My dog has kidney issues and struggles to breathe from fluid?

Hello. Struggling to breath is very uncomfortable and needs to be addressed immediately as it indicates very serious disease which could be fatal at any time. Jockey's breed suggests that heart disease is most likely, however with renal disease as well he could have vomited and aspirated. You will need to have a vet listen to his heart as well as look at chest x-rays to determine if the cause of the breathing is his heart or his lungs. He will then need medications for this. It will be hard to treat heart disease on top of his kidney disease, however struggling to breath is a terrible way to be, and requires treatment to provide a humane quality of life. I am sorry that Jockey is so sick. I suggest a re-visit with your vet. Good luck with Jockey.

I would recommend that you have Nica evaluated by a vet as soon as possible. A respiratory rate of 60/minute is much higher than normal. Some dogs with heart issues don't tolerate extra fluids. It is a constant battle for us to manage dogs with both heart and kidney disease. Nica may need x-rays to see if there is fluid in her lungs or oxygen therapy if she isn't oxygenating well.

These are all great questions. I’m sorry you are having to navigate through this with Memi but he is lucky to have an owner as dedicated as you are! An increased respiratory rate and/or effort can be indicative of fluid build up in the lungs from heart failure. Sometimes this fluid can be heard on exam with a stethoscope and sometimes it can only be seen on X-rays. In my experience, the severity of the fluid build up correlates with the physical exam findings. Occasionally I may see fluid in an X-ray that I cannot hear on exam so I always recommend doing X-rays if I am suspicious of heart failure. The rate at which fluid builds up in th lungs can vary from dog to dog and case to case. There is no way to anticipate how quickly fluid will accumulate in Memi until it begins to happen. A diuretic like lasix can very effectively remove this fluid but, like with all drugs, has to be used with caution and the patient has to be monitored closely while on it. If Memi is still having difficulty breathing I would recommend requesting a recheck appointment with either your regular veterinarian or your cardiologist. I hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Although rare a respiratory crisis is possible which is very distressing for both patient and owner. Given the severity of his numerous conditions and his symptoms during sleep I would agree that yes, euthanasia is a valid consideration at this stage.

It looks like he is suffering from some liver and kidney values elevations and he also is anemic. (Low red blood cells). Since I do not not his current condition and how long this has been going on, it is difficult for me to give you a survival time. If this has happened quickly and could be a toxin then with aggressive therapy (hospitalization and IV fluids), then these values could go back to normal and stay that way as long as there wasn't any permanent damage. If this has been chronic and his urine is very dilute then this could be permanent damage to the kidneys which is a much poorer prognosis long term. I would still recommend hospitalization and IV fluids if possible. I would talk to your vet about whether he needs fluids, antibiotics, appetite stimulants, anti-nausea medicine etc. I hope this helps and your sweet baby gets well really soon!

He needs to be examined by a veterinarian right away. Your vet can take an x-ray of his chest to evaluate his lungs and airway. He could have pneumonia, asthma, heart disease, or fluids in his chest. Please call your vet immediately and schedule an appointment.

If a dog has heart problems and is unable to utilize the volume of fluids that is given, those fluids can end up in the lungs and cause an increase in breathing. This is most common with large amounts of fluids given IV quickly, but can occur with SubQ fluids. However, it takes time to develop, so it would have occured a number of hours after fluids were given - not immediately after. And when Memi was hospitalized, the IV fluids should have made her worse, not better. The most likely explanation is that the breathing was due to her kidney disease, and the fluids were coincidentally given at the same time. Giving enough fluids (IV or SubQ) is very important to making a kidney failure patient feel good, so continuing her SubQ fuids is important. Good luck! I hope that answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.