End stage renal failure

[spooches610]

Hi I'm new to this forum and stumbled onto it while looking for help with my dog not eating. I have a 15 1/2 year old toy poodle named Chloe. She was my daughter's Christmas present in 1994 but has really become my dog over the years. I have noticed Chloe not eating as much and losing weight but attributed it to her advanced age and problems with arthritis. We had her at the Vet's office 3 months ago and he told me she was in pretty good health for her age with the exception on a slight decrease in kidney function and suggested putting her on KD. She has always eaten dry dog food but did not like the KD and I started mixing it with chicken broth to try to get her to eat better. When that failed, I started trying out different foods. They didn't work much better. After a trip to the Vet on April 12, the Vet called and said Chloe was in end stage renal failure. I saw a different Vet from the one I had seen before. She told me her creatinine level was at 6 and wanted to get it down to 3 so they kept her for a couple of days. I told them she would not eat the dry KD so they put her on canned KD and gave her some IV treatments. When I called to check on her they told me her level was down to 4 and let her go home. I went to pick her up and was given a very expensive bill along with a case of KD. The Vet also told me she had some loose stools and gave me pills for that with the recommendation that she take them twice a day. When I got her home I fed her the KD which she ate a little of and then the pill for the loose stool. She started to heave and I took her outside and she staggered, fell, and vomited. She didn't have any more loose stools so I did not give her any more of the pills as they made her so sick. The following day I again offered the KD but she refused to eat it. I called the Vet and she gave me a prescription for canned Royal Canin. She has only eaten small amounts of that and in fact it has taken 2 days to eat 3/4 of one can. She is not drinking as much water either. Has anyone had any luck with a diet I found on line consisting of ground beef, white rice, egg, and white bread slices? It is breaking my heart to see her starving to death. We have given her thin sliced turkey that I'm sure is not good for her since it is processed just to get her to eat something. Of course she readily eats that. I have read many heartbreaking stories on here and as hard as it will be for me, I know I will do the humane thing and put her down once she is unable to hold anything down. This disease seems hopeless and I am very sad.

[lindapalm]

It is very hard to watch them go down hill, especially when walking is a problem.  Ours had Cushings, and had good days where she would roll in the snow, and the next day we had to carry her outside.  She wasn't limited to what food she could have, that must make it a lot harder for you and her.  

[chasha33]

Sometimes i pour a little chicken broth over my Pekes NF food to get her to eat it,But i do have to be careful as to not give her to much.Cause of having to watch the protein levels.It is hard to get them to eat food when they dont want it or dont like the taste.I really wish that there was more that i could say or do to help you,I will keep both of you in my prayers.If you need to talk i am here.Take care,Chan

[spooches610]

Thank you for your prayers. We are now into day 2 without Chloe eating a bite. I keep her bedding near her food and water bowls hoping she will eat something. I put out fresh food and water this morning before I left for work. She did drink some water, but has sniffed her food a few times and walked away. If she hasn't eaten anything by the time I get home this evening, I am going to try making a recipe I found on line that comes from Hills that is supposed to be suitable. It consists of ground beed, white bread, hard boiled egg, and white rice. Hopefully this will tempt her to eat. I am so frustrated and worried.

[veryworriedmomdad]

As I read your post, it brought up so-ooooooo many vivid memories of just 10 months ago with our sweetheart Sami (she was the larger, sable & white one).  She was 10 1/2 years old when we finally after 1 week of unbearable misery I put her down.  She was diagnoised with renial kidney failure in September, 2008.  She ate the Science Diet K/D wet dog food.  At first she would eat 1/2 can at each feeding, plus a little bit of dry K/D 2x  per day.  She remained pretty stable for a year.  She did go through boughts of no eating many times.  Sometimes I would give her a little bit of Science Diet Mature wet dog food since it was the closet thing to K/D.  Then last May, she quit eating anything.  The only time she would eat is if I would hand feed her little chuncks of the K/D wet dog food.  Sometimes I would lay by her and talk to her as I fed it to her.  She went from being 45 lbs to being 14 lbs in the end.  You could literally put your hands around her waist and overlap them.  

With her legs giving out it sounds like you are definitely in the end stage of the renial kidney failure.  I would have to hold Sami's hind end up the last week whenever she would go outside to do her business.  Our vet did blood work and told me it was just a matter of days.  I prayed and hoped everynight I laid with her that she would just go in her sleep.  No such luck.  Each morning she would raise her head and perk her ears as if nothing was wrong, even trying to wag her tail.  Her gums were so pail from being malnourished and she emitted an odor that the vet told me was toxins her kidneys were unable to process.  So finally I had to do the only humane thing and my dad and I took her to the vet and I held her until she finally drew her last breath.  It is so heartbreaking and I feel so sorry for you.  Those furry little friends give us so much with their life, that even in the end they try to please!!!!

Will she drink water if you dip your fingers in it and let her lick your fingers?  

Don't beat yourself up or even try to second guess yourself.  Only you know what is the best for her.   My feeling is the quality of life outweighs the quantity.  Be prepared.  the bond between you and her sometimes is so strong, that it makes them hold on even longer than their bodies will allow.  Remember, they don't want to leave us, as much as we don't want them to go.

If you need someone to talk to, we are all here.

God bless,
veryworriedmomdad,  Patty

[lindapalm]

Well said.

[spooches610]

Thank you for your post. I was so much at my wit's end wanting Chloe to eat that I used a recipe I found on line that Hill's put out. She ate a little of it last night, but this morning she wolfed it down and I even put a bit more in her bowl so that was encouraging to me just to see her eating something. She will drink her water still, but probably not as much as she should be. She also likes bits of apple. I am holding on to her as long as I can.