Signs of Kidney Failure in Puppies

Kidney failure can be caused by many things, including contaminated dog food, such as the dog food scare in 2007. Juvenile Renal Disease and Familial Renal Disease also cause kidney failure in puppies. The puppies of many breeds, including Doberman pinschers, malamutes and standard poodles, are affected by JRD.

  1. Water Intake

    • One of the earliest signs of Juvenile Renal Disease is the amount of water the puppy drinks. A puppy should drink about 1 to 2 cups of water per day if it is being fed kibble, and a bit less if it being fed canned food. If your puppy drinks an excessive amount of water, it should be tested for kidney problems. If your puppy is on a raw diet, it might drink half of the amount of water a kibble-fed puppy drinks. Canned foods and raw foods have more moisture in them; therefore, the dog does not need to hydrate as often.

    Urination

    • If your puppy is difficult to housebreak, you may want to have it checked out by a veterinarian. A sign of kidney failure is the leakage of urine. As the kidney disease progresses, if not caught, the dog may start vomiting for no apparent reason, be lethargic and lose weight, and have the need to urinate frequently, in addition to urine leakage.

    Growth

    • Some puppies that are suffering from renal disease may be stunted. The puppy grows normally until symptoms appear, at which time growing seems to cease. You will notice the symptoms of excessive water intake and frequent urination before you observe growth problems.

    Renal Dysplasia

    • Renal dysplasia, the malformation of the kidneys, may progress slowly or quickly, depending on how bad the initial renal lesions are. Clinical signs of renal failure may not show until 75 percent of the renal function is compromised. In this case, it is usually too late to save the puppy. Foul-smelling breath is another sign of kidney failure, and occurs because the kidneys cannot process waste.

    Diagnosis

    • If you suspect kidney failure, have a veterinarian do the appropriate blood work on your puppy as soon as possible. If the puppy has renal failure, the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels will be elevated. Creatinine levels will also be elevated. If a blood test does not show elevated levels and a vet cannot find anything else to cause the symptoms, request a wedge biopsy from one kidney. A wedge biopsy is only useful once the puppy is two months old.