Niki might have kidney problems :(

[greekblue]

My puppy drinks water excessively, and the vet said it might be normal, but we also might need a blood test to rule out any kidney problems. I am sooo, soooo SCARED!

Does anyone have experience with a similar situation where your puppy drank a lots, A LOTS of water and end up having kidney problems? What did you do? How did they cure him/her?

My puppy does not show any other problems besides stomach sensitivity with her food. She pees and poops regularly. Even though she drinks water like nuts, she does not pee much or little. She pees normal -- no problems with that. And she can hold it too for loong time (even the whole night). But I take her out regularly (besides her regular walks or when she is out with me, I also take her three brief moments out for potty only).

[Swiftwind]

I would try not to worry too much at this stage... Niki's sensitive stomach might be due to the constant change in food (you previously said that you switched her food a couple of times to see what she liked best etc). The annoying thing is waiting around until your vet gets back to you with the results, as that is the only way to know for certain if Niki has kidney problems. Can you easily tell if Niki is in pain from her kidneys? Has she adopted a stiff gate with an arched back? That is a sign of painful kidneys. You might want to search on the internet for "Acute Kidney Failure in Dogs".

[greekblue]

Thank you. So far, I really have not noticed anything except how much water she is drinking; however, she always drank a lots of water -- even her breeder told me that before the puppy came to me.
But I think lately she drinks even more, and also I had not realized that something might be wrong.

I am going to watch her more closely from now on. She does not seem to be in pain; she plays and walks and runs. When I put her out in the yard, I throw the ball to her and she loves to grab the ball and run like crazy teasing me, so I can try to chase her and get the ball from her -- of course if I can ever catch her She loves to come with the ball in her mouth really close to me, even letting the ball lose pretending that she is giving it to me, just so she can quickly grab it and run as soon as I am ready to get it. She is sooo smart If I just sit in the yard, she brings me the ball so I can throw it. She LOVES her Milkbones bisquits other treats and I just found out that she LOOOVES Merrick Canned food which I just started adding to her food. So far some soft stools, but mostly normal, just a little stinky. She also seems to gain weight just fine -- she is in great shape for her breed. We just weigh her this past Thursday and she is 51 pounds at 51/2 months old. She has not lost weight. She looks and acts normal.

We have not done the blood test yet. The vet just told me this past Thursday that I might want to consider that. It is EXPENSIVE, but I am going to have it done as soon as I get paid in a week. I just want to make sure that everuthing is fine. I know you say NOT to worry, but I am really scared. This puppy is my world and these past months she has literaly saved me.

Today, I looked at her and through tears I told her that she CANNOT get sick because I need her; she started licking my hands like if she understood and wanted to assure me that she will be fine.

God only knows how very much I NEED this puppy.

[Swiftwind]

Well it's good to hear that Niki's spirit is still lively. I'll be thinking of you and Niki, and hoping that the results are good.

[britishbandit]

I wouldn't be too concerned just yet either. Don't panic! Remember she's a large breed dog, and growing like a weed too. LOL
Get some tests done to make sure if your vet thinks anything might be out of the ordinary, but don't stress yourself out about it. I know, easier said than done right? We all stress out when we're worried about our pets. But try to hang in there until you get the results, cross that bridge IF something is wrong.