" and of course it's meat (i know the worst thing for renal failure) but i'm not willing to watch him starve himself...so if that means his kidneys progress a little more then that is what it will be. but it's so good to see him eating!

[TwoBitsMom]

Hi Beaglet..
I'm sorry that you did not get a response sooner. Your question most likely got bumped down to the bottom of the page too quickly, and was sadly overlooked.
How is Redness doing...?