My current foster dog, Riggs, is in chronic renal failure, I HIGHLY recommend the sites that M&J posted. The K9Kidney yahoo group has been a life saver. Those numbers are almost identical to my boys...and I hate to say but that creatinine especially is very bad...very high. My guy is also stumping the vets because at those numbers they should feel very bad and not want to eat, but he is bouncing around the house and appetite fine....but that is after getting him on the right supplements and diet.
Kidney failure is not curable but it is manageable!!!
There is lots you can do to support the kidneys including getting him on an appropriate low phosphorus, low sodium diet. Another thing is not to do low protein anymore...that used to be the plan but they have found with all the recent research that phosphorus is more important to keep low and to feed high quality protein. Getting a good diagnosis, like they seem to have done, also helps...a lot depends on what part of the kidneys is not functioning properly. Lots of side issues happen with CRF to watch for like anemia, high blood pressure, high calcium issues and urinary tract issues, like stones or crystals. There are different medications to be on depending on what issues specifically your dog is having. Monthly or bimonthly blood and urine work ups are needed to see where things are and to monitor functions.
One of the biggest side effects of kidney failure is how rough it is on their digestive system, so many of the meds that Riggs is on is to help his tummy so that he feels like eating because nutrition is very imporant in CRF. Stomach acid issues and ulcers are a big problem so Whimsey will probably need to be on an acid reducer before meals, on a phosphorus binder with his meals and several supplements that will help her kidneys process and flush toxins to the highest efficency they can.
She is going to be <u>very</u> overwhelmed at the wealth of information out there (I was) but its a good thing because this is an issue that has had a lot of good research on and a lot of new information about how important diet, supplements and fluid therapy is to really prolong a happy life.
I am not a fan of any of the prescription kibbles out there....you have much more control over the quality of food by doing a home cooked diet tailor made to your specific dog. K9Kidney yahoo group is a great tool for putting that together with the help of your vet. Like with all our other dogs, nutrition is not something a lot of vets are up on, so have your friend print out some stuff before going to let her vet know she has done her research.
I would be happy to talk to her about what I've learned...we took Riggs for a work up with an Auburn vet school professor and my sister who is a vet in Alabama and he is now on several additional meds that seem to be working. They were impressed with what I had him on already and the diet I had him on based on what I learned on the yahoo group. Some supplements they didn't even know about and had to research on their own and are now using them in their treatments!
There is lots of hope, support and information out there for CRF so please encourage her that she can do this, its not fun and its hard but once she gets a plan together and a system it really improves the quality of their lives. Riggs seems to have no idea that he is sick and we are dedicated to trying to keep it that way for as long as we can.
