Rescue Rottie with Kidney Failure - please help!

[joquendo]

We just pulled a very very sick male rottie from our local shelter (Sailor), he weighs in at 50lbs he is sooo malnourished we are wondering if he is going to make it :(

Anyhow We are working frantically speaking to all concerned about his condition - the vet he is at (traditional vet) said his kidneys have failed and he is aneamic and severely dehydrated with kidney infections... The vet he is at is advocating probably puttin ghim to sleep... we are not "buying" that at this point... I don't believe his time is up...

So.... we consulted many holistic vets who have given us hope with jumpstarting the kidneys but the BIGGEST problem we have is he is sooo malnourished we will not eat at all, we are trying giving him liquid foods through a turkey baster - but we are in a bigger dilemna because we hve to be very careful what we give him due to his kidney we cannot over burden the kidneys with too much protein, vitamins and minerals.


Has anyone been in a situaiton like this where the dog will not eat at all? Please let us know what suggestions you might have for us... we think we are trying everything but as always - there is always something we might have missed...

This guy is soooo adorable, my heart is broken - we have to get him well.... I hope someone can help us..

Janet

[marianne]

Poor guy will probably not make it. I had a girl with kidney failure...after days at the vets on IV's and "force" feedings,there was no more that could be done. She died at home in my arms. Kidney failure is so decieving,until they refuse to eat you don't have a clue they are sick.
Keep trying to feed...get some Nutri-cal to keep nurishment in him. Love him every day he's with you.

[joquendo]

we found out that many vets tell you not to feed protein, the holistic vets I have spoken to said not feeding protein is a dead sure way of seeing the dog die pretty quickly. So they recommended protein - and have seen dogs outlive the prognosis of other vets... we are getting him on a protein drink today... so fingers crossed...

[Birdie'sMom]

Poor baby! Is he suffering? Maybe the best thing is to put him to sleep. If you save him now is he going to have permanent problems from it? Sometimes I think that we need to let them go to a better place where they wil always be healthy and they will always be taken care of. :(

[spidey]

IME dogs don't do as well as cats with kidney failure (in part because giving subcutaneous fluids isn't as effective in dogs). However, you could try feeding him some a/d mixed with broth or water (if need be, this can be syringed down his throat, but most animals will eat a/d). Sometimes a few days of force feeding will get a renal animal over the worst of the "feeling gross" and get their appetite back, but I'm a strong believer that you have to set time limits (and judge the way the animal reacts to it) on such things, sometimes it really is the kindest thing to put them to sleep. In the long term, he will need restricted protein, right now, he just needs to eat something. And I'd love to know what the holistic vets are basing their "feed lots of protein in renal failure" theory on. NO vet would tell you "not to feed protein", they tell you to feed a restricted protein diet, which is very soundly based on experience, science and solid research.

[moondog]

Has the holistic vet given you any guidelines on how much protein to give? With kidney failure, too much may kill him faster than none at all.

When my dog was so sick she wouldn't eat, I stayed home with her and I put her (home-cooked!) meal through the food processor and used a pastry bag to push a couple bites to the back of her mouth every hour or so, until she showed an interest in eating on her own. High on carbs and low on protein to make it as digestible as possible during those critical early days.

[joquendo]

The problem with protein is - yes it does have to be process through the kidney and small amounts of protein is however required to aid the funcition nof the dogs body.

We are going to try giving him very small amounts of unflavored protein mix diluted with water so it doesn't over stress the kidney. Along with Cod Liver oil drops to aid any inflamation.
We are not giving up until we have to;(

I worked with a rescue group who literally picked up a rottie who was on deaths door, dying could hardly breath, was almost breathing her last breath, she was skin and bone...
They rescued her, it took about 5 months of small amounts of feeding until you should see her today, they named her Lucky Lady... cos if you had seen her when they picked her up - and saw her now, there is no other name you could give her... ;) .. its not over until its over ;)

[moondog]

He needs carbohydrates, too. That's the fuel. Otherwise, the energy he needs to survive will be pulled from reserves and if there aren't any, it will be pulled from his muscle.

[joquendo]

Yes I agree, there are some carbs in this shake, and we are also looking at giving him some soft oatmeal..... poor guy.

[Snooze]

Janet, about a year and 1/2 ago we resuced a rottie who was 60 lbs. and abused, malnourished etc. The vet said he had chronic nephritis and kidney infection, blood in his urine. He said he would not have a long life and advocated putting him to sleep as your vet did.

In the beginning months we were back and forth alot, he would throw up alot - always drank alot of water and excessive urination. The kidney problem let to high blood pressure and he takes medication for that. He now has developed a hear murmur.

Well, it's now 1 1/2 yrs later and Bud weighs in at 100 lbs.
He definately has health issues which means that we are always watching. We give him kidney k/d food only. little to no snacks and when he does get a treat it must be low protein and phosphourous. We make sure he has plenty of water both at home and when we are out. I carry bottles of water when we walk and always stop to give him drinks. We give him LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE and exercise

Buddy may not have a long life span ahead of him, but he is living proof of what love and care can do. Whatever time he has on this earth will be happy if I can help it!!!
To look at him, you would never know that he has a care or problem in the world, he does not look like a dog with heath issues!

Good luck to you! I hope that your situation works out as well as ours did

[joquendo]

Hi Snooze thanks so much... well my Holistic vet - said we should get him to him asap - he has looked at the results of the tests the other vets have taken and he said this dog really is not looking good. He told us to get him to him asap - so he can begin renal dialisis... We are praying he makes it... he is such a sweet boy....

If he gets through this - we can always take care of the other health issues which may or may not occur but right now - he needs emmergency help. Its soooo sad.

[TrishB]

Please listen to what Spidey and Moondog said. A protein shake for this boy is NOT a good idea. Yes, you need to get SOMETHING into him, but not something that is protein rich like a shake!

Please pick up some A/D from the vet (it has a baby food texture and is very palatable). Warm it up a little bit - sometimes that makes it a little extra smelly to get their appetite going.

Nutrivet / Nutripet are supplements that are brown but come out of a tube like toothpaste. They are full of calories and vitamins - and generally also help to get the appetite going. Valium can also be given to give the appetite a kick start.

LOW protein is key here. Please be careful.

And as others have said, while you want to fight for each individual animal. Sometimes letting them go to sleep is the most humane thing to do. Just keep in mind that you're doing it for the dog and not yourself.

Best of luck to you! I have you in my thoughts.

[Judy Chrusch]

Have they found out WHY he's in kidney failure?? Their are many reasons why a dog goes into kidney failure one being from a poison and also Lyme disease:(. Has anyone done a ultra sound to see if he has both his kidneys and whether or not they are functioning properly or if they are diseased, etc? What does his bloodwork show? My boy was almost in complete kidney failure just a few months ago due to Lyme disease, he almost died :(, in fact we were told he only had 2-3 months to live, he wasen't even 2 years old yet. We took him to yet another vet, he was put on months of antibiotics and predisone and was immediately put on a prescription diet. Please try to find out what caused the kidney failure in the first place, have bloodwork to see where his levels are. My dog Czar was so sick he didn't eat or drink on his own for 1 week , I force fed him and forced fluids every hour. At one point his urine protein level was so high he was putting out more then he took in, he went down to 95 pounds and this is a dog who was at one time 122 . Diet is very important during this time but like I said you must try to find out the culprit which caused kidney failure to begin with. With the right vet this boy could be saved but you must do something ASAP. Please feel free to PM me anytime if I can help you in any way. My heart goes out to you, hang in their and get some answers.

Judy

[joquendo]

Thanks all for your advice - my holistic vet read over his current vet records and established that his condition was much worse than we had anticipated. We had planned to get him over to my vet today and get him on urgent Kidney dialasis - and possibly do a blood transfusion because of his severe anemia...my vet was worried though he may not make it through the night based upon the results....as he had established his condition was severely chronic...

He was right, Sailor passed away at my friends home last night:( He is now peaceful and sufering no more.... we were prepared to do everything it took - had we got him from the shelter sooner he would probably have been alive today... poor baby... very heartbreaking indeed... thanks all again for your advice.

[moondog]

You did everything you could. And because of you he left this world through the touch of love that caring people like yourself gave him. There may be a lot we can't do, but there's a lot to be said for that. :)