It is estimated that one in 10 dogs will develop kidney disease in old age. Unlike humans, a dog has only one kidney. Once the kidney is damaged, the damage to the dog will be fatal. As we age, the probability of chronic renal failure in elderly dogs also increases, after all, the cause of this disease is often related to aging. Once the dog is found to have this disease, the owner can also use multiple treatments to make the dog live longer.
1. Chronic renal failure in dogs does not mean that the dog's kidneys stop working completely or do not urinate. This disease will cause the dog's kidneys to be unable to effectively filter the waste in the blood and excrete these wastes in the urine. Most elderly dogs with chronic renal failure will have increased urine, but this cannot prompt the excretion of metabolic waste produced in the body.
Increased urination in elderly dogs may be chronic renal failure. The owner needs to treat dogs in two stages
2. Symptoms of chronic renal failure in dogs
As mentioned above, dogs with chronic renal failure need to excrete more urine to remove metabolic waste in the body, which leads to symptoms of increased urination, thirst, and dehydration in dogs. As the disease worsens and two-thirds of the kidney tissue is destroyed, metabolic waste in the dog's blood will gradually accumulate, leading to other physical diseases. Dogs with advanced chronic renal failure will experience loss of appetite, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, and bad breath, and sometimes oral ulcers.
3. How to treat chronic renal failure in dogs?
First of all, the owner should be clear that the treatment of chronic renal failure is a long process. If you find that your dog has the above symptoms, you should immediately take it to the pet hospital for examination. After early diagnosis and active treatment, elderly dogs can also live normally for several years. Generally speaking, treatment will be divided into two stages.
1. The first stage of treatment In the first stage, the pet doctor will inject a large dose of intravenous infusion to the dog, which can help flush the dog's kidneys and blood, remove toxic metabolic waste, and help mildly damaged kidney cells to restore function. This process is called diuresis. At the same time, the first stage of treatment also requires a healthy diet to control vomiting and diarrhea in the dog.
The first phase of treatment usually has two results. One is that the dog's kidneys recover and maintain it for weeks or even years. But as long as treatment stops, chronic renal failure will still recur. The second is that kidney function cannot be restored, and dogs can only continue to undergo the first stage of treatment.
2. The second stage of treatment The second stage of treatment of a dog is generally to keep its kidneys working normally. The owner can use one or more of the following combinations for treatment at the advice of the pet doctor.
Use special dog food. Some nutritionists have developed special dog foods to target dogs with chronic renal failure. This dog food generally has low protein and phosphorus content, which can prevent dogs from vomiting and diarrhea, and at the same time reduce the production of metabolic waste in the body. For dogs with chronic renal failure, reducing protein intake can reduce the burden on the kidneys.
phosphate binding agent. Dogs with chronic renal failure usually cannot excrete phosphorus in their blood, causing the level of phosphorus to rise, causing the dog to become lethargic and lose appetite. Some drugs can be combined into phosphates in the intestines, so that they will not be absorbed by the blood, but will be excreted along the intestines.
Home fluid therapy. Liquid therapy is usually used in the first stage of treatment, and in the second stage, the owner can inject certain medications into the dog at home. But the owner must consult a pet doctor to understand the relevant matters of the injection. Liquid therapy not only prevents dogs from dehydrating, but also continuously flushes the toxins in the blood. The specific frequency of injections depends on the dog's condition. If the dog's condition is stable, the owner can reduce the number of injections.
Although chronic renal failure in elderly dogs cannot be cured, as long as they receive treatment in time and stabilize the development of the disease, the dog can still live for several years. Many dogs with this disease can also live a happy old age according to a normal standard of living after receiving proper treatment and care. The most important thing is that no matter what serious illness the dog is in, I hope the owner can be with him.