kidney issues

bruno

hello everyone , my bully bruno is in the hospital with iv because of kidney issues this is a new issue to me he was slow so the vet did a CBC and found this level CREA is was 2.8 now 2.1 he is coming home today they still have not told me if he has kidney problems or just from a UTI which he has he is 6 turning 7 next month, i have to change his diet on low protein , all of this a shock to me, and was wondering if anyone has had this problem before and the future of my dog, he has been the hospital since Wednesday, so not so good Christmas for me hopefully a better new year, thoughts will be gratefully appreciated
thank you
Frank     

philsergeant

Frank, I know some of our members have had issues with Bullie kidneys.. And I am sure they will chip in... You can meanwhile do a search on " kidney" in the search field above and hit "go". I'm praying it's nothing permanent.. What diet has he been on for the last 7 years... Nobody needs this kind of news at Christmas... Our thoughts are with you.. Bullies are strong and love life!

bruno

Hi philsergeant, thanks for replying, he has been on different dry kibbles that i have changed over the years I struggled with his allergies,his food consisted of grain free dry to frozen raw , right he is beaning weened  off of nature variety instinct limited, to a prescription kidney diet dog food, he is home now took him home yesterday I have to continue giving him meds plus IV bag 1 per day going Wednesday for another CBC blood and check him values 2.1 CREA is current numbers and he is fighting a UTI, for FYI a tip off was all of a sudden Bruno developed bad breath, ( a sure sign of kidney trouble) today is the first day he looks better and bad breath is gone, ( a great sign) still not sure if this is going to be a long time issue or we can fix this, i am almost convinced all the allergy meds over the years did not help his kidneys, also he has been on Apoquel for 6 months and i am going to stop that as well, right now Bruno is much improved (today). final note many years ago my dogs ( Dobermans) ate table food only ( meatballs ,sauce, what ever we ate, guess what no issues at all , and they lived to a grand old age of 12 and 14 respectively,( what is going on with dog food and the environment,  i will be in touch    Thank you Frank     

Marx

Hi Bruno,

So sorry to hear of your Bullys problems. We can relate a bit, our last Bully had less severe kidney issues from the age of 7 to 10yrs. when we finally had to let her go a few months ago.

Every case is different, after much trial and error we found Hills Prescription Diet Duck and Potato from the vet worked best with her numbers and digestion.  Again, your challenges a much more serious than ours where, wish you all the best, hopefully you'll get on top of things asap.

BulliesofNC

I wish I could say that kidney disease was not a genetic issue within the breed but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't. This is why the aspect of conducting proper genetic testing on breeding parents is so important. 99% of breeders do not conduct appropriate health tests prior to breeding and the health detriments continue just like they do in every breed.
It saddens me hearing about other BT's passing away prematurely due to kidney disease and I pray your BT doesn't follow suit in this deadly disease.

bruno

 you are so right i just cant believe what is going on with pure breeds ,
 thank you so much for your concern,
Frank

erikashea

My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours during this horrific heart wrenching time

bruno

hello everyone , i haven't been posting in a while , Bruno my bully has kidney issues for a little over a year now he has been ok but blood work creatinine has jumped to 5.3 he is acting somewhat normal except for sleeping a bit more, but eating ok drinking ok normal times for going to the bathroom, doctor cant understand, i am going to start fluids on saturday and try to reduce that level, he just had a kidney profile urine shows protein level ok , any thoughts my doctor says he should be very sick by now, my concern is is this going to happen fast or can he maintain this level
thank you
Frank 

BulliesofNC

Something to take into consideration is that Bull Terriers have a strong tolerance for pain and discomfort. Unless they are extremely bothered that often won't show any signs of distress.

In the event that his recent blood work is correct with creatinine level of 5.3 that would mean he is in Stage 4 Kidney disease which is obviously very concerning. I too, am shocked your Bullie isn't showing the common signs of kidney failure due to his creatinine level.

I hate hearing about any Bull Terrier with kidney disease but I'm thankful to hear your Bullie isn't experiencing the common symptoms with such high levels. I pray he's able to prolong the inevitable for a very long time and enjoy life to its fullest.

philsergeant

I'd suggest a different vet... More than typically, unfortunately, vets are not pro-active unless they see a channel for making money from the situation.... The fact that he has provided you with limited constructive and demonstrative help in over a year is disheartening, to say the least.

bruno

hi philsergeant , thank you for the feedback ,its really tough thinking about this i have done everything that is asked searched hours and days for a year to study about kidney failure, giving him sub q fluids 3 times a week he has been seeing a kidney specialist on a regular basis, if you see my dog Bruno he looks great he has normal energy for a 8 year old bully he weights 75 lb all muscle, has maintained that weight right thru, one issue i have is he has been on atopica for 6 months which was against it for a while until i finally said ok because his allergy was so bad his paws hurt, i know it says dont give atopica with dogs having kidney issues brought this to the specialist she said its ok ( not sure about that) i have just decided to cut the dose to 50mg per day and may stop altogether, maybe i am looking for a answer that just does not exist, any thoughts or suggestions would help
thank you
Frank