Expert: Renee Cox - 2/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: my 10 months old GSD almost stopped eating. 7 days back, i noticed his urine colour is dark yellow and
when it dries-up, it forms a flakes-like layer which is brittle and it becomes dust if, rubbed by fingers.
This is mainly happening with his early morning urine. In the day time, it is slightly lighter yellow
but not much different than the early-morning urine.

He drinks water properly. He has no fever. he is not vomiting and his stool is perfect. his weight is 32kgs.
He has no sign of illness or behavioural problem. He is enjoying his daily walk with me, chewing bones,
playing,  chasing, fetching and is always playfull with my other dog(8 months old Lhasa Apso) and my son.
He is limping a bit with his left hind leg.

His daily diet chart is as follows:

Early morning: 6 chapati (made of wheat flour) with yoghurt(200gm).
Afternoon : Rice, Carrot, beans, Chicked-liver, small amount of fat; all boiled
Dinner: Rice, Carrot, beans, Chicked-liver, small amount of fat; all boiled

weekly chicken-liver is replaced by mutton for a day.

this diet is followed him for last 6 months and his eats it happily. Except for last 7 days he lost his apetaite totally.

He also takes the following medicines as nutrition suppliment on daily basis.

1. Nutricoat: 5ml twice daily (composition: 5g contains; Linolenic+Linoleic+Oleic Acid 3000mg, Lecithin 50mg,
Vit B6 400mcg, Zinc 4.5mg, Vit A 1000 I.U., Vit E 10 I.U., Vit D3 100 I.U., Selenium 0.2 mcg,
Biotin (Vit H) 45 mcg)

2. Nutrical-CA: 1 tab twice daily. (Composition: Each tablet contains: Elemental Calcium 672 mg,
Elemental Phosphorous 520 mg, Elemental Magnesium 0.64 mg, Vit D3 IU)

3. Megaflex: 8 gm daily (Composition: crude ash 3.5%, Crude fat 2.1%, Crude protein 9.9%,
crude fibre < 0.4%, Vit E and Vegetable oil.).

I also feel my other dog Lhasa Apso(8 months old) is also showing the same symtoms but he dinnt lost
his apetaite.

I am consulting the Vets.

I live in India, where the availaibility, quality, and attitude of veterinary consultants and services are very
primitive. Please help.

Please suggest if any pathological test is required. I can do it locally and provide you the results.

Thanks

ANSWER: Hi. I would have their urine tested for possible infection, and any poisons that they may have accidently ingested. I would also have some blood work done as well. The next thing I would also look at is diet, especially since they are both showing the same symptoms. If you get these tests done, let me know what it says, and in the mean time, I'm going to do a little research and see what else I can come up with. I'll let you know. You can also e-mail me at vvvzena@yahoo.com (that's 3 v's)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your suggestions.
I got his urine tested. Its normal but the blood test result (Urea: 39, Creatinine: 1.3) is on the higher side. My vet suggests It as kidney problem. He suggested a diet and a medicine. I started that. I want to know how alerming is this finding? Is it reversable? What is the standard kidney failure treatment methodology? How can or what tests can determine the magnitude of damage? Please let me know as much as possible about kidney problems. Thanks.

Answer
Did ou have the other dog tested as well? If both dogs are showing the same symptoms, then I would look to the environment. Some kidney damage can be reversed, or stopped, but it depends on what did the damage, and how long it went undetected. We're having a family emergency here, so I won't be able to help much right now, I'm going to have to go on vacation for a few days. Talk to the other expert Joyce, I believe that she will be able to help you, she's very knowledable with these sort of things. Just tell her the test results, and everything else you told me about diet and such.