Quote: betty landercasp

A dog can recover nicely from acute kidney failure.
Chronic, end stage kidney failure is another matter.
I do not know about an association between pineapple and kidney failure.
Kidney "failure" can be a broad term, it is not a death sentence-dogs can be managed for years with mild stages of kidney disease.


I wish you the best.

Dragan, this is a retired vet saying that she too doesn't know about a pineapple-kidney failure association. I know she is not advising you as a vet and only commenting as a board member, but I just want you to know that you are running into some blanks here about such a connection among some pretty food-nutrition-aware folks. I would go so far as to say that if there IS such a connection, it's obscure at best, IMHO.

Pineapple isn't listed on any of the "dangerous to dogs" lists I've seen around clinics either.


On a side note, I do know of an um... off label, "adult" use for ingesting pineapple that I can't mention on the forum But anyone interested in what other secrets lie inside one of the original minds behind talking days of the week big girl wanties can PM me.
/off topic

And I was going to check this topic tomorrow, thinking that there would not be replies today...thank you very much for your replies!

Well, let me try to answer some of the questions.
Drina is doing fairly well tonight, she ate a little bit of chicken (my wife sill pushes the cooked chicken, feeding them leftovers), but they always have raw chicken also. I cut it for them into small pieces, and I even cut the bones into small pieces, but Drina really likes eating bones, she crushes them easily (last one two days ago). Right now she is in my jacket that I wear so that I can worm her up when she gets cold. Our heating is not that good, we spend fortune on it and the floor is cold, so she starts shivering a few minutes if she is lying on the floor (other dogs are fine). She is a little bit more active today, but one can tell right away that she is sick. Her tail is hanging too.
The symptoms started a couple of weeks ago. We had a day or two of warmer weather and I took them out. Drina usually leads and is very happy to be outside (especially since being on raw food), but this time she was slower, walking behind us. I thought that maybe a nail was bothering her or something. But the real problem started 3 days ago. She stopped eating and started drinking super large amounts of water. She drinks often and for a few minutes at a time, as if it is a hot summer day.
My wife is crying all the time since we came back from the vet, and she could not find the link to the pineapple article, I will try to trace her steps later.
The vet also suggested other possible problem, the "female" issue, and asked me when Drina was in heat - that was three months ago, but she still thinks it is a possible cause. Drina is not spayed, and the vet said they would spay her if she needs the surgery.
The vet did mention diabetes - I somehow don't think that is the case, as Drina is not overweight. She (the doctor) did not mention bladder. She just said that it is serious, but "it is not a death sentence". She mentioned possible surgery or treatment (infusion with liquids to attempt the "restart" of the kidneys) at their animal hospital. The cost would be 800-1000$, she said. She gave her a shot of antibiotics, even though it was not established that there was any infection.
I really love my little dog (never wanted to have them, but once they were here, they became family). I also believe in raw food and natural solutions. Yes, eating canned pineapple does not have to be considered raw (real raw wood be eating fresh of the tree, I guess).
Please tell me your honest opinions, I will by no means consider any of you responsible for any advice. I truly appreciate your help.

LOL

While I was typing a new message was posted. Yes, the more I research I also think that it probably wasn't the pineapple. Maybe she simply got a bad cold when walking outside, but she never had a problem with that before. The symptoms really look like kidney problem.
I forgot to mention one important thing: Her temperature was lower than normal by a couple of degrees or so. The doctor said that it means that she cannot control the body heat, which is a sign of a serious disorder.

The symptoms started a couple of weeks ago. .... she was slower, walking behind us. I thought that maybe a nail was bothering her or something. But the real problem started 3 days ago. She stopped eating and started drinking super large amounts of water.

My wife is crying all the time since we came back from the vet,

IMO, she must try to stop this. She needs to do her best to be controlled and calm for the dog. This is a noble and good task to set for herself: not to upset the dog.

The vet did mention diabetes - I somehow don't think that is the case, as Drina is not overweight.

Diabetes mellitus is more common in overweight dogs, but not being overweight does not rule it out.

She (the doctor) did not mention bladder. She just said that it is serious, but "it is not a death sentence". She mentioned possible surgery or treatment (infusion with liquids to attempt the "restart" of the kidneys) at their animal hospital. The cost would be 800-1000$, she said. She gave her a shot of antibiotics, even though it was not established that there was any infection.

Blood test? Urine culture?

Yes, eating canned pineapple does not have to be considered raw (real raw wood be eating fresh of the tree, I guess).

Canned pineapple (canned ANY food) is very very cooked. No canned food is even close to raw. The canning process is basically a long- or high-heat cooking process.

I am sure pineapple is not going to have anything at all to do with this.



Sudden shivering and excessive thirst are a potentially serious symptom combo. Liver, kidney, diabetes, Cushing's, Addison's, and more that I don't know about can all have these sudden symptoms (along with a lot of urinating, of course). Food, including pineapple, is just not an issue in anything that I can think of with these sudden symptoms. "Her temperature was lower than normal by a couple of degrees or so. The doctor said that it means that she cannot control the body heat" is another potentially very serious symptom.

Does the dog go back to the vet in the morning? When are the test results expected back? Is the dog comfortable tonight?

Even though liver or kidney failure, diabetes, Cushing's, Addison's, and more are serious, the vet meant it when she said "not necessarily a death sentence."

I would sit down with your wife and explain how good of a blessing she can be to the dog by remaining as upbeat as possible. Not only will it help prevent connected-anxiety reinforcing itself, but it will be better for the dog not to be absorbing stress and fear. If she could try this for the dog, it will help your wife too. Whatever is going to happen is not helped by putting either your wife, yourself, or the dog through misery now.

Please believe me that I do not talk from "not understanding." I KNOW how awful it is. I know with my whole heart. But I also know how much better for all, especially the dog, if some calm and cheer can prevail, at least a little. It's a very worthy goal.

I'm not a health professional.

I do wish for you all to have a comfortable night, with rest and calm, if at all possible. I know you're worried about shivering, but please don't use a heating pad for humans in the dog bed, even with the shivering (it's dangerous). I'm sure you can shield her bed very well from the floor and provide plenty of warm bedding. Perhaps warm the bed periodically with a hot-water bottle but don't leave it in.

Thanks a lot! Your words are kind and coming with perfect timing.
Last couple of nights we let her sleep with us (I have to steal her from other dogs, so that they are not jealous). If we leave her in the living room where they sleep, she sometimes goes on the floor (she always preferred the cool floor to warm places, never liked to be too warm). Only now she shivers a lot, so we have to have her sleep with us.
You should have told me a couple of hundred cans ago about pasteurization of the pineapple...
The first picture is now, the second is a couple of weeks ago. Drina is in the middle, her daughter Koko in my lap, Droopy (daddy) on the chair. Sorry for the mess, this is how my home office looks.
http://www.vojvodina.net/Drina.JPG
http://www.vojvodina.net/3dogs.JPG

The results will be ready tomorrow morning, they did a blood test. They have their beds, but we never use any heating, they are more than comfortable and sleep on chairs also. I will let you know what the results are tomorrow.
I forgot to mention that it was this site that made me change their diet to raw. That is why I created an account with my name here (never did that in my life, I don't even have a facebook account, like my privacy too much). I only did this for Drina, and this was the best forum I could find for dogs.

Good luck, Dragan.:smile:

Hope tomorrow brings you guys some answers.