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Dealing With Kidney Failure in Dogs:

Submitted by Michael Adams on November 30, 2009

Kidney Failure in Dog: In our bodies as well as in our pets, the kidneys have the function of filtering out unwanted materials from the blood and creating urine, excreta which is finally expelled from the body. However, the kidneys may not always function normally. Kidney failure in dogs is not unheard of.

In fact, kidney failure is one of the more common health problems observed in older dogs. Kidney failure may either be acute or chronic. While the acute kind of kidney failure occurs as a result of external poisoning with some toxins, in chronic kidney failure the kidneys sustain gradual and systematic damage which leads to their failure.

Chronic kidney failure is an extremely slow disease which is progressive in nature and often leaves no symptoms for a long period of time. Symptoms of Kidney Failure in Dog: While a healthy kidney is able to filter out toxins effectively and concentrate them into small amounts of urine, the same cannot be said about a diseased kidney. When the kidneys get damaged, they become less efficient and the body is forced to use more fluids. The first signs of kidney failure are weight loss, low levels of energy, poor appetite, nausea, fatigue and constipation. Diagnosis of Kidney Failure in Dog: Unfortunately, the diagnosis of kidney failure is often very late. In most cases, kidney failure in a dog has absolutely no symptoms till the dog has lost a majority of its renal functions. However, when the initial symptoms appear, a blood test and a urine test are performed to make the correct diagnosis. Some of the lab tests performed on these two samples are the urine specific gravity test, blood urea nitrogen test, phosphorus, creatinine, blood pressure, packed cell volume and urinary protein. Treatment for Kidney Failure in Dog: There are two phases of treatment of kidney failure in dogs. The first one is to flush out the kidneys of any toxins that may have been left there. Intravenous fluids are given in large quantities to the dog. This helps stimulate the kidney cells so that they begin to function normally again. If there are some kidney cells which have not yet received damage, they may be able to restart the normal functioning of kidneys again. Diet for Dog with Kidney Failure: The second phase of the treatment is diet management. During the treatment and for some time after it, it is required that you feed your dog a diet which is low in protein, phosphorus and sodium. A low mineral diet can help reduce the rate at which the kidney damage is progressing. A low mineral diet causes less amount of minerals deposit on the kidneys, allowing them to stay healthier for a longer period of time.

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