My dog's mom has kidney failure. How to prevent it and get puppy tested?

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 Bear! Sorry to hear he is going through so much trouble. The first step is to figure out if he actually has kidney failure through some bloodwork. Your vet can test the blood and urine and see how well the kidneys appear to be functioning. If they are in the early stages of failure, you may be able to help by changing to a prescription diet and giving medications to support kidney health. If they are very badly damaged, then the situation may be harder to treat. Palliative care and keeping Bear comfortable for as long as possible may be the best option. Another thing to look into is pet insurance to see if you could get some or all of Bear's care covered by insurance costs to help reduce the financial burden on you. This link may also help give you some ideas about how to handle finances and give Bear a fighting chance: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html No matter what, it sounds as if Bear is in very good and loving arms and is very lucky to have such caring people.

It is possible there could a genetic component. For the best possible outcome, I recommend to spend the money and have the blood panel run on each puppy. Pre-existing liver or kidney problems can be exacerbated by medications used during surgery, low blood pressure or low heart rates. If the condition is severe enough, some pets are not candidates for the procedure. Genetics however are complex and just because mom has a condition, this does not mean that her babies do but you should play it safe. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I'm so sorry to hear of your dog's diagnosis of kidney disease at such a young age! If they haven't been run already, I would suggest additional testing to look for other underlying causes of kidney disease that are potentially treatable - urinalysis, urine culture, leptospirosis PCR (if in your area), ultrasound, etc. I would also recommend a urine protein:creatinine ratio, and a blood pressure measurement. If it's truly primary kidney disease, there are pet food companies that make kidney-specific diets that are low in protein and phosphorus (these are the two main ingredients to limit with kidney disease) - Royal Canin makes a Renal diet, Hill's makes k/d, Purina makes NF. Talk to your veterinarian about starting a kidney diet now while he's feeling good. As far as activities, he can do every activity that he enjoys!

It doesn't look like Pitambar received a urinalysis. This test needs to be run to help stage the renal disease or if dehydration is present and causing the increase in the renal values. Talk with your veterinarian about having this test run asap: https://www.petcoach.co/article/urinalysis-testing-a-urine-sample/ There is another test called an SDMA which will help stage renal disease: https://www.idexx.com/en/veterinary/reference-laboratories/sdma/ Pitambar should also have a urine protein:creatine ratio run to check for protein loss and the need to medication to control that if it is present. This website discusses how renal disease is staged: https://www.idexx.com/en/veterinary/reference-laboratories/sdma/sdma-iris/ Kidney disease is serious and if caught early, many pets will respond to easy treatment and this will not only slow down disease process but will also increase the life expectancy. Often the first step is changing the diet to a prescription diet meant for pets who have kidney disease. These diets have lower protein, phosphorus and high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, higher amounts of antioxidants and have a higher calorie amount. Supplementing with an additional omega 3 fatty acid can also help. Pitambar will need followup bloodwork and a urinalysis 4-6 weeks after starting treatment. As things progress, other treatments will be needed. https://www.petcoach.co/article/kidney-disease-causes-signs-diagnosis-and-treatment/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear Smudge was diagnosed with kidney issues. Unfortunately, a complete blood chemistry panel that includes a urinalysis is very accurate for kidney disease. If you have concerns about Smudge's diagnosis, I would recommend you reach out to Smudge's veterinarian to discuss what the findings were, and what steps may need to be taken. Good luck.

I wouldn't say that Angel's kidneys are negligible. They are still, though small than "average." This could be her normal (not all dogs will have organs of the average size, since a 10 pound dog will have smaller kidneys than a 100 pound dog). Other causes for small kidneys could be a congenital disorder, fibrosing or scarring of the kidneys, significant dehydration, among a few other things. Ultrasound still images can be very hard to interpret since you need to scan through things to be able to get the whole picture. From the still images, either they do not capture the actual kidney, or there is so much damage that they are not a normal appearance anymore. Even though this link ( http://www.ultrasoundpaedia.com/normal-kidney/ ) is for humans, dog kidney images will look very similar. You can see a few different shapes, and the odd shapes seen in the pictures in the link are not seen on your images. Causes for loss of architecture (kidneys that are more or less mushed all together) can include infection, scarring, cancer, etc. Even though she is young, it is possible for Angel to be in kidney failure. Bloodwork and urinalysis would be the tests to show this. If she is in failure, then she would need dialysis to continue with life.