“He had acute kidney failure 2 years ago, and has since been doing well but often has episodes where he is not hungry and throws up.”
@ organic n
The above is what I responded to. I stand by my recommendation of a therapeutic diet (prescription food) medication and treatments as prescribed by your vet.
These things are not considered to be aggressive treatment and will help keep your dog comfortable and possibly improve the quality of his life for the time he has left.
You may want to take your dog in for an exam, review of symptoms and have your vet explain the lab values in more detail and what they mean.
The other suggestion would be to contact a veterinary nutritionist (as pl mentioned) to formulate a special diet.
Best of luck
PS: I would not trust your internet research. A lot of misinformation out there and supplements are not always benign. Your dog (from what you have said) needs to be on a specific diet with restrictions. Sometimes less is more.
