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Boxerpups - totally, totally off topic dog question

prill
14 years ago

Hi Boxerpups - I'm assuming you are a boxer breeder from what I've read here.

I'm hoping you know something about kidney disease in dogs. i have an 11 year old lab who was recently diagnosed with kidney disease. I've been reading alot about alternative diets (sweet potatoes, chicken or beef, potatoes, sushi rice).

Do you have any experience with any of these? If not, NO problem. I'm off to the vet right now for new blood tests to see if Dominique is going up or down...

Thanks Priscilla

Comments (28)

  • olga_d
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm not Boxerpups but a fellow dog lover. Here's a good site with some info. For kidney disease a lot depends on how advanced it is. Best of luck with your pupper!

    http://dogaware.com/kidney.html

  • idrive65
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There are lots of lab lovers on another forum I read. Scroll down to the health section and you will see boards for health and diet. Best of luck with your dog.

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh Prill, I am soooooo very sad for your dog and you. :*(
    Trembling with worry over your lab. Please, Please
    respond. I will be worried all day about this.

    I am not a vet and most good breeders try hard to breed
    out bad diseases. But, with Kidney disease this is hard
    to detect and can not yet be bred out. It is called
    Juvenile Renal Dysplasia. Last I knew MIT was doing a
    study with Boxers to try to find the gene/dna that has
    a specific link to this disease.

    Your lab is 11 and this means she/he has another kind
    of kidney issue going on. This may be good news.

    The medications that come to mind that your sweet lab
    may be placed on are... (again I am not a vet)
    are Propalin for incontenence, Renergel for phorsprous
    levels, vitac for nausea, analbolic steriods to keep
    strong and a plethora of others that can help. Sometimes
    there are shots but these are totally worth it to keep
    your baby alive.

    IAMs makes a special diet low in protein for dogs with
    Kidney issues. However this is something your vet on
    board with as some of the medicines might not be a good
    mix.

    There will be a bunch of tests to find out what
    specifically your lab has. Find out first and then add
    some of these natural, organic and healthy ways to keep
    your 11 year old lab baby well.

    Home Made Recipes
    http://vetprof.com/clientinfo/KidneyDiseaseInDogs/diet.htm

    Shirley's wellness cafe.
    She recommends a holistica approach. This is a great site.
    I have heard others use this site to treat their boxers.
    http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/renalfailure.htm

    Sending well wishes your way.
    ~boxerpups

    Here is a link that might be useful: Diet for dogs with Kidney disease

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dominique has what they call protein losing nephropathy or glomerulonephritis. The vet thinks she may have gotten it from Lyme disease she had this summer. I guess they go hand in hand, and even more so in Labs for some reason.

    She is on a couple of medications:
    Thyroxine for thyroid and
    Enalapril

    I'm waiting right now for my vet to call about the results of her new blood work done yesterday. I guess it has gotten worse. She's away at a conference but her tech e-mailed the results to her and she will call when she can to see what we can do next. I like her because she's very down to earth about these things. I don't want to put Dominique through alot of procedures etc. She has gotten so that she is terrified at the vet. It doesn't seem worth it to put he through alot of testing etc. when it won't change the outcome. She's a very sweet girl.

    She isn't interested in dog food any more - (of course I haven't tried them all), but I'm making chicken and rice etc for her every day. Got to keep her eating.

    She was a seeing-eye puppy that I raised for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. They have their own breeding program there. I wonder if they have any statistics. I guess in labs this is pretty fast moving. They don't know why... genetics I guess.

    Thanks for the information and the websites. I'll check them out. Yahoo has a user group about kidney disease, but it's almost too much information, know what I mean?

    I'll keep you posted. Priscilla

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Prill,
    Is Dominque in pain? I am really sad for her.

    For protein losing nephropathy high proteins can help her.
    But confirm what she has. For now you could feed her eggs.
    Boiled eggs mixed with a little low fat chicken. Egss are
    super proteins that are easy to digest.

    glomerulonephritis would be a little more scary as this
    can cause high blood pressure and usually the result
    of another thing going on. Lyme is probably the cause.

    Lyme is a real pain. It causes so many nasty problems
    Dominque would not be the first to suffer with
    a lyme induced kidney problems. This might be good news
    as if this is caught early they can treat this. She might
    be restricted from chewing on bones (but at 11 she is
    grinding her teeth so she doesn't care about bone chewing)

    Both my dogs have lyme. One became more lame with
    it, the other we caught it in time. Both have been
    treated but Lyme is forever. They get tested every year.
    To see of the count is so high they need anitbiotics.
    And yes both dogs were vaccinated as puppies but I am not
    sure how much it helped. It could be the reason they
    are living with Lyme. Who knows? Others have died with
    the shots. ...Lyme is a nasty thing.

    I will be interested to know what Dominque's BUN count
    is. blood urea nitrogen

    And is the urine clear? or thick? Thicker urine is actually
    a better sign because it means that her body is working
    to get rid of proteins. Again I am not a vet
    slightly familiar with some kidney issues.
    nephropathy + loss of Proteins and this could be
    easier to care for.

    I look forward to hearing what is going on with
    Dominque. She is an older girl. For a boxer she is really
    old as boxers do not live as long as Labs. For a Lab she
    is not terribly old and might have the strength to really kick this.
    Lets find out more. And you are wise to think
    about the practical side of her life.
    Is she in pain, will it cause more pain for her to suffer
    with this dieseas... All these terribly painful thoughts.

    Thinking of you and wishing you peace in your heart
    as you hug Dominque.

    ~boxerpups

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dominique is not in pain that I can tell. Her BUN was 41 and the next check 47. Creat 1.9, 2.4 and now 3.4. My vet called today from her conference and wants me to take Dominique in on Monday for another blood pressure check and urine test. We'll see how those look.

    I had taken Dominique to the vet this summer because she was limping. Sure enough Lyme disease. I guess it is very, very prevalent these days. I never dreamed it could turn to this. I'm sorry to hear both of your dogs have it.

    She's getting pretty picky about what she wants to eat, but she does like the chicken I've been cooking for her! And I have added eggs a couple of times. I'll try that more often. She is losing weight each time we go to the vet. Luckily, I guess, she started out with some to lose.

    Thanks for being so supportive. I'll keep you posted as we go along. Not sure how this will go.

    I thought we might get to meet in Boston today! But maybe one of these days. I would be great to put faces with the names!

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Me too. I wanted to meet too. Soon I am sure.

    As for Dominque, I am so happy she is not in pain.
    This is really good news. And perhaps once there is
    a better understanding of what she has it can be
    cared for. No one wants our babies to suffer.

    My female boxer who is also 11 is skinny. She never
    was before but because of the lyme. She also has
    an immune disease that we believe was caused by lyme.
    In fact they told us three years ago she would not
    live the weekend. This was with three different vet
    offices all with the same opinion. At the time they
    each suggested she have a blood transfusion and MAYBE
    she would make it. This with steriods and others expensive
    meds. (estimated cost $10,000.)

    We chose with sadness to let her die. She was not in pain
    and the vet said she would probably die in her sleep.
    Through tears we waited.

    Three years later she is still here!! She never died.
    3 years later The vet still smiles everytime we go
    and says this is her miracle boxer. Our dog took no
    medicine. Nothing! we thought she was going to die so
    gave her nothing but love. At the time her blood count
    was so low the vet said she had seen autopsies with a
    better blood count. White, red and platelet so low that it
    was thought she would die. No one knows why she lives.
    They even took a sample of her blood and dna to a study
    being done at Stamford vet school.

    Cleo (Oh I forgot to tell you her name) lives a very
    simple life. Sleeping 20 of the 24 hours a day. : ) She
    seems to love her life. She no longer takes long walks.
    She prefers her cozy bed. She does like to sit outside
    watching birds, squirrels, teenagers run around... OUr
    other boxer Kramer adores her. He used to miss that she
    could not wrestle with him but now that he is older
    he enjoys just napping by her side.

    I hope Dominque has some good results. If her blood
    pressure is okay than maybe something simple to treat
    the kidney issues so that she is comfortable.

    Does she like Tuna? Maybe a dash of this with her
    chicken and eggs could help with taste. Cleo loves
    Tuna more than any other food.

    Thinking of Dominque and sending her get well wishes.

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That's an amazing story about Cleo - you never know do you?
    Thanks for the tip about the tuna - I'll try that today. She seems to
    want to eat less and less. That worries me.

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    it worries me too. :(

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Prill
    any news?
    boxerpups

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    today we went in for blood pressure check and urine test. Blood pressure is up, urine test not back yet. So, I'm waiting to see if they want to change her meds again.

    Made her hamburger and rice today, which she liked. I did try a little tuna yesterday and she ate it (and then the cat stole the rest off of the counter).

    I'll post tomorrow if I get results from today. Thanks for asking.

  • cotehele
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My heart goes out to you. We went through renal failure with our cat this summer. I know how you must be feeling. My best to your and Dominique.

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks cotehele - I'm sorry for you too. It seems to be quite common.

  • holligator
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Priscilla, I'm just reading this and wondering how Dominique is doing? One of our danes had a different kind of kidney problem and it was quite harrowing, but like boxerpups's Cleo, lived another 3.5 years after he was diagnosed and given "a few months at best." Sending good thoughts your way...

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks holligator - Dominique is actually in the hospital for IV fluids right now. I took her to the vet yesterday for a kidney test, and she hadn't been eating in a couple of days. They gave her some sub q fluids and pepcid while I was there, but before I was home again the vet called to say her kidney values were alot worse and she thought Dominique should come right back to be on IV for a while. Since they close at noon on Saturdays, she wanted to know if I wanted to transfer her after that to the emergency 24 hr vet hospital.

    Dominique is terrified at the vet and I just don't want to transfer her some place else again after today. I said now and that I would bring her back to them on Monday if I needed to. The vet said it's probably too soon today to re-test to see if the values are much better. I guess I'll see when I pick her up. She is still acting fine except for not eating. So we'll see how this goes. I don't want to put her through alot just to gain a little. I don't think its fair to her.

    I felt so bad leaving her there last night. And it felt so weird when I got home without her. I expected her to come running to the door to meet me even though I just left her.

    I'll post later to let you know how it's going.

    Thanks so much for asking and for your good wishes.

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Prill,
    Any news today?

    This is a worrisome time. We value their lives because
    they are so close to us but we understand their time is
    short. I so understand when you say it felt terrible to
    come home without her. I can only imagine
    the anxiety, sadness, worry and heartbreak you must be
    in. I know I would keep reaching out to pet only to
    remember my dog is not there. :*( but instead in the
    vet's office.

    Thinking of you and hoping you know you are not alone.
    Our dogs are the angels in our daily lives,
    Without them life is so very quiet. I am wishing she
    gets well to spend just a little more time with you.
    ~boxer

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Boxerpups - I picked her up from the vet on Sat. at noon and brought her home until this morning. She's still not eating much at all - a bit of turkey and some chicken broth.

    She seems like herself except that she doesn't want to eat. Maybe a bit more subdued on Sunday than usual. She still wants to go for a walk, but I keep it short. I know she can't have much energy. I think that's one of the hard things - she seems like herself, even though she's so sick.

    I took her back to the vet this morning and haven't heard back from her. I assume they put her back on fluids and will be re-testing the kidney values. She did say she thought we were pretty lucky to have had these couple of months. It's moving pretty quickly.

    I have my moments - burst into tears from time to time. This is the worst part of having animals. It's so hard.

    What really bothers me is when people ask if I'm going to get a new puppy. I know they mean well... but I still have Dominique and she can't just be replaced so easily.

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I can not agree with you more about the new puppy comments.
    Terrible.

    They truly do not understand. They do not see the deep
    cherished friendship we have with our dogs. It is not a
    pet but a true friend.
    My dogs (my poor DH) are closer to me than most
    humans. They understand me, comfort me, make me laugh,...
    all without verbal communication.

    It is the 1000 of ways they interact with me. Breathing
    heavy, snoring, dreaming about running, the excitement
    they get when they see a squirrel, their soft warm nose,
    sweet sorrowful eyes, their tiny tails wagging (boxers
    have tiny ones), the joy they have in everyone they meet.
    ... The Never ending love I receive daily from them.

    Would we say to a friend that lost their husband?
    So when are you getting a new husband? I know you miss
    John but you can get a new one.

    I am sure these friends are trying to comfort but they
    really can not possibly understand what they are saying.
    In the days ahead I urge you to take a few photos of
    Dominque when she is at her best. Enjoy her every second.
    Cuddle, laugh, smile, pet her, let her be near you and
    truly cherish these moments. You will thank yourself later
    that you did not fall apart but gave her last days a
    time of joy for both of you. Make this painful good bye
    as you go along day to day a time to remember all the
    great things she is too you. And lastly and this is very
    hard, please know I say this with the deepest understanding.

    Lastly, remember that dogs will do anything to please
    even suffer in pain to keep us happy. Dominque loves
    you. In the back of your mind and heart remind yourself
    that her life is temporary and she has lived a good life
    with you. You have had the pleasure to be a friend to
    her and you will never forget the love she gave. Allow her
    to leave with dignity when she is ready. Don't hold on to
    her for yourself but for your shared friendship. I say this
    as one who hung on to a dog who was suffering to keep me
    happy, not herself. I miss her so much so many years
    later.

    Thinking of you.
    ~boxer

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Boxerpups - you are the sweetest person. I know I can't keep her here for me. I've seen people do that - it's so sad for the animal. I know it's a hard call to make. I'm hoping I'll have the strength.

    No news from the vet yet today. I called the office. The tech said she ate last night, but not today. She's still on fluids. Hopefully this will give her a bit of a rally. It's been a hard week. My friends put their dog down on Saturday (the sister of my lab that died a couple of years ago, my beloved Kalli). And my friend at work told me today that her cat died at home (18 years old!) yesterday.

    I just talked to the vet. She said Dominique is doing well. They ran some tests yesterday morning to compare with the results from Friday and she said the numbers were much better. She said Dominique is very perky today and seems to be feeling better.

    She's going to keep her again tonight and run another test around noon tomorrow to see how it looks. She might keep her over the holiday or send her home tomorrow depending on the new tests. I little bit of encouraging news.

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. Priscilla

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dominique is home for Thanksgiving. Hopefully she'll eat some turkey and enjoy being home with her family.. We'll be thankful to have her with us and we'll take it day by day.

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I lost by beautiful Dominique yesterday. So very difficult, but the right decision at the right time. I will miss her so much.

  • prairie-girl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am very sorry for your loss, prill. Losing a beloved pet is a very hard thing to go through.

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Prairie-girl!

  • holligator
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, prill, I'm so sorry! Dominique really was beautiful and obviously quite loved. I have been where you are many times, and it never gets easier losing a cherished four-legged baby.

    When it's time, it suddenly becomes so obvious to us. I'm so glad you're at peace with the decision. My husband has had to remind me over the years that an important part of giving them a good life is giving them a good end of life. It's so hard, but it's the least we can do in return for all they do for us.

    Thinking of you...

  • boxerpups
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Prill,
    I am so sorry you are going through this. I would have
    posted earlier but I am sad thinking about it. I am truly
    sad. Truly sad about Domique. I guess because Cleo's time
    is close. Inmy heart I was hoping Dominque would make it.
    I know you were too. It breaks my heart. But I know
    she is no longer suffering.

    You are not alone in your saddness. It will take many
    months. Keep those pictures around you and know that she
    had a wonderful life with you.

    Sad for you,
    ~boxerpups

  • prill
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Boxerpups-
    Thank you so much. It's been very, very difficult. I've gotten so much support from family and friends. That's been a big help but my heart is still broken.
    She was such a sweet dog. I know it will take a long time to heal.

    Thank you for your kind words and thoughts.
    Priscilla

  • ccoombs1
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am so sad for you. It hurts so much to lose our furry friends. They love us so unconditionally. You gave Domique the kind of life that most dogs only can dream about. She was loved. Time will heal your heart.

    Cindy

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