Posted by iZ's mom on August 16, 2000 at 12:22:18:
In Reply to: Ig Kidney Failure? posted by Lisa on August 16, 2000 at 09:28:59:
iZ + i have been dealing with this since last fall ... tho he got extremely sick, had emergency surgery + should have died before we got him diagnosed ... his blood tests did *not* indicate the severe kidney problems that were discovered during surgery ... (he was 3.5yo when he got sick)
ok ... positive stuff!!!
last fall, iZ also lost his appetite because he was extremely thirsty + drank *huge* amounts of water ... but he was *still* severely dehydrated because his kidneys weren't functioning ... (check his mouth, see if the saliva is gummy) ... either way, it will help to get extra fluids into him with an oral syringe or med dropper ... Pedialyte is better than water ... daily soaks in the tub to encourage him to at least pee and keep his bladder empty as possible ... again, lots of extra fluids will help to flush out the kidneys + bladder ... the minimum amount of fluids he should be getting if he's not eating at all is 10cc per pound ...
if he's not eating, try giving him his favorite fruit ... nice + juicy for more fluids + some calories ... if that's all he wants to eat is fruit, right now that's ok, just so you can get some calories + strength into him ...
speaking of calories ... might also try some "Ensure" to get some calories in him ... strawberry should go over well ...
one problem with reduced kidney function is that the blood phosphorus levels are high ... iZ was on "Amphojel" (Aluminum Hydroxide)to bind the excess phosphorus and that worked very well but also made him *severely* constipated ... i've since discovered that Calcium Carbonate (TUMS) is just as effective at binding phos., will not cause constipation, tastes *much* better + is easier to give, and there's not the concern over elevated aluminum blood levels!
iZ's renal problems started because of an undetected, low-grade bacterial infection ... undectected + so untreated until he was a very sick baby ... he was on Baytril for almost a month, partly cuz of surgery, but also to knock out whatever infection started this hell ... i bring this up cuz i've since discovered *after* giving him daily injections all that time, that oral Baytril *IS* just as effective as injected ... it's one of the few drugs that there *are* iguana-related studies on ...
too much protein in the diet is hard on the kidneys ... if you do need to figure a low-protein diet, let us know! i've got some good links for you and loads of notes i've made on various foods! *grin* ...
you should consider having an x-ray done ... like i said, iZ's blood work didn't indicate kidney problems ... the x-ray showed that there was an earring back (of all things!) *stuck* in his intestines ... something that small should've gone straight thru but was causing him to be partially obstructed, and having very infrequent, small, hard BM's ... as he was also severely dehyrdrated + had lost so much weight so fast, the vet did emergency exploratory surgery ... he discovered the iZ's kidneys were so swollen that they were pressing against the colon and so he couldn't poop ... his bladder was also full of gunky, hard chunky stuff ... (yech!) ... *NOT* to scare you!!!! but don't rely on *just* blood tests ...
ummmmmmmmmmm ... i ran out of steam ... let me know if i can help ... hang in there!!!
Bon. + iZ