Yes, dehydration can affect BUN. One of the side effects for a kidney failure pet is dehydration. It’s one of the things our vet looks for in our cat every time we bring her in for a check up. Also it can lead to hypertension.
There is controvery on low/high protein diets with regards to kidney disease. The one thing that researchers agree on is keeping the pet on a low phosphorus diet. That’s across the board. You will find that more recent studies show that high protein diets may be more useful in pets with renal disease.
Although I disagree with my vet a bit, I still have to trust that she’s doing the best she can in making sure my cat has a longer quality of life. I do believe that renal prescription diets work, but I also know that I hate the ingredients thrown in there. My cat is eating the food so that’s a positive in our favor.
I’ll share some articles, but keep in mind that vets really rely on veterinary articles:
http://www.wysong.net/pet-health-and-nutrition/high-protein-kidney-disease.php
/best-dog-foods/low-protein-dog-foods/
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/nutrition/client_info_sheets/chronic_renal_disease.cfm
http://dogaware.com/health/kidneyprotein.html
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/ckd.aspx
http://championpetfoods.com/files//Myths_of_High_Protein.pdf
Hopefully these help a bit….if you dog does have early signs, it’s great you caught it early!
