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Nephropathy in dogs. Learn more about treating kidney failure in dogs. Pathology in young children

Kidney failure is a process of organ dysfunction combined with a deterioration in the dog’s general health. As a result of changes in kidney function, problems arise with the removal of toxins and harmful substances from the body. As a rule, the disease is diagnosed in the later stages, when irreversible changes that are life-threatening to the pet have already occurred.

Kidney failure develops as a complication against the background of another disease or pathology. At risk are pets who have previously had problems with the urinary organs.

Types of disorders against which renal failure develops:

  1. Destruction of kidney tissue due to infectious, inflammatory and genetic diseases: pyelonephritis, leptospirosis, glomerulonephritis;
  2. Poisoning by poisons or chemicals;
  3. Disturbances in the functioning of the urinary tract;
  4. Severe blood loss, as a result of which the required amount of blood does not reach the kidneys.

The possibility of developing complications of kidney disease is also influenced by factors such as the age of the dog, the conditions of its keeping, diet, the presence of stress, as well as heredity and breed predisposition.

Dog breeds that are predisposed to kidney disease:

  • shepherd dogs;
  • cocker spaniels;
  • bull terriers;
  • Shar-Pei;
  • Samoyed dogs;
  • Shih Tzu;
  • golden retrievers.

Most often, this disease is observed in animals older than 5 years of age. If a dog develops kidney failure, then symptoms and treatment will be determined by a veterinarian. As you know, damaged kidney tissue does not recover over time. This means that it is almost impossible to get rid of deficiency in the later stages. In this case, treatment is prescribed aimed at maintaining vital functions and improving the pet’s quality of life.

External signs of kidney failure begin to appear only when 60% of the kidney tissue is already destroyed, so identifying the disease in the early stages is very difficult. Deterioration in the functioning of these organs can be determined by blood and urine tests.

Forms of the disease

If there are problems with the kidneys, the veterinarian can diagnose chronic (CKD) or acute (AR) forms of failure.

CRF occurs against the background of any other diseases of the urinary system and requires timely treatment. Otherwise, an intensive process of kidney cell death begins. If the loss of nephrons exceeds 65% of the total mass of organ tissue, then the animal’s urinary function is completely lost.

In order to prevent irreversible processes, it is necessary to systematically check blood and urine tests in breeds that are predisposed to kidney failure, as well as in any dogs that suffer from kidney disease.

Acute renal failure also develops against the background of urinary diseases excretory system. Initially, the animal only shows signs of the underlying disease, but after some time its condition sharply worsens.

Symptoms

In chronic renal failure, symptoms may be vague or completely absent. The disease occurs in several stages; the longer there is no treatment, the more irreversible the processes occur in the animal’s body.

Stages of development of chronic renal failure and their symptoms:

  1. The initial stage - from time to time the animal becomes lethargic, sleeps a lot, and refuses to eat. In this case, only urine and blood tests can indicate the presence of a problem.
  2. Stage of compensated insufficiency - the dog drinks a lot, as a result of which the volume of fluid released during urination increases. By increasing the amount of urine, the kidneys manage to cleanse the blood of toxins. At this phase physical activity the animal remains normal.
  3. Decompensation phase – the animal’s health condition worsens, its physical activity and weight loss. Urination is frequent and appears false urges. The pet refuses food, vomiting and diarrhea occur. In addition, during this phase the dog’s vision may deteriorate, and bad smell from the mouth. When conducting urine tests, an excess of red blood cells is detected in it.
  4. The terminal stage is a significant deterioration in the condition of the body and all its systems. At this stage, violations are observed heart rate, anemia, softening of bone tissue, gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, state of shock, coma. The combination of these symptoms leads to death.

Signs of acute renal failure develop rapidly. As a rule, this disease manifests itself after the illness that caused it has been cured.

Symptoms of acute kidney failure in dogs:

  • The blood test shows a slight deviation from the norm;
  • Increased urination;
  • Reducing the amount of fluid released;
  • The dog is weakened, does not show interest in communication and games;
  • Lack of appetite in the animal, nausea and vomiting;
  • Diarrhea;
  • The presence of the smell of acetone from the dog’s mouth;
  • There is a slight decrease in the pet's body temperature.

If your pet exhibits symptoms of acute renal failure, you must contact your veterinarian to prescribe the correct therapeutic measures. The duration of treatment, started in a timely manner, is 6-12 months.

Diagnostics

To diagnose the disease, the veterinarian conducts a conversation with the owner and studies the symptoms of the disease according to the dog’s owner. After this, a careful visual examination of the condition of the body, mucous membranes, and palpation of the animal’s internal organs is carried out.

Other methods for diagnosing acute renal failure and chronic renal failure:

  • Blood analysis;
  • Analysis of urine;
  • Radiography;
  • Ultrasound of internal organs.
  • Diagnostics to determine the form of renal failure: chronic or acute.

Based on the results of the examination, the veterinarian prescribes treatment. Usage medicines In this case, it is not recommended without the appointment of a specialist.

Treatment

Treatment of kidney failure in dogs depends on the form of the disease: acute or chronic.

With chronic renal failure, especially in the later stages of the disease, the prognosis for the animal is unfavorable. There is a possibility of cure at the compensated stage of insufficiency, so it is very important to identify a kidney problem as early as possible. In this case it is assigned drug treatment And special diet, which includes a sufficient amount useful substances: fats, salts and trace elements.

Treatment of acute renal failure is carried out in several stages:

  • Determination and treatment of the root cause of the disease against which acute renal failure developed;
  • Restoration of the urinary system: infusion agents, anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents;
  • Elimination of metabolic problems that caused renal dysfunction: intravenous injections glucose, vitamin-containing solutions, amino acids;
  • Carrying out detoxification of the body using diuretics.

During treatment, it is necessary to provide the animal with satisfactory living conditions, rest, and most importantly, a balanced diet.

Principles of nutrition

If animals have kidney failure, it is important to monitor their diet. What products will he consume? pet, significantly affects the healing and recovery process. It is best to discuss the specifics of food selection and the number of feedings in each individual case with your veterinarian.

Guidelines for feeding dogs during kidney failure:

  • It is necessary to feed the dog foods rich in fat: meat, egg yolk, sour cream, yogurt, coconut or butter;
  • Eating protein with minimal phosphorus content: eggs, meat, special feed;
  • Excluding phosphorus-containing products from the animal’s diet, such as offal, cheeses, fish and bones;
  • Half of a sick animal's diet should consist of porridge with a minimum amount of phosphorus in the composition: rice, semolina, potatoes;
  • It is better to exclude fish oil, soy, sunflower and corn oils from your pet’s diet.

There are special foods on sale for dogs with chronic renal failure. They must be selected on the recommendation of a veterinarian.

Chances of recovery

Once diagnosed with acute renal failure, the animal can be completely cured without any consequences in the future. The only condition is that you need to contact a veterinarian immediately after the appearance of alarming symptoms.

In case of chronic renal failure, it will be possible to prolong the stage of compensation if the disease is detected in a timely manner. Otherwise, the animal will not live long, since this moment there is no treatment method late stages of this disease.

Which manifests itself in violation of their main function - filtering. In other words, for certain reasons, the kidneys cannot remove from the blood toxic substances, which are formed during the life of the organism. Because of this, a kind of poisoning occurs.

Kidneys perform many functions in a dog's body. This is cleansing of harmful substances, removing fluid from the body, producing certain hormones, maintaining a stable blood pressure. In addition, the kidneys participate in the metabolism of phosphorus, calcium, vitamin D3, and maintain the nutritional status of the body and its acid-base balance.

The causes of kidney problems can vary. These include the entry into the body of infection and toxic substances. Kidney failure can also be caused by various injuries, previous illnesses, or simply poor-quality products. Some dogs succumb to kidney failure due to age-related changes or due to a genetic predisposition.

Kidney failure can have two forms: acute and chronic. The first occurs due to shock, toxic effects toxic substances, taking certain medications. Functional dysfunctions manifest themselves quite acutely. The acute form is less dangerous than the chronic form, since the possibility of recovery is not excluded.

Doctors divide acute renal failure into several groups:

  1. prerenal – develops as a result of shock arising from different sources with a drop in blood pressure and impaired blood circulation inside the kidneys;
  2. renal – occurs and develops in the presence of infections, inflammatory processes in the kidneys due to the direct effect on the kidney tissue of certain substances and drugs;
  3. postrenal - appears after urolithiasis, with compression or even blockage of the urinary tract.

The chronic form occurs and manifests itself over a long period of time. In this case, a process of constant death of nephrons occurs. Interestingly, for some time, still living cells take on tasks and completely replace the dead ones. And only when 23 or more kidney tissues are affected, they begin to identify and show signs of the disease.

This stage is difficult to treat, if at all. The maximum that can be done is to maintain the vital activity of the dog’s kidneys through many different procedures.

Symptoms of Kidney Failure in Dogs

Chronic renal failure is serious illness. It is accompanied by increased thirst, decreased temperature, depression of the general condition of the body, dehydration, unpleasant odor from the mouth, and vomiting. Urination either drops sharply or disappears completely.

In the acute form, the animal, in addition to the above circumstances, also becomes less active. The dog gradually moves less and sleeps more.

Symptoms that are noticed almost immediately include the dog being very thirsty and frequent urination. To distinguish this symptom from the normal state, you need to remember that healthy dog For every kilogram of weight you need 50 milliliters of water. In case of kidney failure, the amount of water she takes at least doubles.

Vomiting may not appear at first, but over time the dog eats less and less and reluctantly, sometimes vomiting occurs, which then recurs more often.

The doctor diagnoses kidney failure based on data on the animal’s condition, as well as the results of tests performed. One of the decisive parameters in diagnosis is the amount of urine. The urea of ​​a sick dog may contain urea and creatine, and the level of acidity and phosphorus in the blood increases. When analyzing a pet's urine, protein, glucose, and fiber from the epithelial integument of the kidney can also be detected.

Except general analyzes X-ray diagnostics are also carried out, including the introduction of certain special substances into the blood, and less commonly, ultrasound diagnostics or biopsy.

Treatment of kidney failure in dogs

The main direction of treating a dog for kidney failure is to eliminate the causes, correct fluid and electrolyte imbalances, stimulate diuresis, and remove toxins from the body. Therefore, sick pets are often prescribed intensive care. It is the elimination of the causes that plays a huge role. Because it can solve several problems at once.

To correct water-electrolyte and acid-base balances, infusor therapy is carried out. It is carried out until the content of urea and creatine is normalized, and general state does not stabilize. During treatment, it is important to ensure that important functions pet's body.

If the form of deficiency is chronic nature, irreversible events occur in the kidneys pathological changes. In this case, the same treatment as for the acute form of treatment will not be enough. Peritoneal dialysis is required. This procedure is performed only in the clinic.

We can conclude that in any case, even with the mildest manifestations of the disease, you need to contact a veterinarian; in no case should you treat yourself, since even with timely professional help the animal may die due to irreversible damage.

Treatment can be helped by paying attention to the dog’s nutrition. In a state of illness, it is very important that the animal receives the right amount. nutrients. If the pet has not lost its appetite and eats well, it will be enough to simply add special dietary foods to the diet. You can also introduce a diet, the main condition of which is to reduce the amount of phosphorus, sodium and protein.

If there is a complete lack of appetite and no vomiting, the animal is fed using a tube. If vomiting is still present necessary substances can be administered intravenously.

But it is still better to take care of the animal and not allow its health to deteriorate so much. The life of a pet often depends solely on the actions of the owner, and responsibility also lies with him.

Every person is responsible for those whom he has tamed. Therefore, if you have a pet, then you need not only to enjoy its existence, stroke it and caress it, play with it and do other things that bring you pleasure. You also need to take care of your pet because he cannot do it himself. Especially when it comes to health, absolutely everything is in your hands. Many people ask the question: “What could go wrong?”, and the answer to this question can be short and clear - almost everything. Animals can suffer from a wide variety of diseases, and your task is to prevent their occurrence or cure if the disease has already manifested itself. This article will discuss one of the most well-known problems - kidney failure in dogs. This disease occurs quite often, and the saddest thing is that most often it manifests itself due to the carelessness of the owners. So if you want to save your pet from suffering, you should learn absolutely everything about what constitutes kidney failure in a dog.

What it is?

Kidney failure in dogs is a disease that most often develops closer to old age. What is she? Throughout a dog's life, its kidneys function at full capacity to filter out everything. harmful substances that enter the body. Under such load, gradual wear occurs internal organ, and the cells begin to fail. Accordingly, they cannot perform their functions, as a result of which toxins enter the body and spread throughout it, slowly killing the dog. Kidney failure is diagnosed when the number of dead cells exceeds half. It is then that the corresponding symptoms begin to be felt. Why so late? Kidney failure in dogs has one feature that you should definitely know about if you do not want to allow this disease to manifest itself in your pet.

Cell work

Like any other disease, kidney failure develops gradually. It does not come suddenly, at one moment, so you should think about how to prevent it. However, this is not easy to do. The point is precisely in the feature that was discussed above - it is precisely because of it that kidney failure in dogs cannot be determined with the naked eye. The stages of development of the disease imperceptibly pass from one to another, since the kidney cells that remain after death take on the functions of those that can no longer perform them. Accordingly, they simply redistribute the load as long as they can do this without harm to the body. When do health problems begin to become noticeable? Just after fifty percent of the cells fail, as mentioned earlier. This is why you need to pay Special attention for a disease such as in dogs. You can learn the symptoms and treatment of this disease from this article.

Stages of the disease

It is necessary to briefly talk about the issue that has already been touched upon above. What are the stages of a disease such as kidney failure in dogs? Symptoms and treatment vary for each, so it is important to know exactly what stage the disease is at. So, the first is the initial one, which is almost elusive. You will have to work hard to notice it, as your pet will not show any obvious symptoms. The clinical stage will be described in this article in as much detail as possible, since it is at this stage that all the main symptoms become noticeable, and almost all courses of treatment are prescribed for it. As for the final stage, you should under no circumstances allow it to occur. The fact is that it occurs when more than seventy percent of the kidney cells are destroyed, after which the organ is almost impossible to restore, and your dog faces a disappointing future. However, it is precisely so that you prevent the final stage from occurring, and this article exists, which will provide you with all the necessary information.

Symptoms

You have to learn absolutely everything about a disease such as kidney failure in dogs: treatment, prognosis, and most importantly, symptoms by which you can determine that something is wrong with your pet. So, the main and most important of them is the intense thirst that the dog experiences. She can drink huge amounts of water and will try to find it throughout the house and outside. But this symptom is not the only one - you should also pay attention to increased urination, decreased appetite and subsequent weight loss in the animal, as well as signs of loss of strength, such as lethargy, constant fatigue, and lack of mobility. Thus, if your cheerful and joyful pet suddenly refuses to eat or get up from one place, and all he wants is water, then you have serious problem, with which you should definitely contact your veterinarian. Simply put, it is kidney failure in dogs. There is no point in predicting the course of the disease immediately - this pathology is not a death sentence for the animal. You need to see a doctor to find out what stage the disease is at, and after that you can find out the course of treatment, prognosis and recommendations for further care of the animal.

Symptoms of critical illness

Of course, I don’t want to talk about this - I would like to hope that all dog owners will be attentive enough to their pets to notice the first manifestations of the disease in time. But still, it is also worth knowing about what symptoms this disease has not at first, but at the beginning. late stages. Critical illness in dogs is already much more pronounced. unpleasant symptoms. Firstly, numerous ulcers may begin to appear on the mucous membrane of the dog’s mouth - the result of exposure to toxins in the body. Secondly, the dog may begin to lose its balance out of the blue, and may also experience convulsions and severe trembling. And thirdly, the dog may begin to vomit, in which you can notice the remains of undigested food. This vomiting will also be accompanied. Naturally, you should not bring your pet to such a critical state; you should not joke with a disease such as kidney failure. You now already know the symptoms of this disease, but there is one more point that you should pay attention to, and if you do everything correctly, you may never see any signs of the disease.

Lab tests

If you have even the slightest suspicion that your dog is developing kidney failure, you should definitely visit your veterinarian and run some laboratory tests. The fact is that the efficiency of the kidneys can be easily checked using a blood test for urea and creatinine. As mentioned above, in the initial stages the disease cannot be detected, since living cells distribute the functions of the dead among themselves, so the level of urea and creatinine in the blood will be normal. And it is this norm that you should constantly check. For a dog, it is considered normal to have one to two milligrams of creatinine and 10-25 milligrams of urea per hundred milliliters of blood.

What indicators should cause concern?

Always focus on the upper threshold - if the indicators begin to approach it, then you already have reasons for concern. Why try so hard and strain? The bottom line is that, as with most diseases, the earlier kidney failure is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat and the better the dog's prognosis.

Treatment of the disease

It's time to talk about the most main point concerning a disease such as kidney failure in dogs - treatment. There is only one solution here, and, fortunately, it is quite effective. Your pet will need infusion detoxification therapy. What does it mean? This means that a special solution will be injected into the body in the form of a liquid, which will cleanse your dog’s body of those toxins that the kidneys are gradually failing. This therapy will allow you to attack the disease from all directions at once.

How does therapy work?

Firstly, it quenches the pet’s thirst, secondly, it rids the animal’s body of toxins, and thirdly, it reduces the load on the kidneys, which are already working to the limit of their capabilities. Accordingly, depending on the severity of the disease, this therapy will have its own frequency. If the disease was already diagnosed in clinical stage, then therapy sessions will need to be carried out daily, but if it was identified at a critical stage, then sessions will have to be carried out more often. So, the sooner you can notice your pet's problem, the less problems you and your pet will have. In addition to infusion therapy, any medications may also be prescribed that can alleviate the course of the disease and contribute to the effectiveness of treatment.

Further therapy

And, of course, in dogs it is a disease that will not go away, since the cells of this internal organ are not restored. You can only normalize the state of the body and then maintain it in working condition on your own. To do this, you will either need to visit your veterinarian periodically for intravenous therapy, or, if the disease was not at a critical stage, this therapy can be administered subcutaneously at home. One way or another, you need to constantly consult with your veterinarian to determine the effectiveness of treatment and the frequency of further sessions.

Nutrition

Well, the last point to focus on is nutrition. Once the worst is behind you, you'll need to think about what to do next. How to support your pet in good condition? To do this, you will need to think through his diet in as much detail as possible. Fortunately, a wide variety of dietary pet foods are now publicly available, and among them you can find special options designed for dogs with kidney failure.

What to feed your dog?

One of the clearest examples is Hills Prescription Diet Canine, which is available in two variations. One of them is designed for dogs that suffer from kidney failure, while the other is created for those animals that suffer from a severe stage of this disease. How does this food differ from regular food? It has a completely different composition, which contains much less protein, phosphorus and sodium, that is, those elements that have heavy load on the kidneys and can contribute to the accumulation of toxins in the body. Instead, these foods contain more soluble fiber and vitamins, as well as fatty acids Omega-3. Depending on how much the disease has affected the animal’s body, the diet can be either permanent, that is, lasting until the end of the pet’s life, or temporary. Food for dogs with kidney failure is something that you should pay special attention to, you should not try to save money on it. If the doctor tells you to buy a special medicinal food, it is better to spend money on it.

Treatment with medicinal herbs

Many dog ​​owners believe that they can cope with the disease on their own and are looking for information that it can be influenced by certain medicinal herbs, such as dandelion, nettle or alfalfa, so they decide that they do not need the help of a specialist. However, this is a very big mistake - it is impossible to argue with the fact that such herbs the right approach can provide serious help in the fight against the disease, but it is impossible to cure kidney failure solely with them. So you shouldn’t torture your animal by trying home treatment- Always consult a specialist.

The complex excretory function of the kidneys classifies almost any pathology of the paired organ as severe and life-threatening for the pet. The impossibility or difficulty of removing toxic substances from the body’s blood leads to self-poisoning. Kidney failure is not a separate developing disease, but a whole complex of symptoms. IN veterinary practice distinguish between acute and chronic forms of the disease.

Read in this article

Causes of kidney failure

Kidney failure in dogs has multiple etiologies. Veterinary specialists, based on many years of therapeutic practice, identify the following main causes of renal pathology:

According to the observation of veterinary specialists, representatives of such breeds as bull terrier, cocker spaniel, shih tzu, doberman pinscher, German Shepherd, Golden retriever, pinscher.

There is also an age-related dynamics of the pathology. In dogs over 8 years of age, kidney failure develops 2 times more often than in young pets under 1 year of age.

Stages of the disease

In veterinary practice, renal failure syndrome develops in the following stages:

  • Latent. During this phase of obvious clinical signs the owner usually does not observe. IN in rare cases is discovered general weakness, increased fatigue, lethargy. Clinical researches urine and blood tests carried out during this phase can reveal characteristic changes in parameters in the underlying pathology.
  • Compensated deficiency phase. The stage is characterized clinical manifestation problems with the excretory system. The owner notices increased thirst in the dog and frequent urination. At this point, 50–55% of nephrons die. The level of urea in the blood can reach 20 mmol/l, the creatinine level can reach 200 µmol/l.
  • Stage of decompensated insufficiency. The number of disabled structural and functional units of the kidneys reaches 80%. The animal has not only problems with urination, but also general symptoms: loss of appetite, vomiting, constipation, weight loss. Blood tests record a persistent increase in urea and creatinine, which indicates a serious disorder of protein metabolism in the body.
  • Terminal. During this stage, the ability of the nephrons to filter blood is reduced to a minimum. The kidney function coefficient decreases to 15%, that is, the death of nephrons is 85%. The electrolyte balance in the blood is sharply disturbed, and uremic intoxication develops. The animal has damage to the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems. Pathological processes at this stage of nephropathology are irreversible.

With timely attention from the owner and proper comprehensive treatment, the animal can completely regain its kidney filtering capacity. The terminal stage usually ends with the death of the pet.

Acute and chronic forms

Acute renal failure develops rapidly and is usually observed immediately after recovery. primary disease. With a timely diagnosis and complex therapy pathological process at acute course is reversible and is accompanied by restoration of the filtering capacity of nephrons.

In veterinary practice, specialists encounter the chronic form of the disease more often than with acute manifestation pathology. As a rule, by the time of manifestation clinical picture most of nephrons appear to be removed from functional state, and it is not possible to restore them.

Symptoms in dogs

The manifestation of clinical signs of impaired excretory function in a pet becomes obvious only at the stage of compensated insufficiency. Before this phase, the disease can be suspected only based on the results clinical examination blood.

Veterinary experts note that the symptoms of the disease do not always have characteristic features, which makes timely diagnosis difficult. The owner should pay attention to the following symptoms in his four-legged friend:

  • Decreased appetite. The dog is reluctant to approach the bowl and is picky. The portion of food eaten decreases.
  • Increased. A sick animal drinks a lot and often.
  • The owner notes frequent urination in the pet. IN initial stage urine portion diseases are normal. With the development of pathology, there is a decrease in the amount of urine excreted, up to complete absence urination. In some cases, the owner discovers puddles of urine on the floor.
  • Depressed, lethargic, apathetic state. The dog often lies down and spends a lot of time half asleep. Reluctant to go for walks and does not take part in games. The dog has muscle weakness. The animal is hunched over and moves reluctantly.
  • Nausea, frequent vomiting.
  • Visible mucous membranes are anemic.
  • A sick animal exhibits swelling in the chest area, fore and hind limbs, and in the abdominal area.
  • Signs of dehydration: dryness skin, dull coat, viscous saliva, retraction of the eyeball.
  • Violation of nitrogen metabolism leads to an unpleasant ammonia odor from the oral cavity.
  • In some cases, dogs experience indigestion in the form of diarrhea.
  • Body temperature is usually slightly reduced. The dog has a heart rhythm disorder.

Diagnostic methods

Taking an anamnesis allows the veterinarian to suspect the development of renal failure after an infectious or non-infectious disease of the excretory system. During a clinical examination, edema, dehydration, and signs of heart failure may be detected. An important diagnostic component is laboratory analysis blood and urine.

An increase in urea and creatinine indicates a serious violation of the filtering ability of nephrons and a violation of nitrogen metabolism in the pet’s body.

Normally, the urea level in dogs is 3.5 - 9.2 mmol/l, and the creatinine concentration is 26 - 120 µmol/l. With moderate renal failure, the urea level in the blood of a sick animal reaches 28 mmol/l, and in the terminal phase – 50 and higher.

The concentration of creatinine in the stage of compensated deficiency increases to 400 µmol/l, in the terminal stage – 600 µmol/l. Such high values ​​indicate a complete cessation of the filtration function of the kidneys, poisoning of the body with nitrogenous metabolic products and mean death for pet.

In addition to protein metabolism indicators, mineral metabolism also changes in the blood. In the chronic form of the disease, an increase in the concentration of phosphorus in the blood is observed, while the calcium content decreases. Low hemocrit values ​​during the disease indicate a disturbance in the process of erythropoiesis in the body of a sick dog. Protein and sugar are found in the urine.

Ultrasound diagnostics allows you to assess the size of the kidneys. As a rule, in the case of the development of an acute form of the disease, during examination, the doctor detects an enlargement of the organ, and with the development chronic failure the kidneys decrease in size. Postrenal pathologies, for example, can be identified when x-ray examination.


Ultrasound examination

Treatment of a four-legged friend

Does not exist in veterinary practice fundamental difference tactics for treating acute and chronic renal failure. In both cases, the same treatment regimens are used. In the acute form, therapy is aimed at eliminating the provoking factor. With the development of chronic deficiency, therapeutic forces are compensatory in nature and are aimed at improving the pet’s quality of life and prolonging it.

An approximate treatment regimen prescribed for a sick animal is as follows:

  • Infusion therapy to eliminate dehydration and normalize electrolyte and acid-base balance. Intravenous drips help reduce the load on the kidneys and help detoxify the body. For this purpose, physiological solutions, Ringer's solution, Polyglucin, Reogluman, Reosorbilact, etc. are used.
  • Normalization of the urinary process. A sick dog is prescribed diuretics: Furasemide, Mannitol, Lespenefril. In some cases, the veterinarian uses mechanical diversion of urine by installing a catheter.
  • During the phenomena purulent infection a sick dog is prescribed antibacterial agents cephalosporin series.
  • Severe vomiting is stopped antiemetics, for example, Cerucal, Papaverine, Enterosgel.
  • If there are high levels of phosphorus in the blood, it is necessary to bind it. For this purpose, Almagel, Maalox, Aludrox are used. Good effect noted when potassium acetate was used to bind phosphorus and increase calcium in the blood.
  • The presence of symptoms of anemia is eliminated with the help of vitamin B12, Ferroglucin, Ursoferan.
  • With kidney failure, the heart also suffers. To normalize myocardial function, a sick dog is prescribed Cordiamin, Riboxin, and Cocarboxylase.
  • If the illness is caused autoimmune processes in the kidneys, systemic glucocorticoid therapy is successfully used in veterinary practice.

Hemodialysis

Blood purification using hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis allows you to quickly and effectively rid the body of toxins. Specialized veterinary clinics have in their arsenal high-tech devices for hemodialysis in animals. In their absence, the sick pet can undergo peritoneal dialysis.

The essence of the manipulation comes down to washing the peritoneum, which has a high ability to absorb liquid, through special holes with medicinal solutions.

For information on the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of kidney failure in dogs, watch this video:

Dietary nutrition for pathology

The therapeutic diet for renal failure has a minimal protein content. The bulk of a sick pet's diet should consist of fats and carbohydrates. Products must contain a minimum amount of phosphorus; salt is completely excluded. Veterinary specialists, as a rule, recommend that during treatment the pet be switched to medicated food, specially designed for problems with the excretory system.


Therapeutic food for dogs with kidney pathology

Prognosis for renal failure

The development of an acute form of the disease has more favorable consequences for the animal, provided timely diagnosis And adequate treatment. This is due to the fact that the detection of clinical signs occurs at a time when the main part of the nephrons has not yet died.

In the chronic form of the disease, the prognosis is cautious. If signs of the terminal stage are detected in an animal, the outcome for the animal is unfavorable.

Kidney failure in dogs is a severe pathology of the excretory system, accompanied by disruption of nitrogen metabolism and the functions of other organs. Veterinary specialists give a cautious prognosis when the chronic form of the disease develops. Treatment is aimed at detoxifying the body, restoring the filtering capacity of the kidneys, prescribing symptomatic therapy. In some cases, a lifelong therapeutic diet is prescribed.

Useful video

About the diet for chronic renal failure, watch this video: