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Question

I have a 14 yr old jack russell/beagle mix male dog. He was diagnosed with renal failure about 6 wks ago. We started out on 1/2 tablet of Desmopressin Acetate 0.1mg. He is now on two tablets a day. He also takesEnalapril Maleate 5mg 1 daily and Etodolac 150mg 1 daily. I am concerned this is a high dose for his size(the Desmopressin), and am also concerned it really isn't working since they have raised the dosage every two weeks. Please help-not only is this possibly harmful to the do it is also hurting my pocketbook at $7 per pill. I will continue if it is helping him since I have had him or his whole life and he is one of the family(I also have 3 other dogs and a cat). Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

Submitted: 407 days and 6 hours ago.
Category: Dog
Value: $9
Status: CLOSED
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Optional Information

Age: >12; Male; Breed: jack russell beagle mix

Already Tried:
Just the medicine I have listed

Posted by NancyH 406 days and 4 hours ago.

Answer

Desmopressin you can read about here

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/desmopressin-ddavp/page1.aspx

It is used to treat diabetes and also blood clotting issues in dogs. The above site discusses dose per pound of dog info for different uses for you to compare to. If your vet is using it for diabetes treatment you might want to ask about alternative meds.

You can read about Enalapril a heart med here

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/enalapril-enacard/page1.aspx

and Etodolac a pain med here

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/etodolac-etogesic/page1.aspx

Hope this helps you!

406 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

I appreciate directing me to the drug id so I can read about it. However none of it helped me since my dog was put on it for renal failure and he has never had diabetes. Also I am sorry but the way it is calculated per pound is not understandable to either my husband( has a Master's Degree in Geology wi a backround in Calculus) r myself so we need help with that. My main concern was with the amount he is getting daily is it healthy for him and can it hurt him. Are we helping r hindering

Posted by NancyH 405 days and 23 hours ago.

Answer

mcg is microgram and it depends on what its being used for how much per pound is given.

the tablets are in 1/10 of a milligram (.1mg)

A microgram = 0.001 milligram

so .1mg is 100mcg

I don't see where this is used for renal failure in dogs but it is in humans so this is likely another off label use of the drug.

I did find information where this is used to reduce excess urination in humans but it was not as effective as they hoped it might be at first.

I did find in the Merck manual that it can be used to reduce urination

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/40507.htm

The way this is dosed in general is the prescribing medical professional starts with a low dose and works up until it is effective.

It looks to me like it might reduce urine out put but is not treating the renal failure exactly.

405 days and 12 hours ago.

Reply

So its helping him in a way, we kew it wasn't going to cure or make him better, but is this meication and therapy -the road we chose-is it hurting him more than helping him. With the dosage he is on we wonder if it is the right thing to do. I may be asking you a moral question in a was but I also am concerned if we are hurting him in anyway. Please answer that and it will help us in our decisions. Thank you

Accepted Answer

My view on this is if it appears to be making him better able to cope with the kidney failure issue then you have to look at the alternatives of what would happen if you stopped it and if he would then be too ill to do anything he likes to do.

I try to measure care against the dog's quality of life. If this gives him some good time with you that he would not have without it then keeping him comfortable is of course the thing to do.

With this kind of problem its not about cures or long term side effects but about keeping the dog comfortable as long as possible. You don't want him to suffer but I'm sure you are appreciating the quality time you are getting with him because he is on meds.

If your dog is uncomfortable, showing bad side effects of the meds, no longer able to do what he loves to do at all, then that is the time I start discussing options with the vet to ensure I stay kind to the dog.

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Expert: NancyH
Pos. Feedback: 99.5 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 10/15/2008

Dog Expert:Rescue, Train,Breed,Care

30+ yrs dog home vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior&training, responsible show breeding, genetics

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