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Dog Acute (Sudden) Kidney Failure.
Symptoms and info on dog Acute kidney failure.
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Dog Acute (Sudden) kidney Failure Symptoms
1. Urinating and drinking more
2. Lethargy( drowsy, lazy, sluggish)
3. Poor or no appetite
4. Pale mucous membranes
What Causes Dog Acute (Sudden) kidney Failure?
This form of kidney failure has three common causes; these are toxins or unwanted substances in the body, conditions which cause sudden drops in blood pressure, and kidney infections.
Toxins are the first subject we will discus for causing acute kidney failure, these are chemicals or substances that will stop the kidneys or other organs working properly. The most common chemical causing this condition is ethylene glycol often found in engine coolant liquids because of its sweet taste which makes it especially dangerous because dogs won't hesitate to lick it up of roads and floors. This chemical among others will cause the kidney to swell up and a lack of urine will initially be present due to this. As the swelling subsides you will then see an increase in urine because the kidney will have lost some of its ability to reabsorb water.
The second most common cause of acute renal failure after the effects of toxins is the situation of a sudden drop in blood pressure in the body of the patient which is normally caused by heart failure, dehydration, or adrenal gland failure (Addison's disease). Although these are the main reasons for low blood pressure drops there may be others, but all mean that a lot less of the much needed blood will be flowing to the kidney, and as the kidney uses twenty-five percent of the blood pumped through the body its high requests will not be met and failure will occur.
The final cause and the least common out of the three is kidney infections, these affect the dogs kidney in different ways and often be cured by an intravenous drip and antibiotics.
Other kidney conditions may include renal medullary solute washout, nephritic syndrome, nephrosis, and glomerulonephritis which usually need specialised examinations and tests, these conditions though, are much less common and will not be discussed in this article.
What Your Vet May Say or Do
In the cases of small amounts of toxins in the body the cure is plenty of supportive care in the way of intravenous fluids via drip lines to flush the unwanted toxins out of the body so the kidney can then return to its normal functions after time. If a lot of toxins have been consumed the procedure may be more complicated and the kidney may not return fully back to normal and in some cases it may be fatal for the dog in question.
If a drop in blood pressure is the cause of acute kidney failure then treating the cause of this blood pressure drop is the key, in the case of dehydration the vet will probably use a slow intravenous drip line to hydrate the dog in question and use the same method to rinse the kidneys so they can continue working again. If the cause is not dehydration then the underlying cause will be dealt with as well as being on the intravenous drip.
If the case if kidney infections then after an examination and confirmation the patient will normally be put on intravenous fluids and antibiotics until everything returns to its normal working condition.
Other Possible Conditions
Dog Urinating and Drinking More Than Usual
Dog Addison's Disease / Adrenal Gland Disorder
Chronic (long term) Kidney Failure
Cushing's Disease - Adrenal Gland Disorders
Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes)
Dog Diabetes Insipidus (Water Diabetes)
Dog Hyperparathyroidism (Overactive Parathyroid Glands)
Dog Liver Failure and Liver Disease
Dog Tumor (Causing Elevated Blood Calcium Levels)