Chronic kidney disease…what I have learned

[dewey]

 I posted a bit ago about my rabbit Dewey.  He has GI stasis, bladder sludge, and an abnormally shaped kidney.  My vet believes the real culprit is the kidney and the other two are a result of the underfunctioning kidney.  The utlrasound showed that his kidney is functioning at around 60%.  

My vet, and I know there is a lot of disagreement about this, does not believe that feeding the rabbit a diet with very little calcium is the answer.   He says a lot of bunnies, including his, developed chronic kidney disease.  In addition to keeping the rabbit hydrated, the vet also expressed the bladder, and given him 3 weeks of Baytril. Since Dewey will not drink water, the vet recommended cutting his pellet to no more than 1/4 cup a day and LOTS of leafy green veggies.

Dewey is now at home. We give him large quantities of green leafy veggies soaked with water.  I think we give him 5 large plates of veggies throughout the day.  He also gets fluids via sub-q about 2x a week or more if necessary.  He is back to his spunky normal self.  And sometimes, he drinks water but not nearly the quantity that he used to drink.  Dewey takes the sub-q very well.  

The vet says the bunny can keep going as long as we can maintain this balance.  Anyone else have experience with this?  Also I have been reading about a Chinese herb called rehmannia for helping with kidney function.  There is a vet in Virginia that is using on bunnies under her treatment and a study on rabbits showing improved kidney function.  Anyone heard of this? I am a bit skeptical, but wanted to ask.

Will talk to my vet about it regardless, but just wondered if anyone has heard of this being used on rabbit’s with chronic kidney disease. 

[Sarita]

I agree with your vet about the diet. I do not know about this particular herb but definitely discuss it with your vet – you might discover he is very open about this. Continued vibes to Dewey.

[Author]

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