Water retention.. please help my little Zima.

[ytterp]

We have a chihuahua that weighs about 20lbs. She was found on the side of the road about 3 years ago as a little puppy and had bite marks etc on her. WElll... at about 1.5 yrs old she started gaining weight, we kept asking the doctor about it and they said it was nothing to worry about but to feed her less, well, we don't feed her anymore than we feed our other two little dogs and we even cut back, but she continued to gain. So the vet finally did some blood work and said she had some problems w/her heart and kidneys. Then he gave her a med. that helped somewhat. However, he wouldn't give us anymore after it ran out! He said we'd have to send her off for special testing at a university and just the tests would cost us a couple grand and that then treatment would be even more. She now weighs so much that she can't get on the couch or bed, she breaths really heavily and wheezes, she sometimes has blood in her urine and she pees alot. Is there anything we can do? The vet doesn't seem to be of much help. Zima is a very happy dog that doesn't act like she's in pain so we don't want to euthenize. We would like to help her lose the water weight, she's really spongy and has trouble even turning her head because there is so much water around her neck. Please offer any advice. Can we use an over the counter people diuretic? Thanx everyone

[erdog3]

The trouble is, she may not seem in pain, but when the kidneys are involved it leads quite often to infections. The blood in the urine is a really good indication of this, stones can do the same thing, bladder infections. She may be having a difficult time passing urine, it can sting, does she do very little amounts all the time?

Eventually she will die from this. Yes it can become very painful.
I would certainly go find another vet. Not for another opinion, but for treatment.
Do you feed dry food, that will not help her either, stick to a moist diet.

[ytterp]

Yes we do feed her dry food, it's a type suggested by the vet, and the blood is only here and there. I will try the moist food. I realize she'll die from this, but we're trying to make the life she has better now. There are days that she feels bad, on those days she lies around alot and is really calm. But most days are good ones. We have been to two vets for her, but have had dogs for years and have never found a good vet in our area, they always seem to be lacking. I live in Mobile, AL. So if anyone has a suggestion for a vet it would be welcomed. I just would like to find a way to get her water weight down so she will have more movement and i'd like to have a better idea of exactly what is causing this (they've done the same blood work twice with the same answer of there is something wrong w/her heart and her kidneys but they don't know what or how to treat it) Thanx again!

[erdog3]

I wanted to add the water retention is only one of the symptoms/effects of the overall disease, there are many other problems associated with it, you may find a way to help with the weight but the over all problem needs to be addressed, as it sounds like she has an infection already, and that needs antibiotics.

[ytterp]

They put her on antibiotics once, but will not give us more unless we go through the blook work each time, which seems silly to spend the $300 a month and to put her through an over night trip of blood work every month. Do you think this vet is lying that this is necessary? Or do you think this sounds reasonable? And oh yeah, there are more symptoms, but that is the one that seems to be hardest on her. We aren't trying to prolong her life by treating the other problems b/c the doctor said it would likely not prolong it in a good way for her, he said that we may put her through alot to treat the actual problem and only giver her a few extra months than she would have had anyway. Thanx again

[erdog3]

I think the vet is being unreasonable. If he is the one that did the original blood work, knows there is a genuine reason for the infection, then he should prescribe the medication without more blood work, as the disease is not going to go away. It is therefore logical to assume that is what is causing the blood in the urine.

We have a vet student member here, he sign in is Lou3, she is on the horse forum a fair bit, do you want me to try to get hold of her for more help?

[ytterp]

Oh yes, i'd love that! I'm new to this forum (just signed on tonight) but i could private message her and hope to get a response. Thanx for the tip. I appreciate this, I think we'll go ahead and research a new vet.

[erdog3]

Your welcome with the help, I am not a vet, but a breeder, for many years, so I go by my own personal experience and what I did.
I actually had a cat with Kidney disease, years ago, she was forever getting infections, she would do just the tiniest pees everwhere, always with a faint touch of red, I knew it was time for antibiotics for her when that happened, it would clear up for a little while. But my vet would just give them to me. There was nothing we could do to cure her, not in those days anyway. She had to have an all meat diet, no dry biscuits whatsoever. I know it is a little different for cats, in the way they have changed the dry biscuits now, but it would not hurt your dog to try moist, you have nothing to lose with her in this instance.
She bacame very lethargic and always sought heat, she seemed to get cold easily.

Contacting Lou for you. Sit tight.
Welcome to the forum BTW.

[lou3]

Hi there.

This one is a real stumper.
Can you give me more details? What has the vet diagnosed her with? What were the tablets she was given before?
Is she peeing normally? Does she drink excessive amounts?

firstly i would recommend altering her diet, Hills do a moist food kidney diet that is designed for dogs with problems such as these. While i would not recommend Hills maintenance diets those designed for specific problems are very good indeed.

It is possible diuresis may help her - this could be the overnight bloodwork your vet was suggesting once a month. This will take some of the load off the kidneys by thoroughly "cleaning" the blood (to use laymans terms) once a month.

I would expect a dog with kidney disease to be on some sort of medication to combat the symptoms at least. If she has had a course of antibiotics then it is likely the infection is gone and what you are dealing with is the residual permenant damage. However your vet should be able to give you something to combat the water retention at the very least since this is the most distressing symptom causing the dogs quality of life to be lowered (do not self-prescribe over the counter stuff these drugs are tailered for humans and can be fatal for dogs)

I would hesitate to recommend a second opinion at this stage until i have a few more details.
Hope this helps.
Lou

[Dax]

I'm so sorry that your dog isn't doing well. I really don't believe that a home remedy for a heart and/or kidney problem is going to work for you. It might help a little but your dog needs good vet care. I certainly understand that $1,000 is a lot to spend on tests and that you don't want to euthanize until the last possible moment. You could always try another vet.

You should consider the quality of her life. If she can't turn her head or get around, if her breathing is labored and blood in urine; then maybe it is time to let her go. There was a very good thread started by Weimlover on exactly this topic- "Quality of Life"

http://www.prodoggroomingsupplies.co...ead.php?t=3850