holistic treatments for kidneys

[BDwyer1989]

Hi all,

New to the forum here and unfortunately writing to you guys from a pretty bad situation with one of my horses…

My 9 yr old AQHA gelding Jammer, was recently diagnosed with chronic kidney ‘failure’. He had been feeling lethargic and off his grain the past 10 days or so. I had my vet run a blood panel when I was in to get his teeth floated just to be safe. The results came back and his BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and creatinine levels were literally off the chart. My vet and I contacted an internal medicine specialist who met with us the next day. We ultrasound both kidneys and they didn’t look good. We were able to get a kidney biopsy sent off this morning and are having it overnighted so we can get definitive results. Jammer was on fluids Friday afternoon to Saturday morning which raised his blood panels levels so we’ve taken him off fluids and have him on Lasix. His blood levels had decreased but his edema has gotten worse in his legs and traveled up into his sheath & chest.

Other than his kidneys being in crap shape, he’s a healthy guy. Never been on any sort of pain meds or had any other issues. He’s currently eating/drinking/pooping/urinating just fine too. We’re waiting for the kidney biopsy results to come back to figure out if we should transfer him to Washington State since we’re in western Montana and the clinic we’re at obviously doesn’t have the resources they do.

My question is, has anyone ever seen anything like this come up in a younger, healthy animal out of the blue? What treatments both eastern and western have you tried and have any improved your animal’s condition?

This guy is my best buddy, he’s won us our first buckle & NRHA paycheck so I want to make sure he’s given the best chance possible. TIA.

[Beckham03]

Sorry you are going through this…I know of three horses, one was mine, that picked up something that caused acute renal failure. My horse spike a temp, went off his feed, BW revealed the elevated kidney values, and he was immediately transported to OSU. He spent 7 days in ICU. We tested for leptospirosis, did kidney biopsies, nothing ever came up.

My horse, as well as the other two, all fully recovered. They weren’t sick at the same time, years apart and at different facilities. They were treated with fluids and
lasyx.

Is your horse still on fluids? Is he eating now?

[seabreeze]

Yes, had one diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. Once the edema set in, I put him to sleep. He was not going to improve over the long term, and I did not want him to suffer.

Best wishes to you and Jammer. Sorry you’re going through this.

[HealingHeart]

Is it something toxic related? Any change in water or ? that can be flushed

[BDwyer1989]

He isn’t on fluids anymore. There was a raise in his BUN and creatinine levels. He went off his grain initially which prompted me to bring this all up to my vet. He’s eating and drinking just fine. No rise in temp either. It’s like everything but his kidneys are perfectly healthy. We think it’s more stress related than toxin since he’s been on great quality hay, grain and water. Jammers is only 9 and in great health in the 6 years that I’ve owned him so this has been super frustrating. Should hear results from kidney biopsy tomorrow at the latest

[Ghazzu]

There are several TCM herbal formulas for chronic renal disease. Which one to use would depend upon an evaluation of the patient.

[acdressage]

I lost a horse to kidney failure. She was 15 when I put her down after battling for several years. In her case, we believe the source of the kidney failure can be traced back to an injury she sustained as a foal. At 3 days old, her mother accidentally stepped on her causing her to break her hock. She required surgery, an external fixation device, and was given many pain meds and antibiotics that likely damaged her very young and tiny kidneys. When I bought her, the previous owners knew about the kidney disease but chose not to tell me. She was always on the thin side and hard to keep weight on, but after about a year, I brought her to an equine hospital to find the source of the NQR (not quite right). They pulled blood first thing and then we scoped her for ulcers (she wasn’t a good eater so we opted for the scope to look for ulcers which she had) and x-rayed her back (chiropractor thought she might have back issues as the source of soreness/stiffness but her back was fine). At the end of the appointment, the blood results came back and creatinine and BUN were very high. At that point, we attempted to ultrasound her kidneys but they were barely visible. Even on palpation, it was difficult to find them as her left kidney was very small and non-functioning. Her right kidney was misshapen but at least partly functional. The veterinary team did not offer any treatment options. Only suggestions for her diet. She could not have any feed that was over 12% protein as she simply couldn’t process it and whenever and wherever possible, her exposure to drugs/wormers/etc. was minimized. I was able to keep her relatively happy for another 2 years but she began to lose considerable weight, would not eat much of anything, and increased her water intake. Towards the end, we fed her whatever she wanted which was mostly grass, sweet feed by hand, and treats. Another veterinary hospital evaluated her and couldn’t believe the state of her kidneys. One vet proposed Lasix and fluids, but the other vet said that it wouldn’t change anything for her. As soon as both were stopped, she would be in the same shape as before and we agreed sticking her twice a day and keeping her hooked up to an IV was not a life we wanted for her. Instead, we took her home and gave her one last summer of grass and love. Towards the end of the summer she became very neurological as the toxins built up in her body. She had days where she was very confused and days where she didn’t want to get up. When the bad days outnumbered the good, we let her go.

I wish you the best for your horse and that his kidney function will stabilize. Work with your vets to understand the best diet for him. Regular blood or urine analysis will be key to watching the progression or stabilization of the kidney function.

[BDwyer1989]

We got the results from the kidney biopsy: chronic glomerulonephritis. The only options we have for treatment now are to try steroids and see if we get any sort of positive result since everything else is making Jammers worse. We should know by tomorrow afternoon one way or the other. We’re getting towards the end of the road here. Positive thoughts, prayers, vibes, whatever are appreciated.

[alibi_18]

Jingles.

And a cyber hug.

[Pocket_Pony]

I’m sorry for your horse’s troubles.

[seabreeze]

Very, very sorry

[Beckham03]

I’m sorry!!

[HealingHeart]

Respond respond respond

[QUOTE=BDwyer1989;8746422]
We got the results from the kidney biopsy: chronic glomerulonephritis. The only options we have for treatment now are to try steroids and see if we get any sort of positive result since everything else is making Jammers worse. We should know by tomorrow afternoon one way or the other. We’re getting towards the end of the road here. Positive thoughts, prayers, vibes, whatever are appreciated.[/QUOTE]