My 8yr old Jack Russell terrier was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in December. He’d been having intermittent diarrhea/loose stools for 10 months and was prescribed three different antibiotics during that time. His condition, just from the frequent & loose stools, deteriorated over the summer to such an extent that I considered having him euthanized. When he started urinating blood, I took him to a different Vet who made the diagnosis and put him on Science Diet k/d canned food, which was too expensive to be permanent.
He improved on that food, though, and I started cooking for him using Dr. Pitcarin’s Complete Guide To Natural Health For Dogs & Cats. He has some good recipes in there but only two or three for kidney disease. He was urinating less (he was going copiously & frequently) on the combination of canned/home made, but he was rail thin and nothing we could do kept weight on him. His stools were less frequent but still very soft.
When we ran out of the prescription food, I asked the Vet if we could substitute for one of Science Diet’s OTC low protein formulas. He told me there was no need and recommended Pedigree Lamb & Rice instead.
So we started him on Pedigree very slowly, mixing a handful of kibble with rice and boiled liver on Saturday morning about a month ago.
I am sorry for rambling on like this, but the difference was just unbelievable from that first bowl. When I walked him later on, he was frolicking in the snow, jumping over snowdrifts, and being happy to be outside. His personality was back full force; rolling on the couch, showing interest in toys, and that night, after two small meals of the Pedigree, he had his first normal bowel movement in a year.
A month later, and his last blood test showed SIGNIFICANT improvements in his BUN and blood creatinine levels. He has gained enough weight that he has “substance” again, not just a rack of bones with a bit of fat on them. He has muscle mass and energy. His potassium levels are normal. He had been chronically dehydrated before, even to an extent on the canned k/d.
So, yeah. This is my very long winded way of saying if you are looking for a low protein, fat, and moderately low phosphorous food, IMHO, Pedigree is a VERY good option.
