My dog has a kidney infection. What care does he need at home?

If she is still not eating then you should take her back to the vet for IV fluid therapy. And more diagnostics. Make sure they did bloodwork to check her kidneys. An abdominal X-Ray or ultrasound may help to diagnose the issue as well. If her kidney enzymes are elevated, that can make her nauseous and not want to eat. IV fluids will help to flush the kidneys. There are also special foods that can help with kidney issues like hills K/D food. If the kidney issue is for sure due to an infection, then hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon. Sometimes it’s good to give cephalexin with another antibiotic like Baytril if it is a severe infection.

Hello, I am sorry to hear about Mandy. The best way to heal a kidney infection is with antibiotic therapy. There is no specific diet that will help her recover quicker. However, canned food which has a higher water content could help with her hydration and therefore secondarily help with the infection. If she does not eat canned food already, you could add a small amount to her diet for this period of time. Hope this helps, good luck.

The BUN and creatinine values are extremely high indicating that the kidneys are not working to clear the toxins out of his blood stream and this is very serious and indeed potentially life threatening. The low red blood count or anemia is also a concern and may be linked either to blood borne parasites or kidney failure. Intensive fluid treatment and kidney support is required, in many cases of sudden onset kidney injury in younger dogs, recovery is possible if there is enough normal kidney working in the short term

That depends. Ideally a culture and sensitivity is run on the urine to identify what bacteria is present and guide what antibiotic should be used. However, this is sometimes cost prohibitive. Cefpodoxime is a perfectly reasonable choice if we don't have a urine culture to go off of, or if we don't yet have those results. If Laddie is eating,is not vomiting or having diarrhea, and isn't in acute kidney failure due to the infection, oral antibiotics alone are probably just fine. However if she is vomiting, is not eating, or is acting very lethargic, she should be re-evaluated by a vet. It is wise to monitor the creatinine value in the blood. If it is elevated, often dogs are treated with IV fluids as well as antibiotics. The creatinine can be measured daily with a blood test. I hope that is helpful, and I'm so sorry we weren't able to get to your question sooner! Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Please don't hesitate to post to the forum again or for the fastest, most interactive service you can request a consultation. Best of luck with Laddie!

Yes, dogs can get kidney infections that can leave them very ill. Vomiting, loss of appetite, painful backs, tight painful bellies, blood in the urine, & lethargy can all be symptoms. If you are concerned, please talk to your veterinarian for a diagnosis & proper treatment plan. Thank you using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Pets with renal disease need to eat a special dog food aimed at reducing the work load on the kidneys. Hill Science Diet and Royal Canin both make special formulas for this condition. Some of these pets need intravenous fluids for up to three days. Some of them need supportive care in the form of subcutaneous fluids, anti-acids and antivomiting medications. If she is leaking protein in her urine, she also needs a medication to stop this. Consulting with you local veterinarian will give you the best guidance as to what Soffiya needs based upon her physical exam and clinical signs. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A pet who is suffering from a uterine infection doesn't need a special diet food, unless of course you are trying to get her to eat something while she awaits surgery at a later date. If she is also suffering from bad kidneys, then she needs to be on a prescription kidney diet such as Royal Canin Renal or Hil'ls K/D, prescribed by your vet. If her kidneys are healthy and it is just her uterus that is infected, then no special diet is needed. She just needs nutrition through her normal dog food or if she isn't eating her normal dog food, you can offer some boiled plain chicken and rice or tuna and rice to entice her to eat until she can have her surgery. Surgical complications of a pyometra surgey (infected uterus) are: systemic infection, wound dehiscence (opening of the surgery site) and of course the normal risks that come with anesthesia (heart rate drop, blood pressure drop, etc). Otherwise, we shouldn't expect any complications for any pet as long as the surgery is successful and you adhere to the after care instructions from your vet. I hope that your pet Sofi is able to recover well from her soon to be surgery I assume. Best wishes and take care!