Update On Monte, vet visit and question with about anemia Options

[monte]

First of all I would like to thank everyone for their support, prayers, advice. It is greatly appreciated. I took monte to the vet thursday. They kept him over night and flushed him with fluids. They said he refused to eat or drink for them. When I went to pick him up and they showed me how to tube feed him. He was excited to see me. We have never been away from each other for his 2 years of life. After they showed me he went right to the can and started to eat n his own. He ate it all. I opened another can and fed it to him. They couldnt believe it. I really was hoping that he wasnt eating because of being apart and it was. They gave me meds. for him to control his protein intake and phosphorus. They gave me another for vomiting even tho he hasnt vomit yet from the disease, it was a precausion. They want to see how he adjust with the meds for a week before they try the shot for his anemia. His creatinine is still high. She said he still has a chance to control this, but makes no promises. When I got him home he drank. I went to the store and bought foods that were 3grams or less in protein to mix with kd since he hates it by itself. Today he ate his kd with peaches. then ate a can of soup. She said feed him if he will eat since he is thin, but I still watch because he has been very thin from the beginning. I dont want to over excite his system. He still gets excited to go bye byes. He gets up and go outs no problem. After that he goes back to laying down. He sucking his blanket again. Has anyone who has been through this know if the shot they give for anemia brings back their energy when replacing their red cells. He wants to play but just relaxes and lays. I dont mind,but I dont know if I should try to get him excercising or let him lay. Any knowledge would be greatly appreciated. I know the shot is expensive, but if he is doing everything else normal besides exercising It wuld be wrong not to give him the shot. The first vet I went to didnt even consider giving him a chance. The 2nd vet said their is always hope. She told me she would be honest if their wasnt. So always get 2nd opinions. Thanks again.
Monte

[Beaglegirl]

I didn't exercise my dog (with chronic renal failure) because it elevated his creatinine levels.
I also didn't opt for the epogen injections, they burn really bad. Also, I was warned of a deadly side effect that could occur from it, I can't remember exactly... Maybe hemolytic anemia??? Whatever the cost I would have done it if it were promised it would work BUT, it doesn't always work, and, if it does, the effects are temporary at best. So, I didn't do it because of those reasons. I don't remember it being expensive though. But I've seen pets get the injections, and a few seconds after they get the shot (so it isn't the needle poke) they seem very irritated. I was told it does burn.
Did your new vet show you how to give subcutaneous fluids? I gave them to my dog twice daily. They didn't really work, his blood values still got worse, but they seemed to keep him comfortable. I wanted him to be as comfortable as possible for as long as possible.
It did get to the point he didn't want to be poked anymore, but that is another story.
I also had my dog on phosphate binders (aluminium hydroxide) but when he was having a bad vomit day he would most often just vomit that right back up.
He got injections of centrine, because they can get symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome as ulcers develop in their GI tract from the kidney failure toxins and altered pH.
He also got injections of famotidine, because of acid stomach, another side effect of the renal failure.
Most medications I had to give as injections (subcutaneous injections are EASY) because he was so nauseous there towards the end anything that hit his stomach came right back up.
My dog was also young when diagnosed, five years old.