Experiences of kidney problems

[LadyRascasse]

Can you give my your experience of horses with kidney problems. What symptoms they presented, how the vet tested and what happen after (i.e treatment and whether it was curable)

I am being nosey as my lad has a kidney problem but we are sure of the severity of it yet.

 

[LadyRascasse]

bump.... noone has ever had a horse with a kidney problem????

 

[cptrayes]

It's rare. I had one. He was very cold backed to start with, that lasted two years. At that stage, he drank a dustbin full of water a day. He then started to rip the sides of his rugs at night. Then he lost weight no matter how much he was given to eat. My original vet missed it though he tested for a cancer of the gut with a peritoneal tap, he never thought to test for kidneys. I was at my wits end that no-one would believe me that my shiny, perky horse was ill and finally was recommended an Olympic vet, Philip Jannaway, (must be retired by now) who did a test for kidney and liver function and rang me the next day with the option of having him put down that day or 24 hours later to give me time to say goodbye. He congratulated me on knowing my horse well enough to realise that he was ill, but I knew that he should have been as fat as a pig on the amount of food I was giving him, but no-one would believe me for a whole year.

If you have caught it earlier than mine, then I do hope that yours can be treated. Make sure he never runs out of water, mine went badly downhill when the water froze in the livery yard and he was not given enough clean water to drink.