My poodle needs cataract surgery. How can I find affordable options?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. With an elevated kidney value (creatinine) and fluid in the abdomen, I would be worried about protein loss (albumin) through the kidneys, resulting in decreased oncotic pressure within the vessels of the body. This is called a protein-losing nephropathy (PLN). This can result in fluid leakage out of the vessels and into the abdomen. But, without knowing what the type of fluid is in the belly, it is difficult to know what the true cause is. The best option would be to have a sample of this fluid analyzed, and an ultrasound of his abdomen to be performed, and a urinalysis + urine protein:creatinine ratio performed. A creatinine of 4.1 is quite high, so Ludo likely has a component of acute kidney injury. He would benefit from further workup by a veterinarian to best understand his underlying disease process, and therefore what his prognosis is. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Ludo!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Unfortunately there is no treatment for cataracts other than cataract surgery to remove the diseased lens, and this costs thousands of dollars (around $7000 for both eyes). There are eye drops that you can try called Ocluvet, but there has been little research on these drops to suggest they actually "dissolve" the cataracts. For the hip arthritis, I would recommend the following below. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Dasuquin joint supplement for dogs 2. Adequan injections from your veterinarian 3. Anti-inflammatory medication such as Rimadyl or Galliprant 4. Cold laser therapy 5. Welactin omega 3 fish oil

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.

I'm sorry that Ludo's creatinine is high. This could mean a couple of things. Creatinine can increase after a eating a meal that has a lot of meat in it. It can be a sign of kidney failure. It's important to have the other values of his blood work to make an accurate diagnosis, such as his BUN. If you have the other values, please post those so we can help you. Best of luck.

I'm sorry to hear that Cami is having this problem. Unfortunately, the only treatment option for cataracts is surgery - so if this isn't an option for you due to cost, then there's really nothing you can do to make them go away. But, cataracts should not cause any drainage or watering of the eyes, so I would be concerned that Cami has some other eye problem causing this - possibly an eye infection, or allergies. These can often be treated with prescription eye drops from your veterinarian, so I would recommend taking her in for an eye exam to discuss what can be done to make her more comfortable.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Heidi but it sounds like the treatment plan is working great. I'm not sure we really know if creatine truly affects creatinine levels and kidney function but there is evidence out there suggesting that people with kidney dysfunction or problems shouldn't take creatine supplements. To be safe I would find an alternative product to use to address her joint problems. There are many supplements out there and I like the Nutra Max Laboratory products. These include Cosequin, Dasuquin, and other products. To my knowledge they don't contain creatine. So just to be safe, I would advise holding off on what you have and instead switch to another option. I like Nutra Max products because all of their supplements are produced under pharmaceutical grade conditions and all of their products are tested to make sure they contain what the label says. You can get them over the counter at the larger pet stores, at your veterinarian, or online. Good question, good attention to detail. Good Luck!!

I expect Crazy is very ill with these values. If this value just happened due to a toxic episode or infection aggressively treating with intravenous fluids and medications for several days may prevent permanent kidney damage. That would require hospitalization. If this is a chronic problem that has been progressing the outcome is not good. You can give fluids and a prescription kidney diet but in my experience these dogs unfortunately do not get better. I hope you can treat Crazy and that he responds. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Crazy.