JustAnswer > Dog
Ask A Question|Register|Login|Help
JustAnswer

Dog

Ask a Dog Question, Get an Answer ASAP!

Have your own Dog question?

18 Vets and Dog Experts are Online Now
characters left:
Not a Dog Question?

Related Dog Topics:

  • Dog
  • ,
  • Eat
  • ,
  • May
  • ,
  • Pet
  • ,
  • Back
  • ,
  • Dogs
  • ,
  • Eats
  • ,
  • Diet
  • ,
  • Food
  • ,
  • Life
Bookmark and Share

Question

My 14 year old Chihuahua has a BUN of 120. He was at 139.9 5 days ago and received intensive IV fluids for three days. It brought his BUN down to 65 but 2 days later is it back up to 120. His Creatinine was 22 and is now 27. I am giving him Sub-q fluids and although he has been on a special diet for a very long time, he will no longer eat it. I am cooking for him so he eats. He has a heart murmur now and a slightly enlarged heart. I guess what I want to know is whether its going to help him to give him the sub-q fluids (he hates it) and what should I expect as far as how long he will have a decent quality of life.

Submitted: 17 days and 21 hours ago.
Category: Dog
Value: $9
Status: CLOSED
+
Read More

Optional Information

Pet's Gender: Male
Pet's Age: >12
Type of Animal: dog

Already Tried:
special low protein diet, IV fluids, sub-q fluids

Accepted Answer

That is a REALLY high creatinine at 27, which is actually a more significant number than the BUN when looking at the kidney values. That is about 10 times the high end of normal value. It is pretty indicative of end stage renal failure.

 

The sub-Q fluids will keep him hydrated and will help to reduce the BUN and creatinine somewhat, but you are not going to make him magically better with the fluids. They are to help keep him comfortable and hydrated at this point. I would say you may only have a few weeks for him to have quality of life.

 

I always tell my clients, you will know when it is their time to say goodbye. You need to decide for yourself what the marker is going to be for the point where you are going to stop - it may be if he refuses food for more than 12 hours, or if he refuses to drink, or if he stops interacting with family members, etc. But I always tell clients that you will know. And they usually tell me that thy *did* know when the time was right to make the ultimate decision for their pet.

 

I am so very sorry that you and your dog are going through this. These dogs really are members of the family.

 

I will be thinking good thoughts for you and your dog. :-)

 

Dr. Tanis!

Picture
Expert: Dr. Tanis
Pos. Feedback: 100.0 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 11/5/2009

Dog Veterinarian

10 years experience in small animal emergency medicine

+
Read More

Related Dog Questions

  • when do they open there eyes and how old do they have to be ...
  • adapting a young cat to new home/owner
  • Loss of appetite.
  • We have an 11 year old Dalmatian male dog. Over the past ...
  • Can dogs be given baby aspirins for pain ?
  • 2 year old fixed female shih tsu, 8.5 pounds. recently ...
  • Why does my chow chow chew on his tail?
  • My labs nose is peeling away at the top where it meets with ...



Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.
Question List | Become an Expert | Terms of Service | Security & Privacy | About Us
© 2003-2009 JustAnswer Corp.