kidney failure

[kimtperkins]

This is my first post, so I'm not sure I'm in the right place. Our 9.5 year old boxer did not eat...but drank plenty of water...while we were away from him for a week. By the time we got back and took him immediately to the vet, he was diagnosed with irreversible kidney failure with a creatonine level at an unbelievable high of 27, so we put him to sleep. My question is: What is the likelyhood that his life could have been saved if he had gone to the doc a few days earlier? Or would it have probably been too late anyhow? He had been vomiting for about a week...only at night and not much....right before we left town, but he always had a weak stomach so we did not panic because he was still eating and acting fine. Also, his breath had been increasingly terrible for about the last 6 months, but the vet said to clean his teeth. It was such a shock how fast he went downhill. Any insights out there? Our dog's caregiver...who loved him dearly... feels responsible for not taking him in earlier. Do you think the Creatonine level could have escalated in only a week?

[kandy]

First off, I am sorry for your loss.

I too had a dog pass on from total kidney failure ( Lacey). She was 19 months when she was finally accurately diagnosed, after being ill off and on for a few months. I finally had to insist that my vet do bloodwork to find a cause for her illness and that's when the kidney failure was discovered. In my understanding of the research that I did on kidney issues, unless your dog had been poisoned with antifreeze, no the creatinine levels did not jump in a short time period, but gradually increased. You would've known had your dog been poisoned though, as those symptoms become evident within hours of the poisoning.

I too questioned whether I could've done anything different that may have saved her life, which is why I did major research. Our vet said that her kidney's never developed properly, so it was a birth defect. I did take two things with me from that horrible experience 1) quality of food is very important and 2) periodic blood tests are a good thing and totally worth the money (not to mention convincing your vet that you need them done). I feed a much better food now (not that it would've made any difference in Lacey's case) and I have all my dog's blood tested at least once a year just to monitor levels.

Did your dog have a history of urinary tract infections?

[Love4himies]

I am sorry for your loss.

Kandy is right on. Quality of food and regular bloodwork.

I think your dog may have had kidney failure for a while by the sounds of it. Bad breath is one sign of the kidneys failing. Dogs and cats are super at hiding illnesses until it gets very bad, it protects them in the wild.

[BenMax]

I am sorry for your loss.

If the dog declined so rapidly then do not blame yourselves. If the dog was taken to the vet, maybe it would have extended the life by a few days, weeks or months.

I think everyone can relate to how you and the caregiver feels. We have all had animals that we lost and blame ourselves for not acting faster or doing something different.

[ScottieDog]

Kim, first my sympathies for your tremendous loss. I've been through a roller-coaster ride with my little girl--also kidney problems. Our problem was a build up to toxic levels from a prescribed medication. So our problems were related to a poisoning and she was able to pull through, but it was a very rough time.

Please understand I am not an animal medical professional. From my research I found out there are two types of kidney failure: Chronic renal failure and Acute renal failure. We dealt with Acute failure which is typically brought about quickly via poisoning or an accident. With proper, prompt treatment acute renal failure can be reversed and there may or may not be long-term kidney damage. Chronic failure is something that occurs over a long period of time. It can also occur when the renal system is malformed due to a birth defect. Both acute and chronic are incredibly dangerous.

Typically chronic renal failure is only diagnosed once the kidneys are functioning at less than 75%. By this time the animal is quite sick and supportive, life-extending care is the only treatment. This can include administering subcutaneous fluids to prevent dehydration. What happens is that the kidneys aren't working to eliminate toxins. As the toxins build, the dog tries to drink more and more to help flush the toxins from the body. At a certain point, the dog cannot drink enough--that is when the fluids are administered. Special diets can be prescribed to help diminish the level of toxins produced. Unfortunately, there is no way to repair the damage to the kidneys in chronic renal failure.

In our case, my dog was prescribed a medication that was processed in the liver. In her case, her liver was compromised from abnormal high liver enzymes and hepatitis. This probably lead to the toxic buildup in her kidneys. Within a few days, she got very, very bad. She had some bloody, loose stools, bloody vomiting, complete loss of appetite. I was in constant communication with my vet and was able to get her hospitalized. Her Creatinine level was at 7. After nearly 2 weeks in ICU, the level dropped to 1.7 and she was discharged. We are still in a monitoring phase to determine what level of permanent damage was done. If she has permanent damage, then we will be at a chronic renal failure stage.

My heart goes out to you. Unless there was an obvious poisoning event or a traumatic accident, it is likely that your dog had chronic renal failure and there would have been very little that could be done to help once diagnosed. You might have been able to have done IV rehydration and then sub-Q fluids, but at a certain state, your dog would have had a very limited quality of life. Please don't beat yourself up. I watched my baby go downhill for 3 days while we were treating her for a suspected stomach ulcer--the common side effect from the medication--but it ended up being renal failure. I didn't know either. Your dog was sick--you got him medical care. I am sorry.

[kimtperkins]

Thanks so much for your kind words. I feel a little better knowing there was probably nothing we could have done to prolong his life...or even if for a little while...his quality of life would not have been good. Thanks for your sympathy. Only a pet lover can understand the horrible void of not having our little companions around anymore.