2 year old Yorkie - Kidney failure

[EpsilonExordium]

Subject: 7lb Yorkshire Terrier - 2 years old. No history of illness.

http://i.imgur.com/tXInW.jpg

On Wednesday of last week my dog started vomiting a bunch of the middle of the night - at least 7-8 times, if not more. When I woke up the next morning he seemed really depressed. I let him rest in his area for a bit while I went to work. When I got home, he had stopped vomiting, but he still seemed pretty depressed, and was shaking a bit (he never shakes). I took him to the vet, and they couldn't find anything wrong with him.

The next day, again - no vomiting, but he wasn't going #2, and didn't want to eat his food. I was able to get him to eat small amounts of soft, bland food, but that was about it.

On Friday, he still wasn't any better, so I left work early and took him to the vet again. He started acting NORMAL all of a sudden, and the vet again said that it didn't appear anything was wrong, and additional tests would be necessary.

Saturday - Took him back to the vet to get Xrays, bloodwork, pancreatis check, and a cardiogram.

Each time i've gone to the vet, they've chalked it up to depression being brought upon by my upcoming cross country move. I am moving from Columbus, OH to Austin, Tx this week, and it's been a pretty stressful past couple of weeks. The nurses and vet keep saying that the dog is probably picking up on this. I don't really believe it, but whatever.

The bloodwork showed high levels of PHOS, CREA, and BUN - proving that the little guy's kidney's are not working. They recommended that he be put into intensive care overnight at a local pet hospital. Cost: $360

The Pet Hospital agreed that the bloodwork showed abnormally high levels of PHOS, CREA, and BUN, and stated that they would put him on antibiotics and aggressive fluid treatment for 36 hours. Also recommended that we do follow up bloodwork and an ultrasound on Monday (today). Cost (before bloodwork and ultrasound): $800

We visited him at the hospital the day after he was admitted. He's got a catheter and a fuild drip running into his leg. He had a bit more energy, and his shaking had subsided. This was probably due to his medications easing the pain. His bad breath was gone, which is a sign that the fluid treatment is flushing the toxins out of his system.

The Vet contacted me today to let me know that his toxin levels had decreased by 50% - which is a sign that the fluid treatment seems to be working well. Today they will be running a suite of tests in order to try and come up w/ a diagnosis: Ultrasound, Cortisol check, urinalysis, etc. They also reccomended an additional 2-3 days at the hospital. This will be an additional $1800.

'm starting to get scared - my funds are going to run out soon. If it wasn't for the cross-country move this week, and the new house last week, things would be a bit different. Hopefully his issues were caused by eating something he wasn't supposed to, and not by some accute kidney disease. I should know more in a few hours.

Has anyone else here ran into any similar issues w/ their yorkies having sudden kidney problems at a young age?

[Sammy Mommy]

I'm so sorry you are going thru this. My Sammy was diagnosed a month ago today with it. His routine bloodwork came back with high BUN and creatanine levels. He looks fine and is eating etc. The vet has put him on k/d dog food, vitamins and supplements. He also had antibiotic for urine infection. He goes back the beginning of June for follow up bloodwork. Sammy is older than your dog, he is 12. I will keep you and your dog in my thoughts and prayers. It is so scary to receive this diagnosis. If you ever need to talk, please feel free to PM me. I wish you and your pup all the very best. Hang in there.

[EpsilonExordium]

Thanks for the kind words

4/18 Mid-Afternoon Update (48 hours @ the Hospital):

The doctor called to inform me that my dog's kidney ultrasound showed NO kidney abnormalities. No news is good news! He did, however, state that his adrenal glands looked a bit smaller than they should, and that this coupled with the other symptoms may be a sign of Addison's disease.

Addison’s disease (hypoadrenocorticism) is caused by a lower than normal production of hormones, such as cortisol, by the adrenal glands. The adrenals are small glands that are located near the kidneys. Adrenal hormones are necessary to control salt, sugar and water balance in the body.

When a pet is stressed, their adrenal glands produce more cortisol, which helps them deal with the stress. Because dogs with Addison’s disease cannot make enough cortisol, they cannot deal with stress, so the signs may occur or worsen when stressed. What a dog finds stressful depends upon his/her temperament. For many dogs, any change in their day-to-day routine, such as being boarded or having house guests, is stressful and may precipitate or worsen signs of Addison’s disease.

My dog does have stress issues lately, as we had some neighbors move in next door with two large Pits. One of the pits came off-leash and attacked my dog last September. Ever since then, he has been extremely scared of other dogs, and sometimes other people. He gets extremely frightened when he hears noises, and freaks out when he hears the neighbors come home. He makes an awful shrieking sound and appears to be very nervous. On the night where he got sick, he heard the neighbors come home @ around 2am, and was extremely vocal, running around the house crying, growling, and nervously barking. His vomiting episode started shortly after that.

The doctor will be performing a cortisol test later this afternoon, which should assist with the doctor's diagnosis. I'll poster later tonight with updates.

The good news: Puppy will be coming home tomorrow, regardless. We're excited to have him back

[Sammy Mommy]

I'm glad your baby is coming home tomorrow. I hope the vet gets your baby on the road to recovery!! Good luck!

[Patti]

I hope they can find out the reason for his illness and abnormal test results. Hopefully, it is temporary and he will be fine.

[jp4m2]

From what I've read Addison's can be treated.I'm so glad it's not kidney disease..... I wish you both the best and I'm so glad for you your pup is going to be alright...

[EpsilonExordium]

Update!

The doctor tested his Cortisol levels, and they came back completely fine. He decided that it was definitely time to let him come home, even though we still don't know what is/was his problem. He either ate something he shouldn't have, or he has some sort of acute kidney disorder, or just a kidney infection. If it is an infection, he has been on anti-biotics, so that should help out in that regard.

We'll be taking him back in another to run more bloodwork to see if his problem is gone for good, or sticking around. If it's still there, then he just has an acute kidney problem, and we'll deal with it accordingly.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by EpsilonExordium

Update!

The doctor tested his Cortisol levels, and they came back completely fine. He decided that it was definitely time to let him come home, even though we still don't know what is/was his problem. He either ate something he shouldn't have, or he has some sort of acute kidney disorder, or just a kidney infection. If it is an infection, he has been on anti-biotics, so that should help out in that regard.

We'll be taking him back in another to run more bloodwork to see if his problem is gone for good, or sticking around. If it's still there, then he just has an acute kidney problem, and we'll deal with it accordingly.

Thanks for the update, and I hope he continues to improve!

[Lil Sis]

wow... I hope your new home will be less stress full .. when you get there!!

My daughter moved to Austin and She LOVES LOVES it.. there are several members on yt from Austin. so.. you will have a net work of help!!

I am glad you furbaby is coming home and I wish you the best in health.
He is sure lucky to have you as a mommy. you are a good person.