Cy came to us one cloudy July day. Rescued from Mexico, cy had already beat a number of medical battles. But his fight is not over.
on Sept. 4, Cy was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.
This is his story.
DIAGNOSIS
Cy is diagnosed with congenital chronic kidney disease.
While his rescue estimated his age at 5 years old, US vets have said he is closer to 2 years old, which makes him a rare case for chronic kidney disease. We don’t know Cy’s full medical history, but here we’re tracking his progress.
Nov. 2019
Cy was diagnosed with anaplasmosis resulting from ehrlichiosis a tick-borne disease that researchers believe have a high propensity of leading to chronic kidney disease. At the time veterinarians in Mexico estimated his age at two years old.
XX-July 21, 2020
Cy was found in Mexico with a number of ailments including an eye infection. What we do about his medical history is that his right eye was not able to recover from the infection and was removed. He was adopted by another family before us and returned when he showed aggression towards their cat. Before coming home with us, he was also treated for lyme disease about 6 months before and had a teeth cleaning about two weeks before. He was estimated at 5 years old.
July 21, 2020
After meeting Cy, we took him home and noticed a few symptoms, some right away, some over time:
Diarrhea (which went away after two weeks)
Vomiting (at first food after car rides, then bile at random times - mostly in the mornings)
Bad breath
Leg trembling
Clear pee
Picky eating
No interest in toys or hard bone treats
Lip smacking
Constant sleeping (when indoors)
Drinking a lot of water
July 24, 2020
Cy went into his first vet visit to a friend about an hour away from home.
Age estimate: ~2 years old
Weight: 46.6 lbs
Stool sample taken, results: negative
Clean bill of health
SEPT. 2, 2020
With his ever-changing symptoms, we thought it best to find a local vet. We took Cy in to check on his vomiting and bad breath while noting all other symptoms. The vet noted severe gum recession. Prescribed antibiotic for his gums and antacid and anti nausea for vomiting, noting that the periodontal disease may be the cause of his vomiting.
Weight: 55.6 lbs
Prescribed: Clindamycin (antibiotic), Famotidine (antacid), Cerenia - Maropitant (anti nausea)
Follow up: teeth cleaning and scaling.
Sept. 4, 2020
Cy was dropped off first thing in the morning at 7:30 a.m. for his teeth cleaning. He was fasted since 9:30 p.m. the night before. As part of the process, he was given a blood test to ensure safe administration of the anesthesia required to safely clean his teeth.
Around 9:30 a.m. the vet notified us that his blood work came back with alarming results and that they would like to postpone his cleaning and further explore the potential of kidney disease.
In the afternoon, the vet called back saying that a urine test and radiograph (which was also sent to a specialist) were completed. So far everything points to chronic kidney disease and that an ultrasound is recommended to find the source of kidney injury and/or to further diagnose the cause. For now, change of diet is immediately required. Follow up tests will determine his ability to stabilize and the next course of action.
Weight: recorded 56 lbs (55.8 lbs actual)
Prescribed: Hills KD diet, continue medication
Follow up: 14 days urine test, 4 weeks blood test
Results: Diagnosed CKD
SEPT. 8-11, 2020
Uncomfortable with the wait-and-see plan, we got a referral to another vet through a local rescue. Upon reviewing Cy’s previous labs, the vet recommended and admitted Cy on Sept. 8 for a 72-hour IV treatment, during which he was able to conduct an ultrasound.
Based on the ultrasound, Cy was diagnosed with congenital chronic kidney disease. His blood test following his IV treatment yielded good results indicating that he responded well to treatment.
Our next goal is to maintain his numbers through continued diet, addition of subcutaneous fluids and discontinuation of previous medication. His next lab results will let us know how his kidneys are functioning after detox.
Prescribed: Discontinue previous medications, 150 ml subcutaneous fluids once a day for seven days
Follow up: Blood test in seven days to measure stability
Results: Lowered BUN, creatinine and phosphorus levels, ultrasound images
SEPT. 18, 2020
Follow up labs show elevated levels of creatinine, phosphorous and potassium.
Weight: 44.6 lbs
Prescribed: Continued anti nausea medication, antacids and doubling150 ml subcutaneous fluids twice a day for seven days
Follow up: Blood test in seven days to measure stability
Results: Elevated creatinine, phosphorous and potassium levels
Sept. 25, 2020
New labs show lowered BUN, stabilization of creatinine (though still high) and increased phosphorous levels. His sodium levels slightly increased while his potassium levels have lowered as well. While his kidneys seem in bad shape, at least we have found stabilizing numbers.
We asked about any lingering infections from the new record we got from Mexico since his last visit. Vet checked again for any infections and low platelets, everything normal. If the tick-borne disease did cause CKD the damage was done.
Weight: 45.4 lbs
Prescribed: Continued antacids (Pepcid 20 mg 2x/day), 150 mil subcutaneous fluids (lactated ringer 2x/day), a phosphorous binder
Follow up: Check up and testing in one month
Results: Stabilizing numbers
Labs
*We are not veterinarians or nutritionists. We are not licensed or formally educated in canine medicine or nutrition. We are pet parents. Interpretations and/or course of action for our pet should not be taken as medical recommendations.