Labrador Retriever Forum
Has anyone had any experience with this or anything similar to it. This is a 6 yr old certified guide dog. Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks.
Hi Ann,
Dale is sick. He started losing weight around Jan. 1st. He lost 8 pounds in 8 days. He is currently in ICU at UW Vet School. The vet just called and said she “thinks” he may have Fanconi Syndrome. He was urinating A LOT all week and went off of his food on Wednesday. That is when I panicked. He’s never missed a meal. I took him to a vet on Thursday and the vet again this morning. Chemistries were inconclusive, so they referred me to the UW. He was wasting away. Total loss of body mass. His skin was sinking in all over. Poor guy. He had a lot of protein in him urine as well as an incredible amount of glucose. They are doing a urine culture now and he is scheduled for an ultrasound on Monday. Say a prayer and cross your fingers that he’ll be okay. I’ll keep you posted.
Nicole
Praying that he will be OK. I know in Basenjis that there is a DNA test. You may think of that. I know that there's another breed that is genetically pre-disposed, but I can't recall which.
This link may help:
http://www.zandebasenjis.com/protocol.htm
The Univ. Of Missouri is doing research and asks for submissions as in epilepsy. Other breeds are out there besides Basengi's being affected. The earlier in the disease that it is caught the better the outcome. Replacing lost electrolytes and acid neutralization is the first job that needs to be done. A Dr. Steven Gonto of Georgia has a protocol for treatment. I pray that they can stop it as there is no cure.
Has anyone seen this in labradors?
Wow, I have only seen this in Basenjis...did they check for Addison's disease? Far more common, similar symptoms.
I will ask my internal medicine friends if they have ever seen Fanconi's in Labradors in their carreers.
Best of luck to this sick Labrador, sounds like he is in the right place to get excellent diagnosis and treatment. It may take a couple days to get a definitive diagnosis.
Would you please let us know how he is doing?
Fanconi, no. Juvenile renal disease, yes, but it manifested while my dog was still a puppy. I don't know about Fanconi but the JRD didn't come on in an acute attack, it is more like chronic renal failure. I would seriously think that this dog was accidentally poisoned with something (I say this because my mom's border collie was fatally poisoned by food during the 2007 recall with sudden onset of kidney failure) or caught a disease to have it come on suddenly in a middle-aged dog.
Actually, yes it has been seen in labrador. Google Fanconi Syndrome in Labradors and Pub Med has an abstract supporting the same symptoms seen.
I did try to google it and got no results. Can you point me to a link.
Thanks
Thanks,
no news yet tonight. I will keep praying.
Ann here is the address:http://www.ncbi/nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7884724
All the best!!!!!!!! And yes, I saw the jerky treats are causing lots of kidney problems
This is what was forwarded to me from another list; permission was given to forward:
Jerky Treats Causing Fanconi Syndrome in Dogs
The American Veterinary Medical Association recently has posted a Media Alert warning veterinarians that multiple brands of jerky treats manufactured in China have been making dogs sick.
No cats have been reported to be affected. A contaminant has yet to be identified. At this time there is no list of specific brands affected and there is no recall in effect, so these products are still being sold to consumers.
Presenting Signs and Laboratory Findings
The dogs appear to be developing an acquired Fanconi's syndrome which appears to be transient. Small dogs with a history of ingesting jerky
treats (mostly chicken jerky) are typically affected. Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.
Physical examination findings have been unremarkable. In addition to mildly elevated liver enzymes, the most common blood abnormalities include severe decrease in Potassium, called hypokalemia, along with
acidosis and glucose (sugar) in the urine and granular casts on urinalysis. Elevated kidney enzymes; Blood Urea Nitrogen and Creatinine
may or may not be consistently found.
Testing Recommendations
For dogs with apparent Fanconi's syndrome, we recommend a CBC, chemistry panel including electrolytes, urinalysis and urine culture. Blood gas
analysis, if available, is ideal. Additional testing for other causes of acute kidney damage including Leptospirosis blood testing is also recommended. Kidney x-rays, and Fanconi screens on urine may be
warranted in some cases.
This veterinarian is seeing dogs with apparent acute liver failure problems associated with canine treats made by Delmonte.
For more information, veterinarian, Dr. Carol Osborne can be reached toll free at 1-866-372-2765.
My bad. I've heard that this email is about 3 years old - not current. Apologies to all.
The last I heard, yesterday, they brought Dale home due to the mounting costs and still no diagnosis.
I am not sure I have been getting the whole picture, but I don't think it looks good. Hopefully it is not anything inherited. We have enough genetic problems to deal with already.
Thanks for your replies and prayers. I wish I could do more to help him.
