My 5 year old rescued male shih tzu has been miserable for about 2 months now with worsening symptoms. He’s got allergies and has been generally uncomfortable. He has very poor conformation up front (legs as crooked as my vet’s ever seen) and his back is way long (like a dachsund) so he is just setup perfectly for pain!

Let me preface the treatment plan by saying, I started the meds yesterday and I’m not kidding… he made it on his walk this morning for the first time in a month. Recently he would lay down after only 1/4 mile and I’d have to carry him home.

DRUGS:
Zyrtec 5 mg twice a day
Rimadyl 25 mg twice a day
Cosequin DS 1 capsule per day

He feels that the zyrtec is very, very safe and effective for treating allergies without drowsiness. As for the Rimadyl, I’m a bit more concerned about this drug given its assoc w/ kidney problems. He said we won’t use it long term but just for now to calm things down.

Opinions?
What should I watch for as reaction to Rimadyl?
Wow, such great answers already! Just as a side note. I also switched my baby to Canidae lamb & rice formula dry food just a few days ago. I am told this is a better food, so hopefully will help him. He is my angel!

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hey!
i have a birman cat, she’s 5 and she recently was and still is on treatment for kidney stones.
Today, when i came home, i realized her lips were completely swollen and so were her front paws only.
My mom decided to put a carpet which she loves to sit on in the garden a few days ago to dry and i don’t know if it’s coz of tics and insects in her skin. Under her mouth near her neck area she has lumps of black stuff,looks like insects… i’m quite scared because the swelling looks bad, I don’t know wether it’s allergic or infection or just a side affect of her treatment
any suggestions or ideas?

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My friend has 2 cats. One of them grew horribly ill a few days ago, vomiting & hiding & not letting them touch him. The other is still healthy, but obese.

They took the sick one to the vet & are now 00+ in debt for his treatment of kidney/liver failure.
I can’t know what caused this health problem, but they never leave water out for their cats. The cats only have toilet water to drink out of, and the litter box only gets cleaned out every month or so.

I feel bad because she’s now mourning the loss of a dear family member, and in debt because of his illness. I don’t want to add an unnessecary sense of guilt to her grief, but they still have another cat… and still not putting out fresh water or cleaning the litter box regularly.
I’m torn between my concern for my friend’s mental health (she has been prone to depression) and my concern for the health of her other cat.
Do I tell her now?
Do I wait to talk to her about my feelings regarding her animal care?
Do I keep my mouth shut?

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My dog has been acting depressed and tired lately. We noticed that it seemed he was not making bowl movements (and perhaps urinating) as often. My parents took him to the vet and they said it could be kidney failure so gave us an IV treatment to give to him for a few days. We have to take him back in a few days (Monday the 30th) to see what is progress is.

My question is, what causes kidney failure, what are the various steps of treatment, and how difficult is it for a dog to recover from it?

When we let our dog outside, he stays in the fenced-in back yard unless we take him for walks so I do not see him getting into anti-freeze as a possibility. The only thing we can think of is lately we bathed him with a so-called "natural" shampoo, different from what we usually bathe him in, and bought different kinds of dog cookies. I doubt those caused it.

What are the chances of a dog recovering from kidney failure? Are there any other diseases my dog may have instead of kidney failure
The Vet said it is the early stages of kidney failure. Does that mean that his chances of recovery are greater?
Yes, it is fluid for under the skin.

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My daughter is 16 weeks pregant wit her first child and has been having pain in her right kidney for a few days now. The pain does go away and then reaccures. Then she told me this morning that the pain was now in her other kidney but I though it might just be the baby. She’s having frequent urination, no blood though, and pain. She has had a kidney stone in the past and her nurse said it could be a stone or a UTI. I think its just signs of pregancy, what do you all think?

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