Kidney disease dog. Looking for thoughts

[RJC]

I did not know that about corn cobs! She didn’t actually eat them, just chew on them, but I imagine the same danger is there. Thank you for the warning.

I’m sorry you went through this as well. I know this will end in a euth (there’s really no other option) but I was hoping she’d make it through summer.

We’re northern-midwest US based. She still will eat her raw diet still (she’s been raw for 5 years, but we’ve had to rotate brands and flavors to keep her interested). I will now try putting some of her raw food on pasta now though!

[RJC]

Understood and thank you! I’ll try the pepcid starting today.

[RJC]

For a while it was good and I made her adorably plated peanut butter toast and chicken thigh open sammies. Peanut butter has now joined the no-no list

[ekat]

I totally get the desperation. Here’s a confession for you. The vet clinic we went to was a 90 minute drive for me. And, this was right when COVID had shut down so many things. Across the street from the vet clinic was an Arby’s. So, some days I would just get an Arby’s sandwich at some point in the long day.

One day, the dang dog stole my sandwich. Now, there is absolutely nothing in that sandwich that was good for him (or me, for that matter) but he freaking loved it. The vet laughed when I told her because, of course he’d want the ultra high sodium, high fat, high BAD Arby’s. And…we kept some Arby’s meat on hand for some of our more challenging days with him and his moods.

[ekat]

@Simkie

Not surprising, since these two drugs treat different reasons for inappetence. PPIs like omeprazole are more effective overall than the H2 blockers, but take a few days to come into effect vs the immediate action of H2 blockers, and dosing can be more challenging with smaller pets since you can’t split the tablet/capsule.

This is good to know. Thank you. And - I forget about the dosing issues for smaller pets, since we didn’t have that problem.

[Simkie]

@RJC

Understood and thank you! I’ll try the pepcid starting today.

I hope it helps Do get in touch with the vet about zofran, too, if you can. It’s an inexpensive generic from your local human pharmacy, and your vet can send in a script.

Some vets just don’t seem geared toward palliative care, and that’s really frustrating. Some just need to be pushed a little in that direction.

[RJC]

I feel that…sometimes you just need an easy button. Particularly to get a pill down. And that’s a wicked vet commute!

Cheese was our desperation “go to” and the day she stopped eating cheese…was a hard day.

We have cats that circle the dog and her food when she won’t eat it and honestly, I feel bad that she gets stressed about protecting her food, but the pressure does help her take more bites when she’d otherwise walk away.

[ekat]

That clinic is just awesome, so it was worth it!

Hahaha, the cats might motivate her a little!

[RJC]

@ekat, can I ask how long you were about to keep your pup going after diagnosis?

[ekat]

Here’s the thing - his story wasn’t a typical senior dog, kidney disease story. He was a four year old dude that suffered an acute kidney injury due to an infection caused by another disease that extremely rarely affects the kidneys. Like, the odds of this happening are so rare that we spent tons of time retesting and investigating and consulting.

So, because of the cause, and many other factors, he was an excellent candidate for kidney dialysis. The clinic we drove to was the only one in my state that had a dialysis machine and vets that knew how to use it. There’s two now, both spearheaded by the same medical team.

Anyway, at the end, with the dialysis treatment his kidneys were functioning again, except for the role they played in his blood pressure. We could never get that blood pressure under control and he suffered a stroke, which was so devastating to all of us.

From diagnosis to stroke was a little over 6 months, but again, this wasn’t a normal kidney disease journey.

[OzarksRider]

I second @Simkie’s suggestion to try Pepcid. Unlike Cerenia, which is an anti-nausea medication, Pepcid is an antacid. I gave Pepcid to my old dog with failing kidneys, and I think it helped for a little while.

Also, someone suggested adding vitamin B12. This is a good idea if you can get your dog to eat again. I get liquid B12 from Chewy and drizzle it on the food for my kidney cat.

[RJC]

Interesting! Would nutritional yeast be ok to feed? It’s the best source of B vitamins we have on hand

[RJC]

That’s much more devastating than my situation. At least I can know mine made it her her typical breed lifespan and has knee issues, increasing old age anxiety, and an old dog lump on top of the kidney issues. I’m so sorry you lost a pup in his prime.

[ekat]

@RJC

That’s much more devastating than my situation. At least I can know mine made it her her typical breed lifespan and has knee issues, increasing old age anxiety, and an old dog lump on top of the kidney issues. I’m so sorry you lost a pup in his prime.

Thank you. It’s never easy to lose a pet, young or old, but man, that felt like such a sucker punch. I take solace in the fact that I met some amazing people, he freaking loved all the attention and enjoyed the heck out of his appointments (weirdo), and his team of vets learned a ton working with him that has benefited other dogs already. I also learned so much going down that road with him. So, while his story is ultimately sad, he has left quite a legacy behind him.

[stargzng386]

Have you tried fortiflora probiotics? The probiotic is just an added bonus the real magic is that it’s a delicious powder that none of my pets no matter how sick have refused eating. I have a dog with stomach acid issues and one with chronic pancreatitis. Both will go off food if they have a flare but this usually jump starts them to eat at least a bit to get their tummy on track.

You also might ask your vet about Sucralfate. The acidy dog needed it for two weeks to get her over the hump of chronically throwing up bile. It’s used to treat ulcers.

[RJC]

I have not tried pro biotics at all! Thank you for that suggestion! I’ll look it up.

My vet was off today, but I put in the prescription request for zofran!

AND SHE ATE HER NOODLE, OIL, AND CHICKEN BABY FOOD DINNER!!! We live to fight another day. I did not keep track that well, but I thiiiiiink we got her ~350 calories in her today without resorting to excess protein or phos!

[ekat]

@RJC

AND SHE ATE HER NOODLE, OIL, AND CHICKEN BABY FOOD DINNER!!! We live to fight another day. I did not keep track that well, but I thiiiiiink we got her ~350 calories in her today without resorting to excess protein or phos!

HOORAY! That is most excellent!!!

I second the probiotic as well. Fortiflora is good, so is Proviable.

[stargzng386]

Yay!!! Fortiflora is on Amazon if you need quick delivery proviable is good too but doesn’t taste like anything. Fortiflora is a brown powder in a packet that smells yummy.

[Simkie]

@RJC

My vet was off today, but I put in the prescription request for zofran!

Fab! Any issues with the pepcid? Did that go down okay? When you get into multiple pills, bundling them together in a teeny piece of pill pocket helps a lot…it just makes it less of a “deal” and helps any bitter pills go down a bit better

So glad she ate tonight! Do watch the total fat (I know, one more thing…) but pancreatitis is a beast. Such a tough balancing act!

[RJC]

Half a pepcid was poked into a teaspoon of cottage cheese with the Cerenia. Ate it up no problem! I think it helps that the cottage cheese is also lumpy so it doesn’t raise suspicion.

This morning she ate the rest of the tub of chicken noodle dinner and a small serving of her senior dog food. She managed to eat everything but leave the whole barely…which is fine. Whatever.

I keep a close eye on the fat She gets 1.5 tsp oil or butter with lean protein and no extra with fatty protein like raw ground pork.