My precious Punky is sick. Need prayers!

tsagona

tsagona

Cathlete
We haven't been on a vacation in about 5 years. Finally decided to go on an Alaskan cruise and the day we get on the ship we get a call from the boarding facility that my precious baby, Punky, is sick. Long story short, he had to leave is companion at the kennel (they've never been separated) and ended up at a 24 hour emergency care vet for the entire 8 days we were gone. He was diagnosed with kidney failure and was doing very poorly. We were distraught the entire trip. It was difficult each day as we couldn't think of anything but Punky and Sissy. I would never have forgiven myself if he had died while we weren't there. But we picked him (and Sissy) up last night and brought him home. He's not well. He drinks and tinkles but he will hardly eat. It is quite important for him to eat and I can't get him to eat. I tried the bland food they gave me at the vet. I tried his regular food. Nope. I gave him a piece of cheese because he loves it and he did eat a half piece of cheese. A half slice of deli turkey.

Has anyone had a pet with kidney disease? We are really hoping to get him over this hurdle and hope to get medication and kidney diet for the long term plan. But he's got to eat. Anyone have something their dog will eat even when they don't feel good?

No idea what brought this on. Vet thinks he got into some kind of toxin but I don't think so. He's only 3 years old and kidney failure is very uncommon at this young age. We have an ultrasound set for Monday so we'll see if there is something obviously wrong with his kidneys but otherwise we are at a loss for a cause. Anyone have any ideas?

Please pray for my precious Punky. He hugs and he just oozes love. He makes me a better person. I really need him to come through this.

Thanks to all
 
So sorry to hear about Punky - poor fellow!

Not sure if Leptospirosis is prevalent in your area - it's a bacterial disease that can cause renal failure. I usually screen for this with blood tests, especially in the young dogs that aren't prone to either congenital renal issues or susceptible to chronic renal failure like the geriatric patients.

Hang in there - good luck!
Heidi
 
Heidi,

Sounds like are a vet. My vet was going to test for the lepto and then decided against it only because Punky has received the lepto vaccines and therefore the chances of that being the cause was very small. I'd be willing to pay for the test if I thought it could be the underlying cause. Would you still test for it if the dog had received the lepto? Is there a cure if lepto is the cause?

Thanks for your input.
 
I would test for Lepto. The vaccine does not have as high a coverage rate as some other vaccines and it is still a possibility. Toxins are also a definite possibility. I had a young cat go into renal failure at about the same age after being bitten by a spider.

Good luck.
 
Hugs and prayers Tracy. I'm so sorry. I know you must be worried sick.
Please keep us posted. I will keep checking back here for updates.
 
Yes, I would still test for Lepto. No vaccine is 100% protectve and the vaccine only covers certain serovars for Lepto. There are other serovars that they can still get. So, I still test even in light of vaccination. We usually have them on IV antibiotics until they are stable and then oral antibiotics pending the test results because the results can take up to a week.

Heidi
 
I've had two cats with chronic renal (kidney) failure. I'm not sure how or if cats and dogs differ in this area, or if Punky's case is similar, but giving them subQ fluids can help a lot (I did this with both of my cats). Some cats, at least, can go on for a long time after being diagnosed and treated with diet and fluids. Also, the kidneys can recover to some extent from some kidney problems (one of my cats, Mandy, once tested as having the kidney readings---it's been a while, and I forget exactly what tests they were---of a 'very old' cat, then after a series of sub Q fluids, she was tested again and had readings that were on the bad end for her age, but no longer "very old cat").

Hoping the best for Punky, and sending you and yours some healiing vibes from me and my cats!
 
Yes, my little dogie Molly had a kidney disease. The vet told me in her case, that it will only get worse. When she couldn't hold down any more food and was throwing up yellow stuff all over the place, it was time to let her go and not suffer any longer the consequences of that horrible disease.

I know I did the right thing and I'm still crying over that little girl. She passed the day after Christmas last year. Poor little girl.:( I loved her so.

Prayers and much hugs to you and your little one. (((((hugs))))).

Janie
 
Punky has had alot of sub-q fluids. None today however. He had them yesterday and will have them tomorrow after he gets an abdominal ultrasound to see if there is a congenital problem.

I found about 20 little balls on the garage floor of some weed & feed I put out in the yard just before we left for vacation. (this all started the day we left for vacation). I just got home from the home depot getting the active ingredients to pass along to the vet to see if it will alter the treatment plan. That is some deadly crap and I don't recommend using Vigoro Ultra Turf Phosphorus-Free weed & feed. It's 28% urea nitrogen with active ingredients of 2,4-D, 2-ethylhexyl ester, mecoprop-p acid and dicamba acid. I know the kidneys filter out the urea and nitrogen waste that the body produces naturally but if Punky's kidneys aren't functioning properly, then he's probably on urea and N overload?? We'll have to find out how to treat that if there is nothing on the ultrasound.

I know this is way more info than yall are interested in but I am totally consumed with everything Punky right now.

He's actually doing pretty well today. He ate some milk bones, he chased a bird and he stood out in the front yard and barked just for the hell of it. Some of his favorite things to do. He's just so sweet. You can see him in my avatar. He's the one on the left. Isn't he just the cutest, lol.

Thanks to everyone for your hugs, prayers and info. Keep em coming. It's helping cuz he's feeling good. :D
 
I'm so glad Punky is feeling better today! I love their cute little habits that they do! I hope he continues to improve! It's frightening the things we have to consider and be careful with when we have pets! We have such a pitifully small yard that we don't worry with it much. All that yard stuff is do dangerous! My DH sprayed some weeds with bleach last weekend and I was freaking out that the pups would get into it, but they left it alone. Man, I was watching like a hawk!

I hope your vet figures it out and can get Punky on a proper treatment. Good luck with the ultrasound! I'll be checking in to see what you find out!
 
You can try warming up the food a little bit, that seems to help, get it moist and just slightly warm, sometimes the smell of the food will entice the animal to eat.

I will keep him in my prayers.
 
Punky is back at the 24 hour vet care service receiving antibiotics and fluids by IV. He will hopefully come home Thursday. He's doing well today. There isn't a definite diagnosis yet but they await the results of the leptospirosis and a urine culture. Had the ultrasound done yesterday and it brought bad news. They say his kidneys are 75% damaged and can't recover. I cried all day yesterday. But he's doing better so the IV fluids are hopefully bringing his kidney values back down to a more normal range. Once home we hope to enjoy good health for a good while but sadly this is not a long term thing. I'm so sad. I'm very sad.

Thanks for your hugs and prayers for Punky. He hugs, so if you were here he'd give you a hug. He's just a precious baby.

Thanks for listening to me talk about my precious Punky.
 
Oh, Tracy, more hugs and prayers. Sorry the ultrasound showed damage. These are hard days for our furry friends. Punky is lucky to have you caring for him.
 
I'm sorry to hear that his kidneys are irreparably damaged. More hugs and healing energy to Punky. I give my babies an extra hug in honor of Punky every day!
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Punky! I completely understand—my dog is my baby. I am glad to hear he is doing better and I hope he continues to improve.

Get well Punky!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top