In Shock

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5PotatoChips

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My sister and I are in shock. We just heard from our vet about Thea. She's in kidney failure. She's five years old and is in kidney failure! Her numbers are not good. She has less than 30% function of her kidneys and all her numbers are at least 10x what they should be. Our vet was shocked when he saw the numbers.

She is going in later today for more fluids and meds. We are working on a game plan for the next couple of days. Our vet was straightforward though. It doesn't look good.

Please any thoughts and prayers would be so appreciated. I can barely see through the tears to write this right now.
 
Angela

Angela

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Omg, I am very sorry. I don't know what to say except love every minute you have with her, hugs to you all.
 
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clara_sophia

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I'm so sorry to hear this! I lost a dog (not a newf) at age 3 very suddenly from a rapidly-developed autoimmune disorder and it was very sad and shocking. I hope you get a positive outcome but I'm around if you want to chat. Prayers for all of you.
 
Jeannie

Jeannie

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I hope your vet has a great game plan for you. Prayers for Thea and you as you make this life saving decisions. Could this be the root of all the health problems she has had recently?
 
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5PotatoChips

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Thank you everyone! All your messages mean a lot right now. Jeannie, yes it probably is the underlying cause of everything.

We just got back from the vet. The good news is she did perk up after the fluids. The bad news is our vet did an ultrasound and he couldn't even find her kidneys! He looked and looked and looked. He should have been able to see them. Kidneys, he said, are normally quite easy to find. He might have found one at one point, but if so, it was not normal at all. This seems to indicate more of a congenital defect. He gave the name, I don't remember, but said it is known to be in the Newfoundland breed. He doesn't know for sure that is what it is, but it would be what he is leaning towards.

Other good/bad news is she should be acting a whole lot sicker considering her numbers than she actually is. Which again seems to indicate her body has been compensating for awhile now.

She has an UTI again so he wasn't able to run a particular test he wanted at this time. We have antibiotics for her UTI, (safe ones considering her condition), bags of fluid to give her twice a day, and Aluminum Hydroxide (I believe that is what it is, but I don't have the bottle with me right now.)

Now we wait and see if it makes a difference over the next couple of days. She ate dinner tonight so that's good news!
 
Newfobsessed

Newfobsessed

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What a horrible shock to everyone! Praying for you and your Newf when you make those all important medical decisions. My prayers also to all of you and hoping your time with your baby is remembered and treasured until you meet again.
 
nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

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My Sophie passed from renal failure at age seven.
So sorry to hear your girl is going through this. Cystinuria is the congenital defect that is common in the Newfoundland breed.
Aluminum hydroxide is a phosphorus binder and can be very effective in the treatment of kidney disease in some cases.
Diet can also help... If she is kibble fed get her onto a raw diet ASAP.
There is a wonderful yahoo group for kidney failure dogs with lots of support and great info. It just depends on how aggressive you want to be with her.
You can PM me if you want.
Hugs to you and your girl.
 
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5PotatoChips

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Thea is looking better!!! We have been giving her subcutaneous fluids twice a day along with her meds. It wasn't until yesterday afternoon that we started to see a difference. She isn't active by any means, but she is interested in what is going on around her and you can see a brighter look in her eye. :) She even did a circuit of the yard and went to investigate what our other two girls were doing.

As our vet said: her prognosis is guarded. But these are all really good signs. He is most worried about her Phosphorus and Creatinine (sp) levels. Time will tell if we can get them down.

For now we are taking it one day at a time. But seeing her perkier is so wonderful! Thank you for all your support!

P.S.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to mix her Aluminum Hydroxide in? We tried yogurt, but that didn't work. She's still finicky about food so finding something she likes is hard. Right now we are squirting it down her throat with a syringe. :/ She's a trooper!
 
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5PotatoChips

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The first two pictures are from yesterday. She decided that the dirty water under the tarp was better than her clean water in her bowl. ;) The last picture is of me making sure she doesn't pull the needle out while we were giving her her fluids. Rachel caught Thea's expression and I think it expresses her opinions about the whole thing perfectly!
 
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