My senior dog with kidney/heart disease is losing weight. What now?

I am so sorry to hear about Lola. It is so hard with senior pets to know when it's time to say goodbye. I know how hard it is as I lost my 15 and a half year old guy last year. The blood work values you report are very concerning. The question is if there is something that has acutely changed to make her become a lot worse, or is this simply progression of underlying chronic kidney disease. There are other disease processes that can complicate chronic kidney disease like infection, pancreatitis, high bood pressure, infectious diseases, etc. Really what your pet needs is to be hospitalized with intravenous fluids, supportive care (anti nausea medications, etc.), and to try to figure out if there's an underlying problem exacerbating the kidney disease. This will require more tests such as an abdominal ultrasound, urine culture, and potentially other things as dictated by the case. I would not give up hope until trying these things because you won't know if this will help her until you try. The opposite would be true if a pet in this situation were hospitalized for two to three days and there was no improvement in the blood work or symptoms. Then, if all the treatment options are exhausted, and the pet has poor quality of life a different decision may be reached. As dogs do not tolerate chronic kidney disease as well as cats being diagnosed for a year without progression is excellent. Sometimes having a consultation with an internal medicine specialist can really help. Your family vet would likely be able to provide a referral if you and he or she thinks this would be a valuable step. I hope this helps and that Lola feels better soon. Thank you for using pet coach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Dexter! I am concerned about the weight loss. I hate to see older animals lose weight. Possible causes are: kidney or liver disease, diabetes, cancer, pancreatic or intestinal disease that is causing poor absorption of nutrients. Now with the diarrhea starting a lot of the above still applies as causes. He could have just eaten something that is disagreeing with him, have a viral infection, or parasites. I highly recommend a physical by your Vet and have some blood and urine tests run to help figure out why he has lost so much weight. For the diarrhea you can start feeding a bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice. Feed 1 cup per 20lbs per day for 3-5 days. Your Vet can also start him on some medications for the diarrhea. I hope this helps and I wish you and Dexter the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Chopper looks very sick. I would worry about kidney or liver failure or even cancer. Sadly cancer, specifically lymphoma, is non-discriminatory regarding age. Lymphoma, liver and kidney disease all cause weight loss, increased thirst and urination, weakness and a poor appetite. Chopper needs to see a Veterinarian. I wish you all the best!

I'm sorry to hear Kenzie is having an issue! Unexplained weight loss can be caused by a number of things including, but not limited to, kidney or liver disease, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and unfortunately, cancer. Without a physical examination it's impossible to say what is causing Kenzie to lose weight. I recommend having Kenzie examined by a veterinarian soon. She may need blood work or X-rays to determine what is going on with her. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I am hoping for a good outcome for Kenzie!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry that Odie isn't feeling well. The heart on the x-rays is very big, so treatment for the heart disease is a good idea. One of the medications given typically with heart disease is a drug called Furosemide, and this usually makes them drink and pee a lot. Other medications for heart disease including Benazepril (Fortekor) and Pimobendan (Vetmedin). Benazepril can be hard on the kidneys so follow up bloodwork is recommended. If Odie is not improving with the medications he might need higher doses. Also, if he isn't eating and drinking, I would be concerned about another disease process going on, and would recommend bloodwork. You can always try a 24 hour emergency center if you can't get into your local vet for a consult. I hope he feels better soon. I wouldn't change any medications you are giving now without talking to a vet first, and it sounds like Odie needs to be seen soon. Best of luck with Odie.

She is getting to be consider a senior pet. Due to that they can develop diabetes or kidney disease or cancer or some other metabolic disease causing the weight loss. A vet is the best option to run blood work to check for these disease as some are more manageable than others. If she goes untreated, you may notice the weight loss continue and even vomiting or diarrhea ensue due to advanced disease. On average it is more economic to treat and manage a disease when they are healthy, so the sooner the better you can find a way to take Roxy in the better. Different clinics might accept different forms of payment, so it may be worth checking around

Poor girl. I would certainly consider at least getting her checked again and fluid therapy (IV or subcutaneously). If her values are not too bad, she may be able to be managed at home with subcutaneous fluids that you yourself give. That is if you are up to the task. Also I am not sure if she is on a prescription kidney diet. If not, then she needs to be transitioned right away. The vet can also prescribe some anti-nausea medication for her to help with her condition. And lastly, I would highly recommend a supplement called Azodyl, which is a natural way to help lower your pets kidney enzymes. Their toxic levels in the bloodstream are directly correlated with how sick your pet will feel, so focusing on lowering these values can improve your pets condition greatly. Here is a website link with more kidney therapy options --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952670 I hope that these additional treatment suggestions help Chloe stabilize and perhaps hold off the euthanasia talks for a while. Best of luck moving fowrard and take care. : )