Kidney Disease

[Shaquille]

Our little Shaq was neutered about 3 weeks ago. His blood levels showed that there may be a problem with his kidneys. The vet wanted to wait about a month and re-test him since the values might have been because he had not eaten or drank anything in 24 hours. Well we went back and his blood levels showed that he had Kidney Disease. This past weekend he was acting groggy and would not eat or drink so we took him to the vet. They admitted him for dehydration. We thought one day would be enough but as of 6:45am this morning the doctor called and they want to keep him longer-- 3 days. I have read some of the other posts and there are lots of people who have decided to put their dogs down due to the choices that they had. What I would like to know is where are we going from here? They just started him of KD perscription diet and TUMS daily. The doctor mentioned an ultrasound and biopsy of the kidney's and an x-ray. I don't want my lilttle man to die and I sure don't want to put him down. Is there anyone else going through this or have gone through this. It scares me to death!

 

[Scorpio]

I am not going through this, it must be so hard, I am so sorry that he is sick, I do hope it all works out for the best. My prayers are with you.

 

[VTbxrFan]

I'm so sorry for what you are going through. I have both good and bad experience to report on this. The boxer my family had when I was in high school was diagnosed with kidney disease as a puppy. The good news is that she really did not act like a sick dog -- she ate a special diet and was smaller than average, but she was energetic and playful. The sad news is she died very suddenly when she was about 3 years old. Don't be discouraged -- this was 10+ years ago and my understanding is that treatment options have improved greatly. My advice is consult with your vets and do some research to learn as much as you can about all treatment options, and enjoy whatever time you have with your Shaq you have -- whether it's short or many, many good years. Good luck. Maybe some others will have more recent experience to share with you.

 

[dan h]

Hi Shaquille. I just hope that little Shaq is not going through what our Lexi went through. She was about the same age as Shaq when we had to put her to sleep. One day, she just started throwing up massive amounts of food and water. She wouldn't eat or drink water. But then, after a couple of hours, we would be normal again. She would play, eat, and drink. When we took her to the vet, they kept her for one day for IV treatment. She came back good as new. Almost a week went by and she was doing fine until she started the whole throwing up again. We took her back to the vet and after having done some bloodwork, they were skeptical at the level of toxins present in her system. The doctor told us to feed her blend food (rice and hamburger meat) and also give her something similar to Tums. This time, as time went by, she was becoming more lethargic, not eating much, and throwing up. Our doctor suggested an ultrasound and referred us to an advanced animal clinic. The results to the ultrasound showed that her kidneys had never fully developed and that it would never develop. The only other solution next to putting her to sleep was to find a sibling from the same litter and have a kidney transplant done. Once the transplant was done, Lexi would have to come in every week for treatment. And still, the chances were not in our favor. We decided that we didn't want to put her through that type of life and also that we couldn't afford to spend $10,000+. The doctors at the advanced clinic rinsed her system out with IV fluids so that she would feel a little better and so that we could properly say goodbye to her. We took her for a walk with our Max and let them play for the last time. We gave her many hugs and kisses and finally we let her go. It was a really sad day.
I don't want to be negative and hopefully there isn't anything seriously wrong with him.
When are you taking him in for the ultrasound? Did the vet tell you how high his toxin levels were compared to the norm?

 

[Shaquille]

Shaq started to throw up food and water also about a month ago. I took him to the vet and they gave him some sort of medicine thinking he was just sick. Then we went back a couple of days later for his excessive peeing and drinking, (my mom was visiting and told me that that amount of pee was not normal). I am a bit discouraged that the vet could not see the symptoms earlier. We have spent $400 in the last month and a half trying to figure this out when it seems to me, now that I am somewhat educated, the symptoms were very clear, even without the blood work to prove it.
However, as of this afternoon when I went to visit, he was hyper as usual, but still looked a bit sick. The vet said they wanted to do an X-ray first and then the ultrasound. It sounded to me like the ultrasound would take place tomorrow. She could not give me a real answer whether or not it was life threating because they need to see how his kidneys are functioning. They did tell me about the blood work. His Creatin (spelling?) levels are declining a bit and his phophrous levels are still above normal. I don't remember how much, but enough that they are concerned. Because of this they want to keep him a couple more days to see if their is any change.

I heard that this type of disease is very rare in puppies. Did you hear that as well? Thanks for your input, it is helping us cope with the news and to know that someone else went through it makes us feel much better. When I know more I will let you know! THANKS!!!

 

[Aimee]

We had a sheltie who had kidney disease that we caught too late and it turned into kidney failure. I adopted him from the shelter so it was no telling how long he had had the kidney problems. We put him on Hill's k/d which made an enormous difference in his creatnine and BUN counts. But nonetheless they were still high. He lived comfortably for 3 1/2 years with this but eventually had to go on subcutaneous fluids several times a week. He, however, was not a puppy. He was 12 when we adopted him. There is a difference between kidney disease and kidney failure so your vet needs to be more specific with you. His life expenctancy really depends upon what the diagnosis for the problem is. Why would they want to do an x-ray AND an ultrasound? I would think the ultrasound would be far more acurate than an x-ray so why charge you more money. My philosophy is to run the expensive and most difinitve tests first, instead of spending a ton of money to work up to that point and then having to have the expensive tests run anyway. We've learned the hard way. Sending you positive vibes and please keep us posted!

 

[dan h]

I agree with Aimee. Why would they need to do both? Just tell them to skip the X-Rays and go for the ultrasound. I think it's a $35 difference, in which the ultrasound is much more flexible. Here's the other thing that concerns me. Why would they want to keep your pup there for a couple of more days when they don't know whats wrong with him? Usually, the vets will recommend to leave the dog with them when they know what's wrong with him and know the treatment that is required, but I never heard of a vet asking you to leave your dog there just to see if he gets any better. Isn't he charging you boarding fees to stay there?
When this happened to Lexi, it took no more than two days to find out what was wrong with her. One day for the blood work to come back and one day to do the ultrasound.
Has your vet tallied up an estimate for treating and diagnosing little Shaq? It's one thing to hear bad news from a doctor, it's another thing to hear bad news from a vet that has ripped you off at the same time. I have experienced both and trust me, I still curse the vet that misdiagnosed Lexi, charged us a bundle, and didn't even care to follow up on her situation.

 

[Shaquille]

The difference in price for the x-ray and the ultrasound is quite significant. X-ray= $80 and the ultrasound =$400 ( I think that price includes the biopsy) The reason they are keeping him longer is because he is not drinking or eating on his own. They want to get him hydrated I guess. We are looking at about $400 for the vet stay and fluids and depending on the x-ray and ultrasound we are looking at around $1000 total. As of this evening Shaq was more alert and playing. He had started to eat a little bit but not a major improvement. They want to check his levels on Friday to see if there is an improvement. If there is they will skip the ultrasound if not then they will go ahead with the ultrasound. He will have an x-ray tomorrow to see what is going on. I wondered the same thing, why both? I will ask tomorrow morning when I call. I see go expensive first...it makes more sense!

I have not been told that he has kidney failure, only kidney disease. I agree with you Dan, that it should not take this long to diagnose the problem. I am still irritated that all the signs were there and not one doctor mentioned Kidney Disease. They told me he could have diabetes, they checked his glucose levels in his urine and they were normal. They are trying to determine what type of Kidney Disease he has and how severe it is, so they say. I really like the doctor and she LOVES Shaq to death...my only concern is: am I getting ripped off? I will bring up all the points mentioned and see what the good 'ol doc says tomorrow.

Thanks for the different view points --It is so hard to think of some of these things when you are overwhelmed! I appreciate all of you!

 

[dan h]

I don't know if ultrasounds cost more out there in Vegas, but here in California, I paid $135. When we took Lexi in to the advanced animal clinic, she went in as an emergency patient. The emergency visit + blood work + IV fluids + ultrasound + boarding came out to close to $400. Maybe you should get a second opinion because if this is the doctor that is going to give ongoing treatment for your Shaq, you better hit the progressive jackpot at the casinos.

 

[Shaquille]

I wish I could hit that progressive... Here is the update. He is coming home tonight. They did the ultrasound today..free of charge as a Learning Experience for the staff there since they have not seen anything like this in a dog so young. The doctor who is a specialist is coming in on Monday to read the results. So far what they do know is that his Kidneys are larger than normal, something looks to be pressing on his pancreaus, and his abdominal lining does not look quite right. They will have the specialist read the ultrasound further to see if they can diagnose something. Still not much more news except that he can come home tonight! Total cost- $373.14 YEAH!!! We do have to take him back tomorrow morning for more fluids and then again on Sunday, he will have blood work done one more time and then go back on Monday to see the specialist. At least he can come home!

I will up date later!

Hey have you ever heard of a lady named Jane Foster in your area?