Hi my name is Adriean and I would like to know if anyone has ever had a pet with renal failure and if so can you share your story with me because I would like to compare symptons. My dog was adopted by me middle of may by the 2nd week in june she became ill and almost passed away until I notice something was wrong and took her to the vet on a sunday. he immediately put on iv fluids and meds for 13 days and gradually she got better it was a miracle, but i think what helped was my being at the hospital everyday for 4 hours before i went to work. now i would like to know if any can tell me if there are other symptons i should look for to see if she is getting sick again, she is still not out of the woods and she also has pancreatitis. She is home now and i am still watching her and taking her to the vet once week and she also on antibiotics and special dog food. I recently noticed she is coughing and was wondering if this might be a sympton of renal failure coming back.

Adriena

adriean, let me see what kind of information I can find for you. I do not have firsthand information about renal failure and pets, but I know it’s very, very common. I didn’t want to leave you hanging, so let me put some feelers out there and see what we can dig up for you.

I am so happy to hear she’s ok right now!

Thank you any information will be helpful, I just want to make sure Chloe’s stays healthy. I just got her to start eating healthier she has gone from pedigree chunks which she must have been on with her previous owner to ID prescription food, I didn’t think she would eat it, but I was wrong she seems to love it.

Adriean

Did the vet say Chloe’s renal failure was acute, or chronic?

Acute renal failure happens when the animal ingests something or has some illness that causes temporary failure of the kidneys. Chronic renal failure occurs when there is so much damage to the kidneys (through age, poor diet, illness) that the kidneys cannot recover and function properly.

Since you said Chloe’s been on antibiotics, it makes me think her episode was acute due to a bacterial infection. It’s an important distinction to be aware of, so ask your vet if you’re uncertain if it’s acute versus chronic.

Chronic renal failure produces different symptoms than acute. These are the things to watch for:

Chronic Failure

1. Increased thirst and urine volume

2. Weight loss

3. Weakness and exercise intolerance

4. Tendency to bleed or bruise easily

Acute Failure

1. Dehydration (To test for this, gently pull the skin away from your dog’s middle. If the skin does not immediately spring back, the dog may be dehydrated.)

2. Stiff-legged gait and arched back (a sign of painful kidneys)

3. Little or no urine production

This website has a lot of valuable information! Good luck to both of you, and feel free to ask more questions!

Vet said her renal failure was accute. I adopted her middle of May and before she was turned over to me the rescue group had her teeth cleaned, which meant she was put under anesthesia and she was also given medicaion for arthuritis (she is 12 yrs old). One week later she was mine adoption was final. Two weeks after she became lethargic, loss of appetite, and vomiting. This all started on a Friday by Sunday she could hardly hold her head up or keep her eyes open. I immeditely called my vet at home and he met me at his office and immediately put her on IV fluids. The next day he did some lab work, and when the results came in he told me it was accute renal failure, she was in the hospital 13 days and she developed pancreatitis because of all the meds. I spent 4 hours everyday with her before work, just to reassure her she wasn’t being left again. She is home now and on antiobiotics and eating prescription food (ID prescription) and it seems to be working. My q. is what kind of signs should I look for incase she dosen’t get better. Although she looks and acts good, her lab work shows that she is only about 50% better and I am afraid she will get sick again.

Adriean