Dear Dr. John,
I had three dogs, but I lost the oldest to a coyote a few months ago. I was devastated. Over the past few days, my nine-year-old Miniature Schnauzer started acting strange. He became quite lethargic, stopped eating, and started drinking a lot. I took him to my vet who ran blood tests and said that he was in kidney failure. His values were very high. What does that mean? They suggest I bring him in for fluids for four hours every day for the next five days. My dog was fine until a few days ago and I have no idea what might have caused this. Could it be diet, chewing the grass, or eating a white flower in front of my house? How does one know what kind of chances he might have for getting better or a longer life? What do you recommend? S.S.
Dear S.S.,
One does need to be wary in areas where coyotes roam and I’m sorry for your loss. Renal or kidney failure can be classified into three basic types: acute, subacute, and chronic. One needs to look at the specific blood values and the history of onset when deciding treatment and prognosis. The values are blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and Creatinine. SDMA values can add additional information. The levels of those values and a few others, such as phosphorous, can give you a sense of what lies in store.
Treatment primarily involves fluid therapy (dialysis). I cannot address why your veterinarian is suggesting daily fluid treatment rather than hospitalizing your dog for continuous fluid infusion, but I am sure they have their reasons. It is not likely that your dog’s diet was the causative agent here but eating grass that has been treated with chemicals might have caused an acute or sudden renal failure. Eating certain plants or flowers can also cause renal failure. You need to inform your vet of the white flower ingestion and show them a photograph of other flowers of the same kind.
It sounds as if your dog has acute renal failure and his chances for getting better depends on the degree of kidney damage and how long it has gone on. Good luck!
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic.He can be reached at 781-899-9994.
