Pilar is a sweet middle-aged French Bull Terrier who had been in good health for all his life other than occasional bouts of skin allergies and ear infections. That all changed in May when he became dull, mopey, and would not even eat his food. When he was brought into the hospital, it was clear from his exam that he had lost quite a bit of weight and was dehydrated. Dr. Kathleen started with in-house blood tests in the clinic since Pilar was so very sick, and we needed answers fast. The blood tests showed that Pilar’s kidneys were not working properly. This, in turn, caused him to be dehydrated, lose weight, as well as making him feel so terrible he didn’t want to eat. Pilar was immediately put on IV fluids to start making him feel better while Dr. Kathleen ran further tests to learn more regarding what else he needed to get through this sudden illness. His urine was analyzed in-house, x-rays were taken, and the results confirmed his kidneys were the source of the problem.
This condition was life-threatening to Pilar and is referred to as “Acute Kidney Injury”, in which something damages the kidneys so severely and suddenly that the kidneys stop working. This damage results in major water loss through the urine which in turn caused severe dehydration, and it also causes a major build-up of toxic material in the blood that normal kidneys would otherwise clear out through the urine. The most common causes of this are bacterial infection with Leptospirosis and the Lyme disease-causing Borrelia burgdorferi, or toxin ingestion. Thankfully his 4Dx test ruled out Lyme disease, and his up-to-date vaccine status protected him against Leptospirosis. This meant it was most likely that eating something toxic caused his Acute Kidney Injury. It is shocking how many plants and household chemicals can cause this, such as grapes/raisins, anti-freeze, Lillies and many other common household and garden plants.
Pilar responded very well to the treatment of intravenous fluids, and supportive care for his nausea and inappetence. His 2-week checkup showed that his kidneys were now working well with the result that his urine was now good and concentrated.
We may never know exactly what Pilar ate that caused this serious emergency, but we all hope he will stay away from toxic plants and poisonous materials in the future.
