Fireking - chronic kidney disease in german shepherds

[frankie]

Dear all
As you know i posted the sad story of Fireking being diagnosed as having CKD over the weekend.
The vet has restricted his food from three meals a day to one and he is not allowed any extras such as the calcium bones or dental sticks that he loves.
He is pining as he is starving and not used to the change. He also seems to think he is being punished by not having his "treats" dental sticks etc.
I have spoken to many people on this and a lot of people say that if humans are told they only have 6 - 12 months to live then they say what the heck i am going to enjoy what time i have left and if it means i eat chocolate and the doc says i cannot then i am going to. that was just an example.
Do I have the right to make the decision to make Firekings last months miserable or let him have what he wants even though I might lose him earlier?
Please let me know what your views are?
Frankie

[carrie79]

Personally if he is dying anyway (am I reading this right?) I would make darn sure that he got whatever he wanted. That is just me though. Why prolong him not feeling well? I had a cat Sammy (greatest cat in the world!) who had a failing liver. The vet said to restrict blah blah it will help out but that he had one year max. So we started to but sammy just was not sammy anymore. So we just kept him happy..... that included him allowing him to sneak my mom's Chilli from her bowl after she had finished it. But if there is a chance that he could get better I would stick with the diet and stuff.

[Dax]

It's a hard decision. On one hand, beign strict with diet might get him another 6 months but his quality of life will not be the same.

Perhaps there are some treats you can make or buy that will be ok. Ask your vet.

My hopes and prayers go with you.

[SalemsMom]

I to would ask the vet,if there was a treat that he could have, and ask him,if he got his regular treats,how long he would have. I think,if it meant him being miserable,and I knew I couldn't save him anyhow,I would choose to give him anything he wants,and give him all the hugs and kisses I could!
Best of wishes, and I hope, he will pull through.

[frankie]

Many thanks for replying about Firekings problems. I am still undecided about what to do; Hubby thinks that we should take vets advice but I think he should have quality of life even though it might mean we lose him earlier. I shall keep the forum informed of his progress. the vets told me he would have 6 -12 months and changed his diet with no dental stix or calcium bones which were his treats but this is just making him miserable and he feels (i think) that he is being punished for something. obviously he does not understand.
Thank you again for responding. It is nice to know there are other dog lovers out there who understand.
Take care and God Bless

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

I'm sure the vet's intention is not to starve Fireking. What reason did they give you for reducing his food so drastically?

For me, the time to say no more is when there is unmanageable pain whether it be from the illness or the meds to treat it.

I'm sure there is some sort of treat he could have. I know there are some that don't change the urine's PH.

I didn't see your original post so I don't know how old your dog is. Do you have a lot of trust in your vet? I have a dog with cancer and while I do agree with most things my vet says, I just wanted to talk it over with a specialty clinic. I called The Cummings Veterinary School, which is a part of Tuft's University. They are on the cutting edge of all things dog.

Again, I'm coming in on this in the middle of the story so I'm sure I don't have all the facts.

Net, if I knew the diet could give you some quality time with him without a lot of pain, I'd suggest sticking with the diet and look for alternative, suitable toys/snacks.

On the other hand, if I knew that death was imminent (very close), I'd give him whatever he wanted.

This is such a personal thing; a tough thing. With my sick dog, when it came right down to it, I considered everything everyone had to say and then made my own decision.

We're here to offer support, advice and friendship through the journey.