JRT has Kidney disease

Will my dog recover from kidney disease or is it permanent?
And what are some solutions to help treat it?

Comments for JRT has Kidney disease

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Oct 15, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		My dog Oliver
by: Anonymous

My dod Oliver was diagnosed with addisons 6 years ago. He is now 12. He was first diagnosed with kidney failer then a second vet spoted something diffrent on the test. I hope I am not too late but if I am. Your dog was lucky to have such a loving owner. I am not looking forward to the day that olver is not here my two boys will be crushed Oliver is a year older than my oldest boy. Olivers sight and hearing is fadeing so we are thankful for every day.
Aug 20, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Jack Russells
by: Janie

My Lola sounds similar to your pup. She would be fine for most of the day but then the nights would be very hard for her. We had her for 10 years and she was such a huge part of our family. We waited about 3 months to get another dog. I didn't want to get another Jack Russell because I was still sad about Lola. We ended up getting a King Cavalier named Chloe. BUT....then a friend of a friend knew of someone who couldn't keep her Jack Russell anymore because she was moving out of the country and that's how we adopted our Lucy. I really didn't want to get another Jack but now that we have one I am so glad we did it. Lucy is such a great addition to our family even though she is biting everything.
Dogs are a huge part of our daily routine, just like yours is for you, which is why we wanted to get another dog. When you get to that point, I think you will know when the time is right for you to get a dog again.
Keep us updated on your Jack. We are all dog lovers and JRT lovers here and many of us (like me) have been through what you are going through. It's a tough road ahead, but it sounds like you are doing everything to keep your Jack comfortable and happy!
Aug 19, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Response
by: Anonymous

Thank you. The thing that surprises me the most is that during the day she acts like a normal dog, i took her for a long walk, we played in the backyard, she wagged her tail, she seemed happy and normal but, come evening time thats when her condition comes to light and she seems like a completely different dog. I think that that is the hardest part for me, realizing that ya under all of this happiness is something truly wrong. She is 7 years old and has been part of a bit more than half of my life and she is part of my daily routine and it's hard to imagine my day without her. Thank you for posting on my wall it has really helped me to talk to someone who has gone through the same thing. Jack russels are just amazing dogs and i dont regret getting her, although i felt it many times when she was a destructive, cute little puppy.I have 1 more question for you. Did you end up getting another dog and if so how long did you wait until you got it and was it the same breed. I'm asking this because having a dog as a pet has become a big part of my life and daily routine and i dont know if i can live without one.
Aug 18, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Jack Russell and Kidney Disease
by: Janie

It is so hard to read your story, it reminds me of my Lola. She had kidney failure and we had to put her down. From my understand, kidney disease can strike hard and fast. Surgery was presented as an option for us but it was expensive and there were no guarantees. Like your vet said, there are things to help and possibly slow down the process but it's not a cure. We decided to put Lola down when we could tell her quality of life was suffering - she no longer was interested in eating, she seemed to have lost the spark in her eye and her tail never wagged anymore. It was a very very very hard decision and I'm tearing up as I write this remembering. I felt even worse because my kids were devastated.
I think you will know when it's time to let her go. My thoughts are with you.
Aug 18, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Tera's story
by: Anonymous

Well we went to the vet with her about 2 weeks ago because we noticed she was shaking and peeing a lot. The vet prescribed a low protein diet and gave us a bag of Renal LP food and a bottle of powder medication called Epakitin. This medication helped her at first and symptoms seemed to be fine but a week later we noticed that it started getting worse and when she was taken of the medication for 1 day (ran out) she peed herself 4 or 5 times that day and didnt even bother calling to go outside for the past 2 weeks. She would just pee in her bed, drink it and just lay in her wet bed shaking. Her eating pattern has also changed and she has lost some weight. We went to the vet again yesterday to figure out how to proceed with this and she told us that it will not get better and that the medication will only slow down the process and help her digest her food better because it was hard for her to digest proteins. So now we are just debating on how to proceed. Either pay 40$ a week for medication and food and fear for the dog dying at home eventually or Euthanize her.
Aug 18, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Jack Russell with Kidney disease
by: Janie

I'm so sorry about your Jack. Hearing that diagnosis must have been really hard. Kidney disease is not uncommon for Jacks unfortunately. You didn't mention what type/level....did your Vet give you specifics? I would talk to him/her about special diets (low protein) as well as particular food, special fluids, vitamins and medication.

Keep us posted!
Aug 18, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Jack Russell with Kidney disease
by: Janie

I'm so sorry about your Jack. Hearing that diagnosis must have been really hard. Kidney disease is not uncommon for Jacks unfortunately. You didn't mention what type/level....did your Vet give you specifics? I would talk to him/her about special diets (low protein) as well as particular food, special fluids, vitamins and medication.

Keep us posted!

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