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Went to the vet the other day because of my old girl having really bad diarrhea. The vet checked her levels and she's just not doing well at all - her creatinine is basically off the charts, along with a couple of other things. Other than fluids, there's just not much I can do.
My vet says to keep feeding her the combo of pumpkin, barley, green beans and chicken thighs I've concocted but to add in some yogurt. Keep her away from phosphorous-heavy foods. And give her fluids every other day. I've got a few months with her, tops.
For those who have put dogs down due to kidney failure, how did the disease progress and when did you know it was time to let them go? The vet says that they will hide any pain they're in (and that my dog is especially stoic) but that based on human complaints about similar diseases, she strongly suspects that dogs with kidney disease DO feel pain caused by their ailment.
I have had no problem putting down my other animals at the appropriate times, but I have no idea what to expect in this case.
She's 15, so I'm sad, but not distraught. She's had a nice long life, and I will miss her terribly, but I accept this as just the natural progression of things. I've been incredibly lucky to have her for this long. Mostly, I plan to spoil her rotten for her remaining time.
I've seen it several times. They start losing weight and are less interested in life. I follow the vet's advice and if they are over age 14 and don't stabilize, I start thinking about helping them cross the bridge once they've lost 3 - 4 pounds. With more meds they can probably be kept going longer, but at that age, I'm also considering quality of life issues.
Your doggy may also be more sensitive to temperatures. Make sure it's warm or cool enough for them.
During the last year of her life Phoenix developed Kidney issues and while her labs were bad she was not in Renal failure at that point and she was happy and enjoying life then suddenly she stopped eating and seemed uninterested in things a trip to the vet showed her kidney values had not changed but she had a pneumonia. It took lots of antibiotics to get her over that and she spent a few nights at the pet hospital but she came home and seemed a bit better but then started acting lethargic and not wanting to eat again so back to the vets. The pneumonia was gone but the drugs had pushed her into renal failure. The vet warned me that often it is difficult save a dog in renal failure but we could try so for a week she spent her days at the vets on IV fluids and her nights home with me while she was not getting worse, she was not improving and lab tests showed only slight improvement. When I picked her up the one evening I told them I wanted to give her one last night at home and bring her in to put her down in the morning. It was a sad day but it was time as to expect her to keep battling was not fair to her. I know a lot of humans in renal failure got into pulmonary edema where the fluid starts backing up in the lungs and they can not breathe so that is something to watch out for too. And I did not want to see that happen to her as that is frightening for them. Just know when you are dealing with kidney issues it can go from OK to horrible within hours.
I would also say when its is like this the words my vet said to me years ago when a dog of mine had cancer apply/ " today is not the day but any day after today is not the wrong time to put the dog down." meaning when it starts getting worse it will not get better but just continue down hill and being the cancer would kill her cutting life short bay a few days , a week even a month is not wrong. I myself wish people would realize that with human family members as people will put loved ones through hell just for a few more days
I think you will know when the right time is as you know your dog well and I have always felt you want what is best for your dogs. Sorry you are nearing that sad time that we dog owners know too well.
Went to the vet the other day because of my old girl having really bad diarrhea. The vet checked her levels and she's just not doing well at all - her creatinine is basically off the charts, along with a couple of other things. Other than fluids, there's just not much I can do.
My vet says to keep feeding her the combo of pumpkin, barley, green beans and chicken thighs I've concocted but to add in some yogurt. Keep her away from phosphorous-heavy foods. And give her fluids every other day. I've got a few months with her, tops.
For those who have put dogs down due to kidney failure, how did the disease progress and when did you know it was time to let them go? The vet says that they will hide any pain they're in (and that my dog is especially stoic) but that based on human complaints about similar diseases, she strongly suspects that dogs with kidney disease DO feel pain caused by their ailment.
I have had no problem putting down my other animals at the appropriate times, but I have no idea what to expect in this case.
She's 15, so I'm sad, but not distraught. She's had a nice long life, and I will miss her terribly, but I accept this as just the natural progression of things. I've been incredibly lucky to have her for this long. Mostly, I plan to spoil her rotten for her remaining time.
It is time when YOU think it is. She is 15 years old! Think about IF it was YOU and she was taking care of you...and make the decision based on that. You sound like you have a good handle on it but don't allow the die hards to make you keep her around waaaaay longer and suffering. There ARE people who DO that.
It is time when YOU think it is. She is 15 years old! Think about IF it was YOU and she was taking care of you...and make the decision based on that. You sound like you have a good handle on it but don't allow the die hards to make you keep her around waaaaay longer and suffering. There ARE people who DO that.
Yeah, when I put my male border collie down, the vet was visibly relieved that I decided to do it right then and there - an undetected tumor on his spleen had ruptured. She said "You've made the right decision." I asked her how I could make any other decision given that he was clearly suffering, and she told me that she frequently had people take their dogs home so they could die there in cases like his. That's just effing crazy.
The real problem with kidney disease is it is very hard to tell what's going on with them. They just feel sick all the time, but who would want to be put down over a queasy stomach? So my puzzle is to find the balance between actual physical pain and mild discomfort.
When my cat stopped eating, it was because the tumor in her abdomen was making her uncomfortable. I put her down within 12 hours because there was no chance of her having a good day after that. But my old girl could stop eating because she's got a queasy stomach and it might just be a bad day or she could still be enjoying life but the queasiness makes her not feel like eating.
She hasn't vomited yet, but she is being kind of sketchy about her food. I have to coax her to eat, and I'm not sure if it's because she doesn't like the pumpkin/green beans/chicken thighs/barley blend I've been giving her. But she always would eat ANYTHING (including other dogs' poo and other non-food items, like underwear), so that makes me uneasy.
I dunno - it's just a weird situation for me. With all my other animals, it's been very cut and dried as to when was the right time to let them go. This time, I think it's going to be more of a gray-colored scenario.
During the last year of her life Phoenix developed Kidney issues and while her labs were bad she was not in Renal failure at that point and she was happy and enjoying life then suddenly she stopped eating and seemed uninterested in things a trip to the vet showed her kidney values had not changed but she had a pneumonia. It took lots of antibiotics to get her over that and she spent a few nights at the pet hospital but she came home and seemed a bit better but then started acting lethargic and not wanting to eat again so back to the vets. The pneumonia was gone but the drugs had pushed her into renal failure. The vet warned me that often it is difficult save a dog in renal failure but we could try so for a week she spent her days at the vets on IV fluids and her nights home with me while she was not getting worse, she was not improving and lab tests showed only slight improvement. When I picked her up the one evening I told them I wanted to give her one last night at home and bring her in to put her down in the morning. It was a sad day but it was time as to expect her to keep battling was not fair to her. I know a lot of humans in renal failure got into pulmonary edema where the fluid starts backing up in the lungs and they can not breathe so that is something to watch out for too. And I did not want to see that happen to her as that is frightening for them. Just know when you are dealing with kidney issues it can go from OK to horrible within hours.
I would also say when its is like this the words my vet said to me years ago when a dog of mine had cancer apply/ " today is not the day but any day after today is not the wrong time to put the dog down." meaning when it starts getting worse it will not get better but just continue down hill and being the cancer would kill her cutting life short bay a few days , a week even a month is not wrong. I myself wish people would realize that with human family members as people will put loved ones through hell just for a few more days
I think you will know when the right time is as you know your dog well and I have always felt you want what is best for your dogs. Sorry you are nearing that sad time that we dog owners know too well.
Thanks, Dashdog. I will keep that in mind. I really appreciate your post!
I've seen it several times. They start losing weight and are less interested in life. I follow the vet's advice and if they are over age 14 and don't stabilize, I start thinking about helping them cross the bridge once they've lost 3 - 4 pounds. With more meds they can probably be kept going longer, but at that age, I'm also considering quality of life issues.
Your doggy may also be more sensitive to temperatures. Make sure it's warm or cool enough for them.
They aren't with us long enough! ):
No, they really aren't.
She's still pretty energetic considering how old she is. I'll keep track of her weight though, for sure.
Went to the vet the other day because of my old girl having really bad diarrhea. The vet checked her levels and she's just not doing well at all - her creatinine is basically off the charts, along with a couple of other things. Other than fluids, there's just not much I can do.
My vet says to keep feeding her the combo of pumpkin, barley, green beans and chicken thighs I've concocted but to add in some yogurt. Keep her away from phosphorous-heavy foods. And give her fluids every other day. I've got a few months with her, tops.
For those who have put dogs down due to kidney failure, how did the disease progress and when did you know it was time to let them go? The vet says that they will hide any pain they're in (and that my dog is especially stoic) but that based on human complaints about similar diseases, she strongly suspects that dogs with kidney disease DO feel pain caused by their ailment.
I have had no problem putting down my other animals at the appropriate times, but I have no idea what to expect in this case.
She's 15, so I'm sad, but not distraught. She's had a nice long life, and I will miss her terribly, but I accept this as just the natural progression of things. I've been incredibly lucky to have her for this long. Mostly, I plan to spoil her rotten for her remaining time.
My happier than life itself and very stoic Aussie had an undiagnosed serious illness...prolly cancer; after a week in ICU on IV fluids/meds at the local emergency animal hospital we declined further diagnostics and took her home to love on her with palliative care...and developed kidney disease at 12 1/2. We kept her feeling pretty good with daily subcutaneous fluids and changing up her diet to tempt her taste buds. Her newly discerning attitude towards food was a giveaway, though, that she was starting to feel really crummy since the reason kidney dogs refuse food is because the toxins in their bodies (normally excreted by functioning kidneys) are building up. When she completely refused a meal then ate another meal that same day I knew she was getting close. When she refused both meals in one day and acted very lackluster I knew our girl was suffering too much to continue even though anyone else seeing her may not have thought so.
Enjoy that spoiling the both of you.
Consider using the very best yummy treats (peanut butter, Braunschweiger, etc.) for the moment you say goodbye...feed her as the vet injects her rump with the tranq and as the vet injects her vein...so that she is distracted, focused on you and happy. And don't let the vet tech restrain her as they normally do for minor procedures. I did not intervene when the vet tech did that with Aggie...I was unprepared since they did not do that with our other two dogs; typically restraint is not needed for such sick dogs...and Aggie was a little worried about that. It's an image I can't shake and it's been six years.
My old girl with kidney failure was probably 16, at least 15, when we let her go. She had gotten more lethargic over time. She loved her walks to her last day, but was just making token "walks" to a vacant wooded lot that was kitty corner from us at the very end. A walk halfway down the block and back was too tiring at that point. I'd been cooking for her, and it got harder all the time to find things she would eat. I had another 8 year old dog with cancer at the same time, and feeding them was a long process every day. When she rejected even her beloved Ritz crackers, let alone anything with any nutritional value, I knew it was time. I'm so sorry you're going through this. I know how hard it is. It's a privilege to help them through this time, though. Each moment is very precious.
My dog was diagnosed early, so I had time to adjust her diet & had time for periodic testing of her levels. She was also blind. I got two more years with her after diagnosis. Near the end, I was giving her more meds to try to help her digest any food she could keep down. After she stopped eating baby food & could barely keep water down, I knew it was time.
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