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Stage 4 Kidney Failure -- what do I do now?

Hi all,

I am really struggling with this and hopefully someone can help. I have a 16 year old Bichon Frise named Buzz. Today we came back from the vet and was told that he has stage 4 kidney failure which came out of the blue since his last checkup was May and he was fine, the vet said because of his age it progressed so quickly. She advised us to have my dog hospitalized and undergo the fluid therapy treatment but it wouldn't do anything to fix his kidneys and because of his age it only is really buying us, the family, time to deal with the inevitable. The other option was putting him to sleep. I guess the part I'm really struggling with is how do I know what is the right thing to do? I'm also restricted financially to give my dog the care the vet recommended. I just want to know if he's in pain. Right now all he does is sleep. Is he in pain that's why he's sleeping? He is an amazing dog. A strong one also. He's survived heart worms and tumors, but I don't think he can fight this one even though I can see him trying. He still tries to get up from his bed even though he is evidently weak. He has the heart of a champion. So now what do I do? Let him live out his last days with this disease or put him to sleep? I just don't think I have the heart to do that. My heart is just breaking because he is an amazing dog and I just want to do what's best for him. It's what he deserves.
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Avatar universal
Wow, you were certainly blessed with 16 years of furbaby love and companionship.  It sounds like it's time to let him go.  I am in the same boat with my beloved Mazie.  She is a 9-1/2 yrs old ShizTsu .  She was diagnosed 1-1/2 yrs ago and is now in stage 4 of kidney (renal) failure.  I actually made the decision today to let her go.  She still eats and drinks..alot, but has a lot of weakness in her back hind legs.  She trembles or "quakes" which is a sign of pain.  The pain pills make her comfortable but not happy.  She will not survive this,  she will not get better.  Suffering has taken over quality of life.  I will go out today and find her a "burial" box (last time I used a large hat box).  I will bury her in her favorite quilt with her favorite toy in my flower garden.  She will forever be at rest at her home.  It sounds like you need to do the same with your beloved pet.  Prayers be with you.
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Avatar universal
Hi Tony, thank you for the information. Everything you've said has been educational and allow me to communicate what's going on with my family better.
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My pleasure. Just hope it's helpful. Tony
1916673 tn?1420233270
Hello. First, my condolences on the diagnosis. This is a heartwrenching disease with no cure. Management, diet change and the right kind of treatments at the right time can add months and sometimes even years, slowing the progression of the disease and sometimes halting it for a while. However, chronic kidney disease will eventually take the life of a dog, regardless of interventions. Stage 4 is the final stage. It may seem like this happened quickly, but the truth is it will have been happening for many months and probably several years. Dogs simply don't show signs of illness until the kidneys are severely damaged, by which time it is sometimes too late to help.

I would suggest you join our special group here on MedHelp. There are over 100 dog owners in it. I administrate the group. Members are owners with or that have had a dog with chronic kidney failure and they can offer a wealth of advice, support and experience. Look up/browse User Groups (top right hand side) and look for CHRONIC KIDNEY FAILURE IN DOGS. Once you are on the User Group's page, become a member by joining it. Post any questions you may have there.

Next, take a look at a few of my personally written articles about the disease, diet changes and other information useful to you. These can all be found on my website at www.tonyboothwriter.com

I would start by reading the article titled My 10-Step Plan for Dogs with Kidney Disease ... which can also be found here: http://www.infobarrel.com/My_10-Point_Plan_for_Dogs_with_Kidney_Failure

When is the right time? This is always an impossible question to answer. I would ordinarily say the right time for euthanasia is when your dog tells you it is the right time. There is a look our best friends give us which is indescribable, yet all owners that have seen it and experienced it know what I mean. It's when a dog is clearly communicating that he or she has had enough. That it's that time - the time to go.

Has that time arrived for your best friend? Maybe. Maybe not. Fluid therapy is the first priority to test whether treatment will have any impact. If you cannot afford it, and if you cannot sell something or borrow from friends and family, then euthanasia is probably the best and kindest option. But only you can make that decision. Fluid therapy will help reduce the level of toxins and, if a dog rallies, further management and diet changes may help beyond that. Initially, fluid therapy will be undertaken by your vet (usually for 3 or more days) as intravenous fluids are necessary, but then you can carry on with fluid therapy at home (called SubQ), where you can be taught how to inject under the skin. This is usually undertaken for several extra days or weeks, depending on blood test results.

One of the most important things is to consider your dog's old age. He is elderly, which means he will be less able to resist this devastating disease. BUT, some dogs keep wagging their tails, show an interest in things around them, enjoy short walks out, and so on ... and for these dogs, I think it's always worth going the extra mile (finances permitted).

Blood testing is important as the results will tell your vet and you how management or treatments are performing, whether they are making any difference and what to do next (particularly with diet changes). Blood testing should be done at least once every couple of months, as changes can happen quickly with this disease and it's important to make diet or supplementary treatment changes to reflect the new blood results.

I hope this has helped. Do come back and let me know.

Tony
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