Re: please help me my ig is sick

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Posted by iZ's mom on January 21, 2001 at 21:08:19:

In Reply to: please help me my ig is sick posted by Cosmos Hoffman on January 21, 2001 at 15:41:43:

hi Cosmo!
my ig got very sick with kidney problems when he was about 3.5 years old ~ he is now almost 5 years old and is doing pretty good ... maybe some of what helped him will help Oldan ...

one of the most important things you can do, is to make sure that Oldan gets enough water! when the kidneys are sick, they are not able to clean the wastes out of the body as well as they should ~ extra water will help with that. igs with kidney problems can get very dehydrated VERY FAST and that can/will kill them ... make sure he gets plenty of water every day!

Oldan's throat and maybe his tongue is also probably swollen (the same as his dewlap) ... that is part of kidney disease (and that's what the steroids will help with, the swelling) ... it makes it hard for him to swallow and to eat ... when you are giving him drinks or food, make sure to do it in very small amounts and give him time to swallow before putting more in his mouth ... when my iZ was very sick, he could only handle 1/2cc of water in his mouth at a time ... make sure the water is warm and just take your time ... don't try to give him the entire amount at once ... maybe try 2-3 times a day to get 15cc in him ...

when you squirt anything into his mouth: don't let him stick his nose up in the air, that will let the water hit his throat too fast + scare him ... aim for more the side of his mouth and try to get him to keep his nose down a bit ...

oh ~ IF you do get water down his windpipe, you will probably KNOW that it happened ~ you won't just kind of wonder if you did ... that happened to me + iZ and let me tell you, it is a VERY HORRIBLE sound!!!! you will know that you made a mistake! always go very very very slow so it does not happen!

i wouldn't wake him up during the night unless your vet feels that you should ... Oldan should be getting extra dark time and sleep time if you can ... you need extra sleep when you are sick ... keeping him WARM is good too! ... it sounds like his area is nice + humid and so he shouldn't need to wake up to drink ...

It is very unusual to be able to actually feel an ig's kidneys ~ if that IS what you are feeling, it means that the kidney is VERY swollen ~ the extra water will help so the kidneys do not have to work so hard ... does Oldan pee/poop when he soaks in the bath?? it is good if he can learn to at least pee everyday (drinking water will help him do that too) ...

Navaluzid ~ from what i can understand by researching the internet (+ NOT speaking your language at all!) this is about the same thing that we use here to help get rid of excess phosphorus ... it's chemical name is "Aluminum Hydroxide" ? ... something else to consider using instead is "Calcium Carbonate" ... (check with your vet 1st) ... Aluminum Hydroxide might make Oldan constipated + the Calcium Carbonate won't ... the Calcium Carbonate is also a good source of calcium and so you won't need a seperate supplement ...

vitamins ~ don't give him any right now ... we don't know enough about how much igs need and it's possible to hurt him rather than help him ... don't give the Potassium Iodine for now either ...

protein ~ don't give extra protein, don't give alfalfa, beans ... protein is hard for the kidneys to process and will make them work harder than they need to right now ...

escarole is good ~ dandelion greens are VERY good, especially for igs with kidney problems! (i am jealous that you can even find them this time of year! they can't be bought at any price where i am ...) ...

some extra fruit right now wouldn't be a bad idea ... it might not be a real healthy diet in normal situations, but for now while Oldan is sick, it will get some extra moisture and extra calories in him and that will help ...

there's no such thing as too many questions! feel free ask more and/or to e-mail me ...

Very Best Wishes to you + Oldan!!!
Bon. + iZ

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Thanks, Bon.... John 01/22/01 (0)

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: hi Cosmo! : my ig got very sick with kidney problems when he was about 3.5 years old ~ he is now almost 5 years old and is doing pretty good ... maybe some of what helped him will help Oldan ... : one of the most important things you can do, is to make sure that Oldan gets enough water! when the kidneys are sick, they are not able to clean the wastes out of the body as well as they should ~ extra water will help with that. igs with kidney problems can get very dehydrated VERY FAST and that can/will kill them ... make sure he gets plenty of water every day! : Oldan's throat and maybe his tongue is also probably swollen (the same as his dewlap) ... that is part of kidney disease (and that's what the steroids will help with, the swelling) ... it makes it hard for him to swallow and to eat ... when you are giving him drinks or food, make sure to do it in very small amounts and give him time to swallow before putting more in his mouth ... when my iZ was very sick, he could only handle 1/2cc of water in his mouth at a time ... make sure the water is warm and just take your time ... don't try to give him the entire amount at once ... maybe try 2-3 times a day to get 15cc in him ... : when you squirt anything into his mouth: don't let him stick his nose up in the air, that will let the water hit his throat too fast + scare him ... aim for more the side of his mouth and try to get him to keep his nose down a bit ... : oh ~ IF you do get water down his windpipe, you will probably KNOW that it happened ~ you won't just kind of wonder if you did ... that happened to me + iZ and let me tell you, it is a VERY HORRIBLE sound!!!! you will know that you made a mistake! always go very very very slow so it does not happen! : i wouldn't wake him up during the night unless your vet feels that you should ... Oldan should be getting extra dark time and sleep time if you can ... you need extra sleep when you are sick ... keeping him WARM is good too! ... it sounds like his area is nice + humid and so he shouldn't need to wake up to drink ... : It is very unusual to be able to actually feel an ig's kidneys ~ if that IS what you are feeling, it means that the kidney is VERY swollen ~ the extra water will help so the kidneys do not have to work so hard ... does Oldan pee/poop when he soaks in the bath?? it is good if he can learn to at least pee everyday (drinking water will help him do that too) ... : Navaluzid ~ from what i can understand by researching the internet (+ NOT speaking your language at all!) this is about the same thing that we use here to help get rid of excess phosphorus ... it's chemical name is "Aluminum Hydroxide" ? ... something else to consider using instead is "Calcium Carbonate" ... (check with your vet 1st) ... Aluminum Hydroxide might make Oldan constipated + the Calcium Carbonate won't ... the Calcium Carbonate is also a good source of calcium and so you won't need a seperate supplement ... : vitamins ~ don't give him any right now ... we don't know enough about how much igs need and it's possible to hurt him rather than help him ... don't give the Potassium Iodine for now either ... : protein ~ don't give extra protein, don't give alfalfa, beans ... protein is hard for the kidneys to process and will make them work harder than they need to right now ... : escarole is good ~ dandelion greens are VERY good, especially for igs with kidney problems! (i am jealous that you can even find them this time of year! they can't be bought at any price where i am ...) ... : some extra fruit right now wouldn't be a bad idea ... it might not be a real healthy diet in normal situations, but for now while Oldan is sick, it will get some extra moisture and extra calories in him and that will help ... : there's no such thing as too many questions! feel free ask more and/or to e-mail me ... : <B><I>Very Best Wishes to you + Oldan!!!</B></I> : Bon. + iZ

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