May

29

Feeding a dog with canine kidney disease?

Filed Under Canine Healthcare 

my baby basset, who is not quite 2 years old, was recently diagnosed with kidney disease. this was a severe shock to me since he is showing no signs of renal failure. the vet is recommending a low protein diet – hills vet formula to be exact, which i am not a fan of. just wondering if anyone out there has gone thru this with your furkid. i'm looking for alternatives to feed him, even if it's something that i have to whip up myself. i've taken away his normal food and have been feeding canned, raw diet, yogurt and water mix to him twice a day. i'm open for any type of herbal remedies – since the dog food that i was feeding to both of my dogs was a holilistic blend. the hills diet that is recommended by the vet contains 6% protein – doesn't seem like a lot of nutrition to me. does anyone know if lab results leaning towards kidney failure could be the sign of something else. i am seeking a second opinion just to be on the safe side but in the meantime i need to be able to feed my dog

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6 Responses to “Feeding a dog with canine kidney disease?”

  1. admin on May 29th, 2009 6:16 pm
    Your vet can prescribe Science Diet K/D (kidney diet) for your dog. You can pick it up at the vet clinic or at a local feed store. It's good stuff.
  2. admin on May 29th, 2009 6:16 pm
    I dealt with extensive kidney disease with my 5 year old cat for a VERY long time.. Sad part is that he exhibited NO signs until he only had 18% of his kidneys left. Fortunately, I was able to keep him happy and healthy for many years.

    It depends on what the root cause of his kidney disease is. Is it that he is a stone producer, and that has destroyed his kidneys? Or, is it something else? Depending on the reason, there are not only good medications that help stabilize them, but there are good and different kinds of diets they can be put on.

    Email me at: smb4469@yahoo.com if you want to chat more. Also, join the CANINE CRF GROUP. I learned alot from Feline CRF, and from the kindness of strangers…

    Prayers!

  3. admin on May 29th, 2009 6:16 pm
    What you are feeding him now will make his condition WORSE. Recent research shows that dogs fed raw or high-protein diets will have elevated kidney and liver values on bloodwork compared to traditionally-fed dogs. Whether or not these elevated values lead to organ dysfunction in later life is not yet known. If you are feeding a canned formula, the percentages are misleading because of the high moisture content of canned foods. You have to factor out the water and compare diets on a dry matter basis, which is a big long equation I don't have in front of me at the moment. Byproducts of protein digestion are difficult for the body to get rid of, and put a lot of stress on both the kidneys and the liver. This is why kidney and liver diets are formulated to be low in protein-easily digestible, high quality protein. Hill's K/d and Purina NF are the prescription options. Canned is better because of the high moisture content. Kidneys lose the ability to concentrate urine early on and that leaves animals prone to dehydration. If you would like to continue cooking for your dog, you can have a veterinary nutritionist design a diet specifically for him, I believe the website is http://www.veterinarydiets.com. There is a fee for the service.

    Additionally, you want to pay particularly close attention to his dental health. Canned food does lead to increased tartar and gingivitis, so you'll want to brush his teeth and keep up on dental cleanings. When there's dental disease in the mouth, the gums get raw and inflamed. Then bacteria in the mouth have easy access to the bloodstream through the gums. These bacteria tend to collect in the kidneys, which filter the blood, and often also cause damage to the liver and heart.

  4. admin on May 29th, 2009 6:16 pm
    Dogs with a kidney problem, need a very low protein diet. I have been investigating this on behalf of a friend. Apparently the Hills food for kidney problems must only be given for six months. Denes, who are in the UK also offer a food which is suitable for dogs with kidney problems and they can be on this permanently. They also sell herbal remedies for kidney problems. Look at http://www.denes.co.uk.

    My friends dog eats a huge amount and is loosing weight. From my researches, I discovered dogs with a kidney problem are reluctant to eat. Because of this it would appear that my friends dog is diabetic and this has played havoc with his kidneys. Dogs with either kidney problems or diabetes can live a long life, IF IF they are fed the correct diet. If you want to investigate your dogs problems on the Internet, precede your enquiry with dog. I typed in "Dog kidney problems" and there was lots of info. I then typed in "dogs diabetes" and got more.

    Dogs are precious, why do we care so much??
    That's what loving is all about.

  5. admin on May 29th, 2009 6:16 pm
    I would try a raw diet. It has shown so much improvement in my three dogs that I can not recommend anything else. Heres is a good forum for dogs http://www.bigdogsporch.com, and a few other sites for feeding raw, http://www.rawfed.com/myths, http://www.rawmeatybones.com, and http://www.rawlearning.com

    Dont listen to vets nutrtional advice. Purina, Science diet, Iams and a few other big names teach vet students in school plus nutrition classes are not required to graduate and get a license.
    If you read on purinas site… http://www.purina.com/science/partnershi...
    the site states purina combined with the american college of veterinary nutrition and formed the curriculum. Not something to be proud of.

  6. admin on May 29th, 2009 6:16 pm
    Most veterinarians may suggest to lower protein at any sign of renal problems, but it has been discovered that this can do more harm than good:
    ~ Lew Olson

    This is the article written by Lew Olson

    She is very knowledgeable
    I know she would answer any questions you might have

    http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/kid...

    You can get eggshell calcium from this site
    http://www.pet-grub.com/pet-supplements/

    Lew sells fish oil capsules
    this site sells fish oil in a pump bottle
    http://www.healthhutt.com/product_info.p...

    the oil comes in an aluminum can … most oil is packaged in plastic bottles
    salmon oil can break down plastic

    you can decide which one you would prefer

    sending you and your little guy the very best in the world
    I know how much you love him

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