Buffy again

Took old Buffy to vet today for 6 mo. checkup. She's officially 17 yrs., 5 m. but I still question that (she's a rescue) They did HW test, blood test, rabies shot, etc. We had to leave for another appt. so vet was to call with blood test results. I was gone and DH answered. Ok, she may as well have talked to Buffy as he was a bit confused. Her BUN is now in the 60's, up from the 50's of last time. She wants me to add flavoring to her water, flood her kibble, try to get her to drink more. I can't put flavoring in the communal water dishes as Jasmine drinks from them & can have nothing but rabbit in any form. I am putting broth in Buffy's own water dish & locking the door so Willow can't force her way in (she will if I don't snap it shut). Also flooded her food tonight. Oh yes, both Pugs are overweight, Willow is 22 and Buffy is 19.1. Rather than the 1/3 cup twice a day, she wants them to eat just l/4 cup twice a day. W. is starving all the time (she has thyroid issues) and Buffy just lives to eat. I didn't get back in time to talk to the vet and now she's closed until Monday. Do any of you have any ideas how I can get more water down, what I could/should feed her (she's on GD kibble & canned) and any other tips? I feel like a fish out of water right now. Her other tests were OK, just the BUN test was not. She's on one Furosimide a day and Elanapril 3 times a day. She has a bladder the size of Texas and refuses to urinate more than 3 times a day. She's perfectly housebroken altho the folks who turned her in said they couldn't housebreak her. Being the oldest dog in my vet's practice (dogs under 50 lbs.) she had her picture taken and posted in the reception room. They now use pictures on their bills too which I love. Jasmine's new vet does this too. I'm babbling, thanks for any advice. I am open for one and all, anything to help the little fatty.

She's a testament to your wonderful care, Joanne! I have little experience with diet issues, so hopefully someone else will jump in. Flooding her food is definitely a good idea.

Oh yes, another question. Should I avoid salty foods for her now? Or would salty foods make her drink more? I don't mean a complete diet of salty stuff but occasionally a salty treat, like pretzels or peanuts just to get her to drink. My niece lost her Cairn Terrier yesterday from kidney failure (she was only 13) and now I'm panicking about Buffy. I sure wish the clinic was open on Saturdays......

I wouldn't increase salt just to get her to drink, given that she's taking Lasix. That's working to get fluid/salt out of her system. I don't know if it's the same with dogs but high BUN in humans can be caused by too much protein in the system. What's normal canine BUN? Is hers high or low? Low isn't usually a big issue and can be caused by overhydration but based on your vets recommendations it doesn't sound like that's the problem. I can imagine it's tough to keep her properly hydrated when she's on a diuretic.

She's high, don't remember the proper number she should be at but the vet told me it was high. Flooding her kibble worked but the tiny amount she should have worries me. Doesn't seem like it's enough tokeep her going. The broth the vet recommended probably has too much salt then. Not sure what else I could put in her water to make it more attractive w/o salt. Thanks Amanda.

Miss Pugg wrote:She's high, don't remember the proper number she should be at but the vet told me it was high. Flooding her kibble worked but the tiny amount she should have worries me. Doesn't seem like it's enough tokeep her going. The broth the vet recommended probably has too much salt then. Not sure what else I could put in her water to make it more attractive w/o salt. Thanks Amanda.

Obviously check with your vet. Increasing salt when Lasix is working to flush it out of the body, just seems counter intuitive to me but I'm certainly not a vet. Was it a low sodium broth she recommended?

What about continuing to flood with water but also add a bit of yogurt or baby food to encourage her with the flavor? Does she have a sensitive stomach? What about the juice from canned tuna or chicken (or even veggies)? I don't know the sodium content on them. They may be worse than broth. Just trying to think of something wet that has some smell/flavor.

Before we left the office and the blood test wasn't done, the vet did tell me I could use tuna juice for flavoring. I've tried the broth and she doesn't care for it, will leave her crate & go to another dog's to get their water. We were at an Amish store today and I picked up low sodium chicken broth & will try that. Monday can't come too soon to get further answers. She actually barked this afternoon to tell me she was hungry and she never barks. Her 25 pieces of kibble looked so lonely swimming in the water, poor hungry thing. She seems alert, happy and fairly bouncy now. I used to have to carry her up and down stairs but when she feels like it, she can actually bounce up and down like a pup, it amazes me. Thanks for your advice. My niece's beloved Cairn, 13 years old, died Thursday in Nashville from acute kidney disease so it's hitting home to me what the outcome could be.

Honest Kitchen has a product called Ice Pups. I've used it in the summer to make ice cubes for the dogs to lock at and stay cool. You can also serve it warm. It is a GREAT way to help encourage hydration.

Thanks for the information. I see someone near me sells Honest Kitchen so I'll pop in at their store next time I'm there. I think Buffy would enjoy it. On her new weight loss program, she's really hungry. I do flood her kibble (the tiny little bit that she now gets) with water and putting low sodium broth in her own water dish. I've heard good things about HK.

Been away for a few days, and just saw this. Hugs to you and Miss Buffy and a prayer that everything resolves well.