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.

[CindyRZel]

Hello everyone. About 3 years ago my now 13y3mos old FCR was diagnosed with kidney failure. He was immediately put on Azodyl and responded very well to it until about 3 mos ago. Also when he was diagnosed he was put on KD, again, doing very well until about 3 mos ago. At that time he completely stopped eating the dry KD, so the vet switched him to the canned, which worked for a couple of weeks, then he decided he didn't want it anymore. He is now on the Royal Canin kidney diet. He was put on Epakitin at that time too. In addition he is on 1 Cerenia/day for nausea and also on an anti-diarrhea medication too. At one point in July his eating was minute by minute as many of you describe. In the morning he might eat chicken, but in the evening he wanted steak. Always a guessing game. After about a month of that hit and miss, I decided that I would just spoon feed him his Royal Canin with some rice. So twice a day since August I've been spoon feeding him. For a period of time he was doing really well. We've kept the nausea at bay and the diarrhea for the most part. His extremely bad breath has gotten better. So we've had some small victories along the way. However, about 2-weeks ago for several nights now, after going to bed he wakes up extremely restless, panting and pacing. I've taken him outside and he has pottied eventually, but sometimes he just laid down. Last night was the worst, as he would not potty or poop. He just walked the yard. Finally I took him into another room where we wouldn't bother my husband and he finally settled and went to sleep. Poor old guy just seemed so uncomfortable and I guess he was/is. He still has sparkle in his eyes and some spunk and life in him. As long as he still has fight in him, I'll keep fighting for him, BUT I don't want him to be in pain. It's a fine line, I know.  Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't find this community three years ago. I'm enjoying it and have learned so much from reading these  comments. Thank You!!!

[tonyb286]

Oh Sue. I am so very sorry. I had an idea from what you had said that Blue's days were short ... but obviously, I had no idea just how short. I can only extend my most sincere condolences for your loss. At least it happened quickly - and at home - and with you right there at her side. Blue is now out of suffering, though I know that may seem like little compensation compared with having her there. Please, please come back and talk anytime you like. A friend will always be here to listen, to support and to talk whenever you need it (time differences between USA and UK sometimes mean it may be some hours before I am able to respond, but I WILL always respond). Please pass on my condolences to your husband too. Much love and huge cyber hugs to you both. Tony x

[sue3677]

Thank you, Tony for all the information.  Right after I wrote this to the group,  Blue had what i believe to be a final seizure. The doctor told us to come in anytime and we were get ready to do this.   She rolled off of her bed, on her side and she was gone.  Our hearts are broken completely now.  Our pit bull, Duchess, 13 years
old, diabetic, deaf and blind was PTS right before Christmas, last year, so this has been a double wammy for us.  
From reading from the beginning of the posts there has been nothing but love, understanding and comfort to folks looking for just that.
Right now, our hearts and minds our full, but I would like to come back and listen and be a shoulder to cry on.  

[tonyb286]

Hello Sue. Despite the circumstances not being nice, I am very pleased you found us - there are lots of great people here who you can use for support, for information or just to listen and be a shoulder to cry on.

I dread to say this, but it seems as if Blue is taking her final journey with you. She is far to young to be suffering from kidney failure, and I really do empathize, it is amongst the most cruel of illnesses. I wanted just to say that when Blue nipped your husband it could have been for one of two reasons ... first, her kidney area and possibly other organs are probably extremely tender, so picking her up may have caused her some discomfort - and her reaction would have been to nip. This of course would not have been intended, but more an intuitive and defensive nip.

The second possible cause, and you are the only people that would know if this is happening, is that she may be so deep into the kidney failure that it has taken over her mind and body - she probably feels dreadfully tired, very unhappy and constantly uncomfortable. As a consequence, she may also be irritable and anxious. Put together, all these feelings may have caused her to nip.

Given what you have said I rather think the former explanation is more likely, but either way, I hope your husband understands it most definitely wasn't personal - and probably more intuitive.

Has your vet told you what stage the kidney failure has reached. I suspect it may be stage four ... which means time is now very limited. Giving SubQs is excellent and will keep her going for a while - I hope you also have her on anti-nausea meds, which will continue encouraging her to eat properly.

The time may not be far off when difficult decisions will have to be considered, but maybe that day is not here yet. The truth is, only you truly know, and no one else - not me, not your vet, nor anyone else - can say otherwise. You know Blue like no one else has or could ever know her - and importantly, she knows you too, so when she is ready to say enough, she will tell you in her own way, and believe it or not but you will understand what she is saying when she says it.

My thoughts are with you at this very difficult and traumatic time. Please come back and let us know how things are - and give yourself a huge pat on the back for helping Blue so much to date. Finally, please give your best friend a huge hug from me. Tony x

[tonyb286]

I am so pleased you and your husband have the support for and from each other during this dreadful process. While you may be expressing your grief in different ways and at perhaps different times, it is clear you are both experiencing the same depth of grief. You know what I am going to say ... Boston would not want you to feel this way. Boston would want you to remember the happy days you shared and recognize that all life ends eventually ... and Boston enjoyed so many full and happy years ... the end of his life may not have been how you would have wished it to be, but it was a very small part of his adventurous and love-filled life. And while I utterly understand why you are grieving, I believe you should also rejoice in Boston's life - by comparison with so many other dogs, he was actually a very lucky dog to have shared his life with both of you.

My thoughts, as always, are with you. Tony Xxx

[sue3677]

Hi, to the group.  I found you while searching for help for Blue, our 8 year old blue healer.  It has only been  a couple of months since Blue was diagnosed with kidney failure.  It has been up and down since this discovery.  As I write this, I look at our dear friend, sleeping calmly on her bed in front of me.  It has not been calm today.  I know it is time to let go, but our dog is so stressed out, we hesitated taking her back to the vets to be pts.  She spent 5 days and nights at the vets, and cried when we went to see her, especially my husband.  
Well, when she stopped eating and drinking water, 5 days ago, we took her back to our vet. I asked him if I could give her the Sub Q's at home and he showed me how to do this.  I stopped this morning.  Blue could no longer walk.She had to be carried out to pee.  When brought back in she would stand where ever she was put down.  And stand, and stand.
But, today was different, and very scary for us.  All of sudden she jumped up, and wagging her tail and ran into the bedroom where her other bed is.  This has been going on all day.  
When my husband took her out early this morning, he put her down, and she collapsed.  He picked her up and she nipped at him.  She adores him and never would have done that.  and then she just fell limp in his arms.  My husbands was holding her and says her heart stopped beating and then he felt it start again.  We are all stessed out and just don't know what to do.  Any help or answers for us?