My dog has kidney failure. Is there artificial kidney research?

Kidney transplantation is an extremely rare and complicated procedure that is not often performed in dogs. It is more common in cats, though still relatively rare. The reason for this is because of the difficulty associated with performing the procedure, the potential complications associated with it, the cost, and the drugs needed on a life long basis after its completion. For your convenience I have attached a document explaining quite a bit about canine kidney transplant and what it entails. In terms of places that perform it, there are only a select few universities and a handful of referral hospitals that will even consider it. If this is something you are considering the first thing you will need to do is find which of these facilities is closest to you geographically so you can talk to someone, to find out if this is the best and most realistic option at this juncture. You are very unlikely to find someone on this website who is an authority in this area since it is something that almost certainly nobody on here has ever taken part in. Another thing just of note - I know that for kidney transplants in cats that the deal was that whatever animal is donating their healthy kidney is automatically adopted by the owner of the sick animal. I don't know if this is the deal for dogs too, but I would not be surprised if something like this has to occur. Here is the article I was talking about. Hope it helps. http://www.medinavets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/newtreatment.pdf

I'm sorry to hear about your dogs diagnosis! Phosphorus is something we try to avoid with renal failure because the kidneys have lost the ability to excrete it properly. Because milk is high in phosphorus I would avoid giving it. A prescription renal diet like you are using is the best food to avoid giving too much phosphorus. If your dog's phosphorus levels are already high you can ask your veterinarian about giving medications like aluminum hydroxide. As far as additional things you can do at home for your dog, subcutaneous fluids may be worthwhile. Your veterinarian can teach you how to administer these fluids. Medications like Azodyl may also be helpful. As an integrative veterinarian I also manage my patients with kidney disease with acupuncture and herbal medicine. It may be worth looking into integrative veterinarians in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to you and your dog!

I don't really have any insight into his lab work without being able to see the results, but it sounds like you're not ready to consider euthanasia. You may want to ask your vet if there's anything else that can be done for Baxter - depending on the cause of the kidney failure he might benefit from more intensive 24 hour care at a specialty hospital. Since he is still eating and drinking you could also ask about hospice care - he may be comfortable for a little while longer with fluids at home. At some point it sounds like you will need to make a decision regarding euthanasia - these links might help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-decision-of-euthanizing-your-pet/ https://www.ahelpproject.org/ https://www.iaahpc.org/images/BarkArticleSpring2014Goldberg

It's always a good idea to know what plants are toxic to dogs! There are many plants that can cause kidney failure in dogs, so I have attached a website that details all the plants that are toxic to dogs: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

I'm very sorry to hear that. Make sure all your dogs are vaccinated for leptospirosis as this is one infection that could cause acute liver and kidney failure. Make sure you feed them a high quality diet as there seems to be a link between bad quality food and liver/kidney disease.

Poor baby. Kidney failure is usually pretty bad news in dogs. The usual treatment is hospitalization for IV fluids to lower kidney values (since high kidney values make animals feel crappy) and treatment for whatever associated complications an animal has (such as nausea or anemia). Early in the disease, food changes and at home fluids can help. You mentioned that Priscilla has already been hospitalized for two days, so I'm going to assume she has two days of aggressive fluids and her kidney values haven't gone down. If you don't believe in euthanasia than I'd say you need to find a veterinarian who practices hospice in your area. A Google search should turn up an opinion or two. In your own, there isn't much you can do. I will warn you that kidney disease often ends in euthanasia because at the end stages it causes severe nausea, vomiting, severe weight loss, ulcers in the mouth, severe dehydration (even though they are drinking a lot, it just goes right through them). So it's not a good way to go without really really aggressive support from a local hospice vet. I'm so sorry and you are Priscilla are going through this. You'll be in my thoughts.

I do not know much about Kidney Support Gold but what I typically use in my renal failure cases is the following: 1. Prescription renal support food such as Hills K/D 2. Azodyl capsules 3. Rehmannia 8 liquid supplement 4. Renal K+ if potassium is low 5. ACE inhibitor such as the Benazecare that you are giving 6. Standard Process Renal Support for dogs 7. Subcutaneous fluids several times per week to help with hydration 8. Hyperbaric chamber therapy My last case of renal failure (also had cancer) lived 20 months past the expected prognosis of 6 months. This dog also was undergoing chemotherapy but I do believe all of the above helped improve his prognosis significantly. I would discuss these options with your veterinarian as well. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.