HI,

I have a 2 and a hlf year old shar pei called Tia. Recently she has been showing signs of swollen hock syndrome....she will lift one of her back legs and hop about on 3 legs then start shaking.It lasts for a couple of hours. The next day she is back to herself!!! I took her to the vets and he didnt know much about it but told me there is no cure!! Until i started reading on the internet i didnt worry......Since looking it up on various sites i havnt stopped crying!!! It basically says there is no cure and eventually her kidneys and liver will fail!! and that she will die at an early age..... i cant even look at her without getting upset...i cant imagine being without her!! Please help me if you know anything about this i cant explain how much this is upsetting me....

Thanks Nici

Talk to her breeder about it.  If they are experienced and reputable, they'll want to know and will also be able to advise you how best to deal with it.

Im afraid the lady i got her from was suffering from memory problems...she was quite an old lady who has been breeding shar pei for years but she was very confused.... im not sure she gave us the right mother and father name even to register her...she was very nice but was getting all the dogs confused and didnt make much sense!!! Do you know where i can find out all the facts about the condition?? I am devastated and feel confused and not sure of exactly what is going to happen to tia...... until i find out the facts im not going to be able to rest!!!!

Probably your best bet is to contact a breed club (listed at the bottom of the Breed Standard). I'm sure someone will be able to advise you. Good luck.

First of all, don't panic. Just because she has FSF doesn't necessarily mean she's going to die young. Here is an excellent website - Jeff Vidt is the man who knows the most about this condition and this site is the most comprehensive you will find out there.
http://www.drjwv.com/

Both my shar-pei bitches (mother and daughter) have/had hock attacks. Sadly I lost the daughter in March - she started having hock attacks when she was about 18 months old and I was heartbroken. I thought I was going to lose her before she was much older. Anyway, she died out of the blue of kidney failure aged 7 years 5 months - thankfully she didn't suffer. Her mum started having fevers when she was 6 years old and never had one before that in her life. You can imagine how upset I was. Anyway, she's going to be 11 years old in 6 weeks time and apart from glaucoma is as silly and lively as a puppy.

Knowing her pedigree won't make one iota of difference, but please inform the breeder so hopefully she won't repeat that breeding as it is hereditary.

Sadly there's not a lot you can do but learn to live with it. I did all the research I could and discussed what to do with my vet. We decided the best course of action was to be as non invasive as possible and treat the high temperatures with a dose of aspirin. The blessing is that apart from the odd day or two, the dogs themselves can lead a happy and normal life 99% of the time. They can go months between attacks, but the frequency and severity doesn't mean a thing as far as life span. My friend in the USA had a male and he had fevers almost every week, then he went 3 years without a single one, then they came back - he lived ot be 12 and died of an unrelated cancer.

PM me if you have any questions you want to ask. I know exactly what you're going through.

Hi Nici

Sorry to hear your news. Whilst I know nothing about Shar Pei, this site was invaluable to me when my dog was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, and it enabled us to gain 8 good months, when she was given two weeks to live (she had end stage renal failure). The vets were astounded and couldn't believe how well she stayed and for how long. It's a private website I found whilst trawling to help me with Elsa's kidney failure, and it was done for the lady's Shar Pei who had chronic renal failure at 14 years old. So two things really - a Shar Pei who has had Shar Pei fever can go on to a jolly good age, and if he does develop renal failure diet is the most important thing that can help.

I think a very very important thing for you to do is to have regular blood tests to ascertain the kidney function, as the earlier it is caught, the earlier diet can be adapted to make a bigger difference. As I say, my dog was diagnosed with end stage renal failure, and we gained a huge amount of time (relatively speaking), if you know at an early stage you can gain years. It will also give you peace of mind, knowing exactly what is going on.

She may not develop kidney problems for a very long time, and remember you can make a difference when it does happen.
I wish you both well.
Kat

http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html

Hi

Thanks so much for replying i need all the advise i can get...My vet appears to not know much about fsf so this forum is where i am going to learn about it and what i cab  do to prevent it getting any worse.... I have had a couple of mails giving me hope and i appreciate it so much as yesterday i thought it was final!!! I will do anything i can at any cost to help Tia... have you heard of the drug Colchicine? its been used on some shar pei and studies show their kidneys stayed healthy on it...possibly a coinsidence but if there is a chance i am considering using it for Tia....what do you think?

Many Thanks

Nici

Morning,
Thank you so much for replying...i managed to calm myself down and get a couple of hours sleep. It gives me a lot of hope reading your story. At the moment im assuming Tia has FSF....Do you suggest i get blood tests done as my vet has suggested?? Also a lot of what i read says diet is the most important thing...what do you feed your shar pei? Also thanks for the website link.... he strongly advises using the drug colchicine....do you use it? I have spoken to a lady who has a shar pei called marko..you might of read about him on the web? She is using colchinine and has her dogs kidneys checked regulary and they are fine..she thinks its possibly the drug working to prevent any kidney problems?
Sorry for all the questions...but at the moment you have helped me more than you know so if you dont mind me rambling on..its very much appreciated....
I am really sorry to hear about your loss......cant bear to imagine what you must have gone through....i have noticed that when Tia has been on a longer walk she tends to have an episode...first she lifts the leg then starts to shake and her muzzle goes cold....Do you think i should only take her on short walks?
Have you heard of the low protein dog food dr johns gold? Im thinking of getting it for Tia but she has stomach problems so is sensitive!!!
Once again im sorry to go on but i need as much help as possible.....
Many Thanks

Nici

Hi Nici

My dog wasn't a Shar Pei, but had chronic renal failure, and trying to go beyond the two weeks they gave her, I came across the website which is written about kidney diets, for her Shar Pei who has Shar Pei fever, and at 14 years went into kidney failure. I don't know of the drug, but it is mentioned on the weblink that someone else posted, and so I believe if it were me I would try it, especially if you have read of others who have used it to good effect.

If FSF can be diagnosed by blood test, most definitely have it. The more you know, the more you can do about it, at least, that's the way I am. They can also use the same blood to check current kidney function. When I was monitoring Elsa for her kidney function, they got used to me waiting for the results of the test, which usually took about 10 minutes, and with the help of that website, I got very good at understanding them. The diet food that they gave me for my old girl was a kidney diet (low protein, high fat) to try and help, but at the stage she was at even that was too much for her. You must remember here that my dog was in end-stage renal failure, ie less than one third total kidney function left! So then I came across the website I posted up (can't do links, so you have to copy it and paste it in your browser) the lady that created the site has the Shar Pei, that is finally having kidney problems. I fed my girl a home cooked diet, created from what I learned on her site. You see, by then I had nothing to lose! My vet has since asked me to pass it on to someone else whose dog has kidney failure, as they know that we did so well.

If kidney disease/dysfunction is spotted early, the prescription low protein diets work wonders, and preserve the kidney function. Unfortunately, general renal failure is not apparent, until they start vomiting/being lethargic, and so often by then the damage is far advanced, as in our case. If I had found out about it 6 months earlier, I know we could have had a lot longer, but that's the way it goes. In your case however, you are forewarned that kidney problems may arise, and so can monitor regularly and take the appropriate action when the tests show any deterioration. I haven't heard of they food you mention, we had a k/d prescription diet. However, there is no point in changing diet until her kidneys change, because there is no evidence to suggest diet can prevent kidney problems, only alleviate and help once it happens. One thing you really must avoid is cod liver oil/Vitamin A. Use Omega 3 fish oils if you wish to supplement with any fish oil, but not cod liver oil.

I'm glad you're feeling better today, and hope I have helped (hope I didn't misrepresent myself though, not having a Shar Pei!). Where kidney problems are involved I always dive in, and try and share what helped me so much.

It was a year ago yesterday that I lost Elsa, and I have posted under rainbow bridge 'A Year ago today', so thank you for your message.

Kat

>(i hope I didn't misrepresent myself though, not having a Shar Pei!)<

Kat, not at all - all excellent advice you gave. Sadly we don't have a specific test for FSF yet - they've been working on that and a genetic marker for about a decade now with no avail and this disease can also affect the liver and many other body functions :( It's the one thing that depresses me about the breed as they are so perfect in every other way.

Good Morning,

Thanks so much for your advice....... i really cant stress how much you have helped me...i felt so helpless when my vet knew nothing about fsf...good job forums like this exist i think they must save so many dogs with the knowledge people kindly share!!!! my dog seems to have an attack after a longer than usual walk ( 30/40 mins) it might be a coinsidence but we have started asking her to sit at kerbs....do you think i should shorten the walks and not ask her to sit? or isnt it related to exersice? She dosnt go out every day as she dosnt like the rain!!! Typical fussy shar pei!!! Simply refuses to step outside the weather conditions dont suit her!!!!! I want to do everything possible to help her but she loves going outside (if the weathers good) she cries at the window sometimes so dont want to take away her walks as she loves them!!!???

My plan upto now is to not give her any drugs as they have side effects and she suffers from colitis so has a sensitve stomach....get her urine tested for kidney trouble every 3 months and if she shows a change....start her on the colchicine drug and see how she gets on...What do you think???

Also i am rubbish with computers...so if possible can you type the website address for the lady with the 14 yr old shar pei me on your reply so i can write it in my book as pasting to me is something you do when you decorate....!!!

Once again many thanks.............so sorry for your loss.....

Take Care..... x x

Hi  Nici

Ramble away - I know I was very grateful for the advice I got and I'm happy to try and help.

What blood tests is your vet recommending? I have only ever routinely done urine tests
and the odd blood test. I stopped doing that after a stupid vet told me more than 2 years ago that Tinker my oldest one was in kidney failure. It turned out she wasn't at all and had elevated liver enzymes that went right on it's own! Make sure you trust your vet! It might be worth testing for thyroid levels etc... just to put your mind at rest there is nothing else going on.

I printed a lot of stuff out from the internet for my vet to read which helped him understand what was going on. We decided not to use colchicine, though that's something you'll have to make your own decision on. FSF is so unpredictable that it's hard to tell 100% if it is helping or not - I know people who do and who don't. I've known dogs on colchicine die younger than Phoebe but who knows, they may have died earler and the colchicine bought them several months/years. I and my vet decided that a course of benign neglect was best for Phoebe as she got so stressed out at the vets, it was counterproductive as it's a large mitigating factor in fevers.

I have no idea if the FSF was connected to Phoebe dying too young or not as I have friends who have lost totally unrelated pei to kidney failure in the same curcumstances and their dogs never fevered. In retrospect, I should have had a postmortem and red congo stain done to check for amyloidosis, but she died within 15 minutes of anything apprearing amiss (you had never seen a healthier looking dog!) and I didn't even have time to call the vet. I was so distraught I couldn't stand the thought of having her cut open and took her myself to the pet crematorium.

I fed both my pei on James Wellebeloved Senior for several years and they did really well on it. For some reason Tinker stopped doing well on it and a few months ago I thought that was it, she was going into kidney failure. But she's now on Superdog sensitive and looks really well and is lively like a puppy again. So I'd try Tia on that as a starting point and the JW Senior as a second choice. I think the Dr Johns has a lot of maize in it and anything with wheat, maize or soya is not a good idea as they common causes of intolerances - even chicken starts Tinker off. Tinker will be 11 in December and her kidneys were showing some changes in March, so I thought what the hell, she might as well enjoy her food for however long she's got left rather than mess about on kidney diets. The veterinary kidney diets are full of maize and wheat - Tinker is sensitive to them and would have pooed herself to death on it. They say it's only worth starting a kidney diet when there are changes apparent.

If long walks are causing to fever, definitey cut the distance down a bit. Try to keep her as stress free as possible. FSF is an immune system fault, so the less bombardment it gets the better - discuss with your vet the possiblity of not having yearly boosters. Also try to avoid steroids - a lot of vets seeing a dog in fever episode will prescribe them and they are unnecessary and harmful in the long run to a dog in this condition. They often prescribe Rimadyl - I've read too many horror stories of dogs reacting badly to it so I'd go with a safe dose of aspirin to bring the fever down. All you can do is read what you can find then do what you think is best. Enjoy her company, comfort her when she has a fever but above all treat her like any other dog. Try to keep things in perspective. Yes, she has a slightly higher risk of dying before an average dog's normal life span, but it's not a certainty. Hopefully Tia will still be going strong when she's the same age as my Tinker.

Hi Nici

The website address is as follows

http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html

I would think 3 monthly testing would be perfect. If you find a change, then as well as start on the drugs, change to a kidney prescription diet straight away, as you want to start preserving kidney function at that point, as normal diets can do loads of damage in a short time.

I wish you both well

Keep us posted

Kat

Hi...I have a shar pei pure breed named Rosco he is 8 yrs old...July 14th 2010 I noticed that my dog wouldnt go up or down the stairs..or walk..he was shaking..couldnt or wouldnt sit or lay down so I took him to the vet as soon as I told him his symptoms he knew right away what it was..he touched is back legs and Rosco went nuts his temp was 104.7 so they gave him a shot and a script....just last Friday he showed the same symptons so I rushed him into the e.r.vet his fever was 104.8 they but him on rimadyl..monday I took him to his regular vet they did a urine test...is protein in his urine is suppose to be at a .2 his is a .5 so the doctor told me he wanted rosco off the rimadyl for 2 days before he began his new meds which I pick up tomorrow sept 3rd..hopefully these meds that I get will work and pro long his life...He has been perfectly healthy his whole life.. not one thing wrong with him at all until this..early detection of symptoms is key to a long life span for your dog...I understand its very hard to deal with considering there is no cure for this...but you gotta stay strong..Ive read alot about this shar pei fever from the internet and it seems to me that almost 99% of the dogs have lived a very long life..just keep a close eye on your dog and as soon as you see the first symptom take him to the vets immediately for medical treatment..I heard that its genic but it can be caused by stress as well...so relax..clam down dont stress because dogs can sense that kinda stuff and you dont want to stress your dog out..because that could cause him to have another trigger (shar pei fever)