trying to think positive

Question
dear patti , i did not know that belles kidney disease could be caused by bad breath and ive notised that she keeps scratching the side of her mouth . do you think somethings wrong with a tooth on that side of her mouth? um about what shes eating , weve tryed alot of food over the weeks so she hasent had a ruetine and last night and this morning we fed her chicken and last night she digested it fine and today when we fed chicken to her agian she looked fine untill about three ten o'clock , thats about the time she through up . its getting out of hand . my dad is frustrated , my mom almost crys when she talks about belle because belle is like one of her daughters and im just scared and before vacation , last week and the week before that i was and am always scred when i go to school because i dont know what im gonna find when i get home . Will things get better? Will belle get better , maby even healed? im just looking for answers and the whole family is scared . we... i mean BELLE needs help .
         
                               from , scared to death (erica)

Answer

Hi Erica,

You've got that backwards, Belle's bad breath can be a symptom of her Kidney disease, not visa-versa. If Belle is pawing at the side of her mouth, that probably means she's having some sort of a problem in that area. Some dogs with Kidney problems develop mouth ulcers, which are infected sores.

The kidneys are nothing more than filters. When aging causes the filtration process to become inefficient and ineffective, blood flow to the kidneys is increased in an attempt to increase filtration. This results in the production of more urine. To keep the dog from becoming dehydrated due to increased fluid loss in the urine, thirst is increased; this results in more water consumption. So, the common early symptom of kidney failure are increased water consumption and increased urine production. The symptoms of some forms of kidney failure can include: loss of appetite, depression (low energy), vomiting, diarrhea, and very bad breath. Occasionally, open sores (called ulcers) can be found in the mouth. When kidney failure is accompanied by these symptoms, it is called "Uremia".

You should try to have a look inside of Belle's mouth to see how bad the problem is. Then, talk to your vet. You may not need to bring Belle into the office for this, the vet may be able to give you something like an oral rinse or ointment to use on Belle's mouth sores. Controlling an infection is important. In Belle's weakened state she might have trouble fighting off an infection.

Chicken might not be helping Belle. Usually dogs with advanced Kidney disease require a diet that has lower levels of protein, phosphorous, and sodium than regular food because it reduces the workload on the kidneys. You can get a prescription diet from your vet's office that meets Belle's special dietary needs. To entice her into eating, you're probably better off using cottage cheese, pasta, or a some bread with a little jelly or honey on it. Don't forget what I said yesterday, Belle will probably be more nauseous at specific times of the day, figure out when she's better able to accept food, and feed her during those times. Several smaller meals are better than one or two meals a day.

At this point, your goal for treatment of Belle's disease is the alleviation of symptoms that compromise her quality of life. Keeping her feeling good and happy for as long as possible is the what you're aiming for. I'm sorry to tell you that Belle can't get better from this condition. Though it's difficult discussion to have, you or your parents should talk to your vet about what sort of quality of life Belle can expect, and for how long.

Thank you for sending me updates and more info about Belle.

-Patti