Kidney Disease If your dog's bad breath smells like feces or urine, it may be a sign that they have recently eaten poop (which is never fun for a dog parent) or a symptom of underlying kidney issues.
Pale gums. Loss of balance, or stumbling. Chemical smell to breath. Significant loss of appetite.
Your dog's kidneys regulate the urine and waste that is expelled through the body. If your pup has kidney disease, it can cause their breath to smell like urine. Your dog's kidneys may develop health problems if: The blood flow to the organs is inadequate.
Some of the earliest signs of kidney disease in dogs may include subtle weight loss, urinating/peeing more often and drinking a lot more water. Therefore, if you notice your dog is peeing on the floor or asking to go out more, or if your dog is always thirsty, it's time to visit your veterinarian.
Last Days of a Dog with Kidney Failure – Common Signs
Common signs that a dog may be entering their final days include weakness, lethargy, decreased appetite, decreased activity level, difficulty breathing or labored breathing, change in behavior or overall attitude, and confusion.
Chronic Renal Failure
This type of kidney failure involves more gradual loss of kidney function (over weeks, months or years). Degeneration associated with geriatric decline is often to blame. While all kidneys have a natural lifespan, some dogs' kidneys will, unfortunately, deteriorate more quickly than others.
The clinical signs of more advanced kidney failure include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and very bad breath. Occasionally, ulcers will be found in the mouth.
Summary of Kidney Failure in Dogs
Acute kidney failure happens suddenly, and if caught and treated quickly, can be reversed. While there is no cure for chronic kidney failure, symptoms can be minimized with fluid therapy and diet changes.
difficult/painful urination. frequent urination of small volumes of urine. inappropriate urination (particularly noticeable in dogs that have previously been well house trained) slow, uncomfortable urination.
In severe kidney failure, the amount of urine may actually decrease, or the pet may stop making urine altogether. Other signs as things get worse include digested blood in the stool making the stool look black and tarry, or vomiting digested blood, which looks like coffee grounds.
If your kidneys are not functioning properly, the toxins your body would typically expel instead build up in your system and those toxins cause your breath to smell. It is often called ammonia breath. The buildup of waste in the blood, uremia, can lead to halitosis.
Kidney disease causes chemicals in urine to become concentrated and to cause a smell resembling ammonia. Kidney dysfunction can also cause high bacteria and protein levels in the urine, which will contribute to a foul ammonia smell.
In the case of liver or kidney disease, your odor may give off a bleach-like smell due to toxin buildup in your body.
Stage 1 Kidney Disease
In stage one, there is a small amount to no protein in the urine, and the pup typically maintains normal blood pressure. However, diagnostic tests may indicate abnormalities in the urine concentration or irregular kidney palpation. Most dogs do not present with symptoms during this stage.
The end stages of kidney disease occur when the kidneys no longer work, and the body is not responding to treatment. Your dog may become very lethargic, or sleepy, and have a hard time rising. They likely have lost a great deal of weight and their appetite is usually diminished.
Your veterinarian will likely perform blood work to assess your dog's general health status and kidney function. A urinalysis followed by a urine culture and sensitivity will look for signs of infection, the type of bacteria and antibiotics that can be used to treat it.
Total population median survival time was 11.2 [0.32, 38.35] months from time of enrollment. Median survival time of IRIS CKD stages 2, 3, and 4 were: 14.78 [9.14, 37.39], 11.14 [0.46, 38.35], and 1.98 [0.32, 12.78] months, respectively, from time of enrollment.
Kidney disease can be detected early with the help of a urinalysis. A urinalysis is an examination of a dog's or cat's urine to assess the health of the urinary tract, including the kidneys, and organs such as the liver and the pancreas.
Is Dog Kidney Failure Painful? Kidney failure usually comes with a lot of pain. Most times we can see the signs; from the tremors to the vomiting and the loss of appetite. It is important that you prioritize your dogs' comfort.
Uremic fetor is a urine-like odor on the breath of people with uremia. The odor occurs from the smell of ammonia, which is created in the saliva as a breakdown product of urea. Uremic fetor is usually associated with an unpleasant metallic taste (dysgeusia) and can be a symptom of chronic kidney disease.
Severely ill patients often have characteristic smells. Patients with diabetic ketoacidosis have the fruity smell of ketones, although a substantial number of people are unable to detect this. Foetor hepaticus is a feature of severe liver disease; a sweet and musty smell both on the breath and in urine.
Patients with kidney disease or dehydration may have concentrated urine that contains an abnormally high level of waste products and smells like ammonia.
Urinary tract—Infections of the urinary tract can result in strong, smelly urine. Other issues like incontinence or kidney disease can lead to urine dribbling and accumulating in the fur, which can carry an odor.