Hello.
I don't know if you can help. I just need some advice. I have about four years back issues of Dogs today magazines and I'm sure you have covered this before, so if you could point me at the right issue that would be good. If not I will go through them all! It won't be a hardship!
My beautiful boy Bosley dog has had a problem with incontinence that has got worse lately. For a while he has been treated with propanol syrup which worked at first.
He became that way when he was 14 and had to have an MRI scan.
We think they may have pumped too much fluid through him while he was under and it broke him a little bit (The vet sort of confirmed this).
For the last few months he's got worse. It's like a leaking tap and happens when he is asleep mostly. He sleeps a lot these days as he is nearly 16.
He has been in the vets today for an ultrasound and more blood tests.
The blood tests have shown up possible kidney disease but not definite as the results were not strong enough as it is not advanced enough.
But all the symptoms now point to that too.
Urine samples show it's very diluted indicating that the kidneys are not doing their job.
The ultrasound showed that his kidneys were shrinking too.
His back legs have started dragging a bit and we think it is connected.
He is also very stiff and his front legs give him trouble sometimes.
He has been on loxicom for that but after today the vet says that he can't have that as it's not good for kidney problems. He now has 2 tramadol to take a day (I will be googling those tomorrow).
So basically what I am asking is if anyone knows of any holistic remedies that we can give him to help his kidneys?
Our vet has put him on another Hills prescription food, and while I do trust our vets I would like to know if there is anything else I could do to help him.
He's so happy most of the time, still has lots of puppy moments and our life revolves around him.
I know he's old and I have to face the inevitable but we just want to help him as much as we can.
Thanks.
Sue Bridle
Further to this, have you heard of a product called Tripsy that is available in the US? It is herbal and it treats kidney failure. I just wondered if you knew anyone who has had experience of it? There are lots of good reviews but you never know if to trust them!
Hi Sue
ReplyDeletePoor Bosley! You really have three problems to sort here; relief of the pain from the arthritis which won't make his kidneys worse, any possible treatment for the kidneys, and coping with incontinence. Apparently NSAIDs do have an effect on the kidneys, and it's a balancing act, but it seems they are not suitable for Bosley now. Tramadol is an opioid, an analgesic used for severe pain. I did try it once on my oldie but it made her completely spaced-out - she was like a stoned hippie! But some dogs seem to do well on it, I guess you need to try it.
I don't know what other treatments you have tried for the arthritis, but two definitely worth discussing with your vet are Cartrophen injections and acupuncture. Cartrophen (google it) acts on the synovial fluid and seems to have very few side-effects. I have no idea whether it can safely be used when the animal has a kidney problem but obviously your vet will. It also doesn't work for all dogs but certainly does for mine.
Acupuncture is absolutely brilliant for pain relief, I have no idea why or how, but I've had it myself (wonderful for tennis elbow!) and my Tasha really benefited from regular sessions, it's ancient and natural and free of side-effects. It can also be used to help incontinence, so you might be able to kill two birds with one stone. You will need a referral from your vet to a vet specialising in acupuncture if they have nobody in their own practice.
I haven't heard of Tripsy but have just had a quick google. If you try it, please let us know how you get on. As regards feeding, I don't know what kind of diet you prefer to feed, but there is a well-regarded Yahoo group called K9kidneydiet that you might like to join. Also check out www.dogaware.com and the kidney diet newsletter at www.b-naturals.com
As regards the incontinence, yep, been there, done that...My boy Danny has an intrapelvic bladder, but he only became incontinent after spinal surgery; it cleared up spontaneously a couple of years later. The remedy I had success with is made by Phytopet and is called Dry - it contains purely herbs, and you can check the ingredients on their site www.phytopet.co.uk; it's available from various online suppliers. It takes a few weeks to start to work, and you need the odd break - usually three weeks on, one week off, but that didn't work well for us so I had one or two treatment-free days a week.
Danny was most often wet at night, or when deeply asleep during the day, as obviously this is when his muscles relax more. When I left him at home I used to put him in a nappy from www.dog-nappy.co.uk who do one designed for the male anatomy! I used standard incontinence pads from the chemist.
Hope some of that helps!
Thanks Christine. I really appreciate your help.
ReplyDeleteI'm just getting half of the Tramadol down him that the vet prescribed - only because they are big tablets and I can only seem to trick him once a day.
But he does seem fine on them.
A bit better if anything. Certainly not spaced as yet anyway.
I don't think acupuncture is an option unfortunatley.
I have thought about that in the past but Bos is not very good with strangers these days and we can only just put him through it all at the vets.
I don't think I would trust him with anyone new, but I will definatley ask him about the Cartrophen injections though, and have a look into them.
I have ordered the TRipsy. So I will give him a try on that and let you know.
I'd like to believe it is as good as all the glowing reviews on the website but maybe if the reviews were not on the sellers website I may have more faith!
The only thing I'm worried about with Tripsy is that it it contains grape.
I know raisins are poisonous to dogs, but is grape safe? I'm sure they would not be selling it if there was any problem.
I'll check out the websites you suggest.
Bos has been on Hills biscuits for about 4 years now.
Started on the senior, then the joint one and now the kidney one.
But he has his main meal at night of free range chicken, vegetables and a few biscuits mixed in.
I have to give him a bit of chicken during the day to to get either his pills or his proponol down him.
After his tea he has a dental chew. He only gets a third of one of those now though as I'm not sure what's in them. If he knows he has been given two courses he knows he can settle!
It probably sounds as if he eats loads but he just sort of eats a few biscuits here and there throughout the day. And he does get walked four or five times a day so he keeps the weight off. Little and often these days.
I have just ordered some Dry that you suggested so I will hopefully get it in the next couple of days.
Very pleasantly surprised by how cheap it is compared to what I've paid for the Tripsy!
I bought Bos a nappy about 4 months ago. I think it was from the same website and it especially for for boy dogs too.
We have tried it on him about five times when he goes to bed at night.
He waits until the lights go off then you hear all this rustling, put the light back on and the nappy is on one side of the bed and Bos is on the other!
So we gave up and bought loads of big disposable sheets which are great.
And three of those vet beds which are amazing. You probably know what they are, but all fluid goes through to the base through a big fluffy surface so Bos does not have to sleep in a puddle!
They wash really well and are dry so fast.
It sounds like Danny was like Bos. The wetting happens at exactly the same times.
Except he has weed down me once, and my husband once, It's happened when he has been very tired and we have been carrying him.
He did it to me in a maplins shop which was not embarrassing at all :). I made my excuses and left before anyone saw.
You have been a great help thank you. I'll let you know how I get on.
I have been writing this for ages because Bos kept wanting to play and fight which means that he can't be as bad as my questions make him sound!
This is an update on how I am getting on with Bosleys treatment. The Dry herbal treatment has been brilliant. Before when he was just on the proponol he was really wet every night. But now I give him 5 drops of Dry twice a day along with the proponol and it works a treat most of the time. He still is occasionally wet at night but no where near how bad he was before I started giving him Dry so thank you for recommending that! My vet does not know anything about herbal medicine so was sceptical, as was I, but it really has made a big difference and even my vet is impressed.
ReplyDeleteAlso the vet beds are essential, as when he is wet during the night he is no longer lying in a puddle, it just goes straight through the bed onto whatever I have underneath it, and keeps him dry.
I think the TRipsy must be helping with his kidneys. He had a blood test last week 4 months after his initial test and this showed no change. I am very happy with this as I would have thought at his age they would have deteriated. So I am keeping on the Tripsy because of that.
Even his arthritis seems better at the moment. I can not get the tramadol down him daily at all - I do try - but I manage to fool him about twice a week if I think he is having a bad day.
He had his 16th birthday at the beginning of September and I am really pleased with how he is doing. He doesn't let any of his problems get him down and is still really playful with a brilliant sense of humour!