Does Chloe even have renal failure???

[Chloe_and_ApollosMom]

A month ago my dog, Chloe, got very sick. She was constipated and vomiting. The vet took blood work that showed she had pancreatitis and kidney disease. Her BUN was 76 and creatinine 5.6. Her pancreatic function numbers were (Am) 2148 and (LP) 2792. She was on IV fluids overnight and her numbers barely changed for her kidneys but her pancreas function numbers were (Am) 441 and (LP)550. I put her on supplements for kidney support; a multi-plus digestive plant enzyme blend, a probiotic blend, glandular, a kidney tonic containing Hawthorne berries, Ginkgo leaf, Astragalus Root, Burdock Root Couch Grass Rhizome, Marshmallow root,Nettle leaf, Dandelion Leaf, Spirulina Platensis, Rehmannia root and condonopsis. I also administered 200 ml. SubQ fluids a day. In 2 weeks her kidney values were within normal range, (BN) 20 and (CR) 1.4. Her pancreatic functions were (Am) 664, in normal range and (LP) 513, still high. Two weeks later we repeated her blood work and her kidney functions were even better. Her vet is saying pancreatitis caused her kidney values to be so high and I can discontinue her SubQ fluids. She doesn't place any value on the supplements. I thought her kidneys were failing and that the damage could not be reversed, so I am afraid to stop giving her the supplements and fluids. Is it possible her pancreatitis caused her horrible kidney numbers? Is it safe to discontinue the supplements and fluids?

[tonyb286]

I think the proposal to undertake an ultrasound scan by Little_Yep is a really good idea. Giving SubQs when they aren't needed may cause your dog to go into fluid overload, which you need to be cautious about (it can seriously affect the heart). I agree with your vet that most of the supplements have no validity. The pancreatitis probably caused an acute episode of kidney failure, and as that has now (seemingly) been resolved, the kidneys are returning to normal function. My guess is there may be some kidney damage, but not enough to affect the functions the organs need to perform. It is, however, worth having bloods done every 6 months for comparison. The pancreatitis is perhaps the main concern. Do you feed a high fat diet? That is known to inflame bouts of pancreatitis, so reducing the fat content of meals is a good plan.

[Chloe_and_ApollosMom]

Does ANYONE have any advice???

[Little_Yep]

I am not a vet, but we had a dog with somewhat similar issues and we had a detailed ultrasound performed at an animal hospital so they could see how much of the kidney damage was chronic (irreversible).  It also revealed additional issues of pancreatitis and possible evidence of cancer that made our decision to let her go much easier (but no less painful).