My Shar Pei has kidney failure. Are there options besides euthanasia?

Poor baby. Kidney failure is usually pretty bad news in dogs. The usual treatment is hospitalization for IV fluids to lower kidney values (since high kidney values make animals feel crappy) and treatment for whatever associated complications an animal has (such as nausea or anemia). Early in the disease, food changes and at home fluids can help. You mentioned that Priscilla has already been hospitalized for two days, so I'm going to assume she has two days of aggressive fluids and her kidney values haven't gone down. If you don't believe in euthanasia than I'd say you need to find a veterinarian who practices hospice in your area. A Google search should turn up an opinion or two. In your own, there isn't much you can do. I will warn you that kidney disease often ends in euthanasia because at the end stages it causes severe nausea, vomiting, severe weight loss, ulcers in the mouth, severe dehydration (even though they are drinking a lot, it just goes right through them). So it's not a good way to go without really really aggressive support from a local hospice vet. I'm so sorry and you are Priscilla are going through this. You'll be in my thoughts.

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. : )

I am so sorry to hear Princess isn't felling well. The best way to help her feel better is hospitalizing her on IV fluids. This will help flush out some of the toxins her kidneys aren't filtering and could bring down the phosphorus. There are medications to add to her diet to help bind the phosphorus but this is only effective if she is eating. If she isn't eating, those numbers will only continue to climb without IV fluid support. Even with IV fluids, she may not improve but this is her best option. If that is not a possible option for you, I would consider her quality of life. If she no longer is eating, drinking, or interested in normal daily tasks, her quality of life is poor. Making these decisions are never easy but as long as you are keeping Princess's best interests in mind, you will make the right one. Good luck and hugs and kisses to Princess!

If she is eating and drinking and not vomiting then you can look into a special kidney diet to help them work. You can get a urine sample to see if there is any protein loss and get her blood pressure checked also as there are pills you can use to help control these factors if needed. You can talk to your vet about donfluids under the skin at home to help take some work off her kidneys The most important part is make sure she is drinking plenty of fluids and urinating. If she starts vomiting or stops urinating that is a sign her kidneys are getting worse.

I'm very sorry to hear about this situation. Sadly, even if Kody would tolerate fluid therapy at home, it would not reverse the renal failure. When we are giving subcutaneous fluids at home, we are trying to keep our pets comfortable and give them more time. In patients that do tolerate it well, it still only helps for a while. Making the decision to euthanize is never easy. What I never want to see is a patient that ends up resenting the care their family is trying to provide, and making their last days miserable for everyone involved. If you absolutely wanted to keep going and keep trying, you could hospitalize with IV fluids, or take him to the veterinarian for daily subcutaneous fluids, but if he hates the treatment, I'm not sure that is what most people would want their pet's last days to be like. I can only access how Kody is doing based on the information provided, but it sounds like you are at a point when it would not be wrong to consider euthanasia. Even knowing it is the right thing does not make it easy. I wish I had better answers for you.

I don't really have any insight into his lab work without being able to see the results, but it sounds like you're not ready to consider euthanasia. You may want to ask your vet if there's anything else that can be done for Baxter - depending on the cause of the kidney failure he might benefit from more intensive 24 hour care at a specialty hospital. Since he is still eating and drinking you could also ask about hospice care - he may be comfortable for a little while longer with fluids at home. At some point it sounds like you will need to make a decision regarding euthanasia - these links might help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-decision-of-euthanizing-your-pet/ https://www.ahelpproject.org/ https://www.iaahpc.org/images/BarkArticleSpring2014Goldberg

Poor Bear! Sorry to hear he is going through so much trouble. The first step is to figure out if he actually has kidney failure through some bloodwork. Your vet can test the blood and urine and see how well the kidneys appear to be functioning. If they are in the early stages of failure, you may be able to help by changing to a prescription diet and giving medications to support kidney health. If they are very badly damaged, then the situation may be harder to treat. Palliative care and keeping Bear comfortable for as long as possible may be the best option. Another thing to look into is pet insurance to see if you could get some or all of Bear's care covered by insurance costs to help reduce the financial burden on you. This link may also help give you some ideas about how to handle finances and give Bear a fighting chance: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html No matter what, it sounds as if Bear is in very good and loving arms and is very lucky to have such caring people.