[Shannon May]

I have given both my small dogs these treats for at least 2 years. I had to put my 4 yr old down right before Christmas due to kidney disease and now my other pup has it. They have not gotten in to anything toxic. I started researching what they eat and this came up. I am almost certain these killed my baby and has gotten my other baby sick with the same thing. Please if anyone has similar situation speak up. I do not know what to do but I do not any other animals hurt by these treats which are to be treats. How do you limit how many treatreats you give your dog because of the harmful ingredients. I cannot believe this was approved by the FDA. Shame on you all. To have to watch your fur baby suffer for months only to have to put them out of their misery way to young then have your other one come down with same thing 2 weeks later. I am heartbroken and pissed.

[Rebecca Tan]

OMG! I’m so thankful someone sent me this cos I thought I was the only one who had a TERRIBLE experience with her!!!

I also tried to find reviews on her but could not find and want to share my experience so that people stop giving her business. She is a terrible horrible person.

My dog has IBD and was diagnosed with Canine Kidney Disease (CKD) Stage 1 in 2022. Hence, I wanted to get a balanced homecooked recipe which would cater to her illnesses and yet still give her all the nutrients that she needed. My friends were the ones who recommended Cat Lane so I decided to give her a try.

Same as Samantha’s experience, at first, she was very nice and prompt. That changed quickly. On her website, she states that she doesn’t require you to be online at the same time as her (cos different countries, different timezones) but slowly, she blamed me for the slow progression of the formulation of the recipe being my fault as I wasn’t online at the same time with her. OK FINE. So we arranged for a day and time when we could be online together. 1st meeting, I waited and waited for her but she was absent. When I asked her why, she claimed ill health. OK FINE. We arrange for a 2nd meeting. 2nd meeting comes and goes, I waited and waited again for her but she was once again absent. This has already made me irate cos I am losing sleep just to wait up for her and I still have to go to work. This time, she claimed one of her pets passed away. OK FINE. We arrange for a 3rd meeting. 3rd meeting comes and goes again and guess who didn’t turn up? Absolutely fustrated now, I turn to her FB groups and questioned some of the group members if she always takes such a long time to reply them. WOW. Guess who showed up within minutes on FB to delete my comment and ban me from her FB groups? This time she claimed her cat passed away and that I was being horrible for questioning her absence and states that because of my “horrible” behaviour, she will end our business relationship and not give me my recipe, my recipe WHICH I PAID FOR. She also claimed that the money which I paid for is for her time.

This is what is written on her website: “You receive:

Five hours of my time devoted to whatever is required, usually recipes and adjustment; often, but not always, herbal support as well
A minimum of one therapeutic recipe, tailored to your dog’s nutrient requirements, as determined by the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Dogs (2006) but also geared to the specific needs of the condition(s) you are seeking help with. If your dog is able to tolerate a variety of foods, I endeavour to provide two – three recipes; this is usually possible but may not work for food intolerance and allergy, at least not in the early stages of dietary support.
A full, personalized herbal protocol to support your dog’s general wellbeing and address health challenges as indicated
General Dietary Guidelines containing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and pointers on everything from cooking techniques, substitutions, individual foods and their nutrient profiles, managing the dietary transition, converting commonly used measurements, food storage and safety and much more
Follow up support up to a maximum of five hours, with affordable extensions if needed.”

Nowhere did I even receive FIVE HOURS OF HER TIME. Her emails to me are mostly 1-2 sentences and there are only about 20 or less emails. If you are telling me these emails equate to FIVE HOURS OF HER TIME, then I have no words to say. It takes me barely less than 2 minutes to write 2 sentences in an email.
Nowhere did I receive a recipe WHICH I PAID FOR.
Nowhere did I receive a herbal protocol WHICH I PAID FOR.

Also same as Samantha’s experience, Cat Lane comes across very offended in her email replies as if she has a God complex and everything she says is right, and we are all wrong. She was asking me to test out certain food items with my dog to see if my dog was allergic to them and they all unfortunately caused my dog to have allergies. I could sense through her emails, she was getting frustrated that my dog was allergic to so many food items. AS IF IT’S OUR FAULT?!?!?!

Even if her cat really died, which I doubt it, cos she has been using the “my pet passed away” excuse so many times, I’m sure she can fire off a quick email to let me know she couldn’t make it to the meeting right? But NO. She couldn’t. Yet she could IMMEDIATELY ban and delete my comment on FB on the very same day. That does not make any sense to me. How is this professional behaviour?!?!? If you cannot be professional about it, you have no business to call yourself a professional and run your own business. Also, it pisses me off to no end that she continues promoting her business and getting new customers when she does not even have time to handle her current customers. HOW IS THAT PROFESSIONAL?!?!?!?! If she’s really ill and struggling with her health, then she has no business getting new customers that she cannot handle.

I’m doing my very best to warn everybody about her. DO NOT LET THIS VILE PERSON CHEAT YOU OF YOUR MONEY.

[Kelly S]

Hello everyone,

We have been feeding our sweet senior Royal Canin hepatic formula at the advise of our vet for years now. She’s now barely eating it, but is foraging around the house all day looking for other food. I realize SOME of this may be cognitive, but am wondering if a small part is her just being sick of the same food, day in and day our. Any recommendations on other foods that are still ok for high liver enzymes and beginning of kidney disease?? Thank you!

[Carolyn P]

Thank you! Kidney disease is no fun. It’s hit and miss with food, as I am finding out. I am in Canada, which makes choices even harder.

Trying to figure out a good quality protein with low fat is very difficult.

I have heard of Azodyl, but since my girl won’t eat and when she does, she can detect if there is a supplement of any sort in there, there is no point in me trying to give her anything.

She’s on SubQ fluids 4 times a week and she gets a B12 injection weekly, and she seems to be doing well, back to her playful self. Just with I could get the food sorted out. rx foods are what I feel, sent her to the ER, so I won’t be returning to feeding her those.

Good luck with your loves!!!

[Leonard B]

I came here looking for information for similar reasons. We have a puppy (an old English Sheepdog now 54lbs) named Hannah. She was born with Bilateral ectopic ureter and Bilateral kidney Dysplasia. She is also a picky eater. Her creatinine values were as high as 2.9 (she is eight months old) and average around 2.4. She has also experienced some significant GI issues, which now appear to be under control. We have since had a procedure done at UoP to (PENN Vet Hospital) to address the Bilateral ectopic ureter; between the procedure and Proin, that issue seems to be under control, and we reduced the dose of the Proin.

Now we have the picky eater and the Kidney issue to work with. This week, we started a new food that Penn suggested we try. Justfoodfordogs.com (I came here today to see if there was any other information). They have a specific Renal offering and will also create a custom food. Hannah has eaten with no coaxing, toppers, or peanut butter (dog version) at all.

Today, if successful, will be day three, and we just ordered two weeks’ worth and are hopeful we found something she likes.

Additionally, we began giving Hannah a medication called Azodyl. We used this with an aging girl several years ago, and it reversed her kidney disease; I shared the information with friends, and it worked for them. This is not something Penn has endorsed or has any reports on. My wife is a Dialysis nurse, and a friend in the field recommended it. this is the product: https://www.vetoquinolusa.com/products/azodyl. you can get it from 1800petmeds or other places. We will have Hannah checked in a month to see how well we are doing. I came here looking for some advice, and hopefully, I have given you something to consider for your family member.

Best Wishes

[Carolyn P]

Hello. I have a 13 year old, 6lb chihuahua who has stage 4 kidney disease. It has been a journey from being a stage 4 to a stage 2/3 after using Hills rx renal food (which I said I would never, ever feed any of my dogs). After a month on this food, she had to be admitted to the ER and put on IV fluids for 48 hours (I am aware of the concerns all over social media currently about this brand and another well known brand and will no longer feed it). She had pancreatitis, and her BUN and Creatinine were off the charts. Upon her release from ER, she is now a stage 4 in the disease again. She is inappetant, and extremely picky. She will eat canned food from the pet store, but much of it is too high in fat. She needs low fat, moderate protein. I am looking for suggestions. I was a raw feeder / home cooked feeder always, but she won’t eat it. Hoping to find some solutions within the group from others with similar experience (only thing I will not feed, is kibble). She gets SubQ fluids four times a week and a B12 injection weekly. Thank you.

[Patricia A]

Don’t feed that brand Aimee. Post just peaked my interest in the DCM controversy again. I feed freeze dried .I rotate brands and proteins. Kibble is given occasionally . That being Stella n Chewys. This about sums up what is known about DCM.
Myth: DCM is caused by diet
Fact: Multiple factors contribute to DCM in pets, particularly genetic predisposition, weight, size, gender and pre-existing illnesses.

Myth: Grain-Free foods cause DCM
Fact:The FDA found no science directly linking ingredients in grain-free foods to the onset of DCM.
Myth: The FDA recommended pet owners change their pet’s diet
Fact: FDA recommended to NOT change a pet’s diet based solely on the information in the report…and has not changed its perspective in the past 2 years.
Myth: DCM is a new disease caused by grain-free pet food
Fact: Studies in 1988, 1995 and 1997 all pointed toward genetic predisposition and/or size as contributing factors to DCM in pets – well before grain-free diets were prominent.

Myth: Grain-free foods have no taurine

Fact: Taurine comes from meat, particularly high quality meat used in specialty pet food as opposed to animal by-products used in lower grade pet foods.
Myth: The FDA report listed only 16 pet food brands
Fact: Purina One and Hill’s Pet Nutrition were reported in DCM cases to the FDA.In fact, MARS (make of Royal Canin and Iams) had the 5th most reported brands.

Myth: Only well-known pet foods are safe for pets to eat.
Fact: The majority of brands named in the FDA report can be found in large pet, grocery or mass market stores.

Myth: Only WSAVA-approved foods are safe for pets to eat
Fact: WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) does not ‘approve’ foods, it provides health considerations for pet owners.

Myth: WSAVA recommends select brands over others
Fact: No. But Purina, Hills (Science Diet) and MARS (Royal Canin and Iams) all have paid partnerships with WSAVA so they actively promote these brands on their web site.
Myth: DCM is the biggest health concern for dogs
Fact: The leading causes of canine death are cancer, obesity, kidney disease, diabetes
Myth: Grain-inclusive pet food has more taurine than grain-free options
Fact: The FDA found that average %’s of total taurine, cysteine and methionine-cysteine – amino acids benefiting heart health – were similar for grain free and grain based products.
Myth: The FDA reported “exotic”meat proteins as the big problem in dog food
Fact: 75% of the cases reported to the FDA were feeding common proteins such as chicken, lamb and fish.

Myth: All dogs are equally susceptible to DCM
Fact: Certain breeds –particularly Golden Retrievers –have a higher risk of acquiring DCM. And purebred dogs are at much higher risk than mixed-breeds. In addition dogs with health issues such as obesity, age,GI issues, allergies, etc. may also be at higher risk for DCM due to the inability to absorb nutrients as efficiently as dogs without underlying health issues.

[Nicole C]

I’m on several kidney disease dog groups on Facebook. So many people are using De Harvey’s dog food recipe. I just preferred it. All of their dogs blood labs are coming back amazing. They are also using Avodyl or Azovast and Pet Gold (think that’s the name), Nutrition Strength Iron Complex, and Trukitin. Hope this helps someone.

[Penelope S]

Here’s the thing….I have a senior dog (going on 14) who was also diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. At the time, he was in major need of a teeth cleaning & that was the reason for the bloodwork. Other than the bloodwork saying something was wrong, he was (& still is) utterly asymptomatic – & as fit, energetic & active as a young dog. We did all the tests, including ultrasound & his kidneys themselves were perfect. Still, the vet didn’t want to do the teeth cleaning…despite all my arguments to the case that dental disease could be a contributing factor. So, I did the whole kidney prescription diet for nearly a year in an attempt to get his levels low enough that my vet would do the cleaning. It was a nightmare for both of us. He HATED – I mean HATED – the food. No matter what flavor or prescription brand I tried. He looked like I was punishing him every time I put a dish of it in front of him. The wet food especially – it smelled like a jar of old pennies so I can’t say I blame him. I could get him to eat it ONLY if I pretended it was a treat & fed him one kibble at a time – so that’s what I did. Guess what. After almost a year on that stuff, his kidney levels barely improved by a fraction of a fraction. His teeth got worse though. Like really a lot worse. Also, because of the super low protein content in these foods, he lost significant muscle mass. I read the ingredients…literally garbage. Wheat gluten, corn gluten, egg “product”, and chemicals…and way more fat (not from quality sources) than the high quality foods I’d been feeding him prior (are muscle wasting & pancreatitis a good tradeoff for kidney disease…?).

Last summer, he almost died. Spent a week in the emergency room after I rushed him there w a swollen face & 103 fever in late July 2020, came home a skeleton (they sent him home to die). Lost a tooth his last day at the ER – & was likely so sick thanks to a nasty abscess. IV antibiotics – heavy duty – the whole time he was there & immunosuppressant doses of prednisone. I syringe fed him high calorie dog food at home for a month, carried him downstairs for potty breaks because he was too weak. He lived though – got stronger. I weaned him off the steroids & did not go back to the prescription food. I started feeding him the food he was on prior to the whole mess – grain free, limited ingredient food, plus green tripe, egg whites…other things like boiled ground meats to vary his diet. Kept his protein high – (because it’s actually BAD to reduce protein in senior dogs & there’s no actual basis for doing so in early stages of CKD), fat moderate, looked up protein sources lower in phosphorus like lamb & beef (in comparison to poultry & salmon). He gained weight, including muscle & his energy levels came back. Most notably, he was excited about meal times again.

I switched to a new vet about 3 months after his ER visit. She said she didn’t understand why the first one wouldn’t do the teeth cleaning way back when. She also said that his bloodwork showed much greater improvement in his kidney levels since I switched back to his old diet compared to tests taken just prior to his ER stay. So we scheduled his teeth cleaning. Before all this started, the old vet had estimated he’d need about 5 or 6 teeth pulled. He ended up losing 14 because they had deteriorated so much in the time since this entire ordeal started. He flew through the cleaning w no issues & was up & running a couple days after. I’m still feeding him the same way & his kidney levels are consistently improving – almost normal levels when I had him tested a couple months after his cleaning. My new vet said I have been doing an excellent job w his diet, is happy w all his bloodwork & now he only has to get it checked at his semi annual checkups (instead of every month like the old vet at $250 a pop). He’s in excellent condition now. He’s a Shepherd/Shiba mix &, when I tell people he’s nearly 14, the reaction is complete disbelief. He keeps up no problem w my 2yr old female APBT mix who is extremely high energy. I have no doubt I will get several more years out of my good boy. Bottom line – do the research, get the 2nd opinions, & never assume your vet (or your own doctor for that matter) know a dang thing about nutrition. Basically find a vet who will work with you rather than one who can’t think “outside the box” or be bothered to keep up w more current research. They sell these foods based on what the manufacturers “sell” them. I wish there was a way to upload photos here – you would not believe the before & after.

[Tracey G]

Walter’s problems are ongoing. After stone surgery, he began showing symptoms of an autoimmune neurological disease. He was eating food to avoid stones, and the vet put him on prednisone. Guess what. Pancreas flareup again that had him in the doggie hospital for two days. Before he was released, they did a sonogram and found pancreatic cancer and confirmed the neurological disease which causes the esophagus to collapse. He was also put back on the Hills lowfat food because of the pancreatitis. I’m waiting to hear he has another stone. We live in Mexico, and a doctor in Guadalajara has created a cancer treatment for certain kinds of cancer. He has been on this for two weeks. Another sonogram in a few days will tell us if the tumor is shrinking or not. No one seems to have any ideas how to treat dogs with both pancreas and kidney stone issues.
Walter is shockingly in decent health with all he has wrong. The vet is shocked. With where we are located, I doubt I can find a dog nutritionalist to create a proper diet- if such a thing exists.

[Celeste D]

Linda,

Thank you so much!1 my dog has renal,disease and just got,diagnosed with pancreatitis. She has no symptoms of pancreatitis , but had an ultrasound and pancreas looked inflamed. But she is eating fine, o vomiting, nothing. She is on a kidney specific diet with the hills,but her cardiologist said he things it is high is]n fat and we may need to Change it so that a bout of pancreatitis doesn’t ensue. What kind of protein and oil do you add to dr Harvey’s food ?

[Linda M]

I know this post is quite old, but I wanted to respond in case others find it while looking for a food for a dog who has both kidney failure and pancreatitis. Our dog, who is now 14 years old, has had kidney failure for more than three years. He was doing well on Hills K/D plus daily subcutaneous fluids but then all of a sudden was on death’s door with pancreatitis. He got through that, but I was left searching for a low-fat diet that would not result in pancreatitis again. The vet was no help. Through Internet research, I found Dr. Harvey’s, which is a base product you mix with water and then add your own protein and oil (for fat). This has been absolutely wonderful, and my dog is pretty much back to where he was a few years ago. It has also dramatically improved his symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. The customer service from the company is incredible–they happily email with you to discuss their program and encourage you to call them on the phone to discuss your dog’s particular needs. I hope this helps someone else out there!

[runi K]

“Stabilized patients with advanced kidney disease can live years with appropriate management, depending on the severity of the disease,” says Dr. Rubin. Pets in stage 1 or 2 chronic kidney disease can live upwards of four years after diagnosis, with cats often living longer than dogs with this condition.

[Closed Acct]

Your dog’s bad breath is a bigger problem than you think! It’s actually a symptom of Periodontal disease caused by bacteria infection. If left untreated, it could even spread to the heart, kidney, and liver. With this kit’s help, harmful bacteria in your fur baby’s mouth will have no where to hide.Now you can rest assured that you don’t need to waste time and money at the vet and still keep your dog happy and healthy. Pet Teeth Cleaning Pen

[Closed Acct]

Your dog’s bad breath is a bigger problem than you think! It’s actually a symptom of Periodontal disease caused by bacteria infection. If left untreated, it could even spread to the heart, kidney, and liver. With this kit’s help, harmful bacteria in your fur baby’s mouth will have no where to hide.Now you can rest assured that you don’t need to waste time and money at the vet and still keep your dog happy and healthy. Pet Teeth Cleaning Pen

[Gloria T]

Karen W. Re: My post above.
The Chewy phone number is 1 800-672-4399. It looks like they do carry your food.
I saw on this site that the dog food advisor does not rate or review prescription diets.

There is a lot of scientific research on pubmed com and other sites about treating your dog (and people ) with baking soda ( bicarbonate of soda) to slow down and actually stop the progression of kidney disease.I read that it works.
Good luck for your dogs
Gloria

[Karen W]

Hey there
I have a 16 yo border collie golden mix.
A few years ago she was diagnosed with early kidney disease. Since then I caved in and got a prescription diet for her
thru Hill’s Science Diet K/D. She has had good luck so far BUT I have a hard time locating it locally. I end up buying it from PetSmart online where ever I can locate it. Then drive to that location and pick it up. Both dry and canned. She loves the chicken and vegetable stew or beef and vegetable stew. BUT when she gets down to two or three cans is when I start my online search for the next 6-12 cans. The dry food doesn’t seem as difficlut to get it is only the canned food. The caveat is wherever you find it there has to be a vet at the location to dispense the food. Aggrivating as it may seem my girlie is worth the effort.
I haven’t seen any reviews from this Dog Food Advisor site regarding the quality of the prescription foods or any ratings. But then again I just may be overlooking the info. I do know these foods for kidney care are low in protien. That’s what counts for this type of diet-low protien.
Good luck

[JadedCanuck]

Greetings, my 14-year-old dog has recently been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. The vets have suggested a prescription renal diet but I am reluctant to put him on any prescription diets, not only due to the poor ingredients but because he did very poorly on one in the past. He has allergies to chicken and the biggest roadblock that I am having is that he has allergies to all grains. This includes rice, pasta, oats, barley, quinoa, yeast, tapioca, couscous, wheat germ. Many of the recipes out there call for some form of grains for the carbs.

I live in Canada and picked up a book from my vet called Hilary’s Renal Diet Cookbook. The recipes are to be used with the supplements to make for a complete diet. Unfortunately, there is only one recipe out of the entire book that will accommodate his allergies. I have communicated with the author of the book and was told that I cannot make substitutions in the recipes with the carbs and proteins. I live in Canada and unfortunately, we just do not have the resources here like in the States where there is a multitude of companies who have high-quality, K9 KD products.

Just wondering if any forum users have any of the same obstacles I’m facing and any suggestions on where to find something that I can feed my dog outside of pork and potatoes.

[Janet M]

I have the same problem. I think the commercial kidney disease kibble diets are not high quality. Just my opinion. Every one gave my girl diarrhea. I’m desperate to find a food she can tolerate l

[Janet M]

My dog has kidney disease and can’t tolerate any of the commercial kidney disease kibble. She gets diarrhea. I have bags of unused food and have thrown some out. I have used Balance it, a website, where you have a canine nutritionist work your vet to develop a home made diet. I bought all of the ingredients and a scale, made the food and my dog couldn’t tolerate that. I thought I was buying a low protein raw food only to discover that isn’t really low protein after all. I’m so stressed. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them. Right now, I’m just reducing her regular food and adding a bunch of rice, hoping that reduces the amount of protein. I add a couple drops of high quality fish oil and nutritional yeast.

[Stephanie P]

Thanks again! That’s really useful! I’m also worried about liver diseases. Yorkshire Terriers are an ornamental dog breed. That means that they can have a huge number of different diseases. And I’m a bit scared because my german shepherd dog passed away from kidney failure. And I realize that it’s gonna be ten times harder to keep a Yorkshire Terrier because they are even more vulnerable. I’ve read on this forum https://www.happyhealthydogblog.com/ that in order to prevent dog liver diseases I should avoid foods that contain copper. Is that true?

• This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by Stephanie P.

[Kelly S]

Hello,

I’ve always had my dogs on grain free/rarer protein foods due to skin allergies. However, she is almost 12 and her last bloodwork showed some signs of early kidney disease. The dr said we would recheck in 6 mos and if it is any higher, she will need a diet change. I am looking to start know (which he said was ok). However, I can’t seem to find any dog foods that are good for both. I did find Royal Canin multifunction renal and hydrolyzed protein, which is perfect, but it has been out of stock forever). Does anyone have any suggestions? The low phosphorus, lower protein, and added omegas seem to be the main things. Thanks!

[Eiron M]

Hi –
I’m looking for some advice on home to help my senior dog. She recently was diagnosed with the beginning stages in kidney disease. The vet put here on Royal Canin and then Adyzol (spelling?) She got horrible diarrhea and after several more trips to the vet and a handful of medications she was still suffering from the runs. I stopped giving her the Adyzol which has helped some but she’s still not back to normal. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
EMM

[Andrea C]

We have two fur babies: a female husky (9.5 years) and a miniature pinscher (10.5 years) who are both now suffering from chronic UTI’s and incontinence. According to our vet, they are healthy. We have run several blood tests, imagine, urinalysis and we cannot figure out why in the world they are both getting UTI’s so often. Curious if anybody here has similar issues with their dog. We feed them Stella & Chewy freeze dried and kibble mix. The min pin started with her incontinence about 3 years ago and UTI’s started about 6 months ago. The husky started getting her UTI’s (and now what seems like incontinence as well) just recently, about 2 weeks ago. We have no idea if the diet could be a cause for this? they are both indoor dogs and are walked 3-4 times a day.

These are my thoughts:

1. Stella & Chewy – from what i’ve read, there have been a few recalls of their products? i’m wondering if their food can affect their pH balance? i also read some foods can cause urinary crystals and/or possibly affect the kidney’s. is this permanent damage or can it be treated (naturally or medicine), and how?
2. We live in a community with TONS of construction going on. there is so much dust and grime in the air and grass and dirt. could this be a reason?
3. is there some sort of contagious disease or just anything that could have been transferred from the min pin to the husky? some sort of contagious disease that includes chronic UTI’s and/or incontinence? i know bladder issues aren’t usually contagious, but we do find it strange that one dog suffered from these issues first (worsened throughout the 3 years and UTI’s started only 6 or so months ago) and the second dog is..

Any and all advise would be greatly appreciated. Cheers xx

[lynx556]

Finding a dog food for a new pup is SO frustrating!

I adopting a standard poodle about 2 months ago – He’s now 20 weeks old, on Pruina pro plan puppy and he is suffering from IBS (He was not diagnosed) but he has a lot of loose stool.
I ask my vet if they can suggest a food and all they can say is to keep him on a grained food. That’s fine, I’ll do that but what about all of the other details. They said Purina is good….really?! I am considering a holistic vet to discuss this type of thing.

I have been looking at all of these dog foods and there is soooo much crap on the internet about them. There is a list of brands linked to heart disease, kidney disease, renal disease…. I’m also concerned with the ingredients, chicken seems to be popular by the manufactures but I think that maybe a key issue with his loose stool. Another issue I have is with the potatoes and peas, why are they so high on the incidents? I feel like I need to come up with my own food! Raw would be my choice but I don’t think I can afford that.

SO! what are your suggestions for my sensitive tummy puppy?

Thank you for reading and your suggestions!

[Patricia A]

Madison I have dogs’ which have digestive problems with higher fat in their diet. I came to that conclusion because whenever I fed certain home cooked food as a kibble topper they would have loose stools. That being dark meat chicken vs boiled white meat, ground beef that wasn’t 90% fat free, fatty pieces of steak vs very lean(when they got lucky lol). They have no trouble with plain, boiled salmon.
So, that being said I hope I can make some suggestions of a starting point in switching to raw and then you can see how she does with each of these brands.
I got used to my dogs’ with one brand/protein VERY, VERY, VERY slowly. Then when i knew that they were digestively good with the brand/protein I would switch the protein also very slowly. Just giving them bits mixed in with the other protein. Eventually, I also would change brands and did the same. I just feel better not sticking always to one brand, but that’s me.
I used a starting point by looking at the raw food reviews on DFA. This led me to Primal, Stella Chewy’s, I have Chihuahuas’. This allowed me to use freeze dried. However, for a larger dog as yours, I believe the frozen raw would be most cost efficient. Freeze Dried should be the same as raw nutritionally once hydrated.
I always only feed his 5* reviews in the protein/flavor of that brand. I believe he rates by protein to fat ratio. So the 5* ones are lower in fat. So I stick to Primal’s turkey/sardine, venison, pork, duck. All of these proteins/flavors are non HPP (HIGH-PRESSURE PROCESSING (HPP)
High-Pressure Processing, or HPP, is an FDA- and USDA-approved cold water pressure process that allows us to target salmonella and other food-borne pathogens—without cooking.) Some raw feeders do not like the HPP process claiming it effects nutritional values. However other studies show he use of High Pressure Processing (known as HPP) is becoming increasingly common with commercial raw dog foods. However, HPP can be a controversial process. Some view it as an effective way to eliminate disease-causing bacteria while having only minimal effect on the integrity of the finished product.)
I believe Stella’s uses HPP in all their products. With their food I use chicken, venison bland and their rabbit.
Their are many other companies which are rated highly on this site. I believe VITAL ESSENTIALS is the brand which Is as a whole below in fat . If you go to the reviews on DFA they are all listed as a 5*. Many different flavors also. They are also low in calories . Their company goes by the prey model which is no veggies/fruits which are sometimes added to other brands. vital essentials example (ngredients: Beef, beef tripe, beef lung, ground beef bone, beef liver, beef heart, beef kidney, beef blood, beef fat, herring oil, d-alpha tocopherol)
I also want to suggest possibly kibble with salmon. Pancreatic digestive enzyme supplements have been reported to help some dogs with pancreatitis while fish body oils (such as salmon oil or EPA oil but not cod liver oil), can help to lower blood lipid levels which may reduce the workload on the pancreas.
I believe your dog does not suffer from pancreatitis but just occasional IBS? So I hope she does well with any of these . Just go slowly. So much confusion with all those brands. Hope I gave you a good starting point and she does well with these suggestions.

[WondrousPups]

Hi Sienna,
I’m sorry for all the on-going stress and struggles with your pooch! Sounds like you are being given lots of good and supportive tips from Patricia and Susan 🙂 I’m not sure if you are a kind of a person who is comfortable with “food as a medicine” approach, and if not, this might sounds wacky, but it’s been working out for me personally and for my dogs, I just chime in as a food for thoughts since the conventional pharmaceuticals don’t sounds like helping out at all.

At the first glance at the symptoms and history you’ve described, two herbs came to my mind immediately. First, Stinging Nettle. Nettle is an immuno-modulater (you mentioned high TLI). It treats hypothyroid (low T4 result), UTI, weak hair, and it supports kidney/adrenal restorative. It should be easy to grow in Florida, but you can buy it online, too.

Second herb that came to my mind is Ashwagandha. This herb is mainly an adoptogen. It also good for hypothyroid. It also works for insomnia, anxiety, chronic degenerative disease that involves wasting wasting away. Some describe it as Indian version of ginseng (which I give to my dogs everyday), but ginseng tend to be very stimulating. So it’s probably not good for an anxious pup.

Tow other herbs that support fat digestion and liver function are common sage and turmeric.

They don’t work like a silver bullet, and takes a bit of time (except turmeric – the result tend to be immediate) for healing to happen and observed, but there is not down side except some patience and persistence.

If you are open for trying and interested, let me know. I can direct you to resources and/or more details.

Sending LOTS of support and healing thoughts !

[Patricia A]

Wow that’s a lot of abnormal symptoms without the vet resolving any. Seems like they are guessing and giving possibly unneeded medications since it never resolved the problems. No definitive diagnosis of hypothyroidism but put on that medication could cause more symptoms .
Has the vet given a cause of the constant UTI’s? Were these her symptoms?
( The most common cause of UTIs in dogs is bacteria, which enters upwards through the urethral opening. The bacteria can develop when feces or debris enter the area, or if your dog’s immune system is weakened from lack of nutrients.
In most cases, E. coli is the bacterium that causes such infections. In more severe, but less common cases, causes include cancer, bladder disease, kidney disease and stones, diabetes, bladder inflammation or infection, spinal cord abnormalities, and prostate disease.)
Symptoms of UTIs in Dogs
Bloody and/or cloudy urine
Straining or whimpering during urination
Accidents in the house
Wanting to be let outside more frequently
Dribbling urine
Licking around urinary opening
Fever
If not then is it possible she never had constant UTI’s? Because if she did they at least should have found a cause and preventive treatment.
Also is it possible she has chronic pancreatitis? Then a change in dog food and given high protein and low fat diet should help. But worst thing is the constant switching of food . This will give stomach pain and diarrhea . Any switch has to be done VERY VERY VERY slowly to get used to. With the chicken was it ONLY white meat? Normally if a dog has pancreatitis they can tolerate WHITE meat boiled chicken (not from store bought seasoned already) and plain rice. Give this for a few days and a few times a day and see if she tolerated that. Give a break from meds and all the switching of foods and just work on her digestion first possibly. Have a calm place for her to eat with no excitement so the food doesn’t go right through her if she’s an anxious by nature dog. Hope this helps a little If not take her back to vet for some definitive tests and answers.

[Patricia A]

Maybe a starting point would be to find a food low in fat but has a good protein level. I feed freeze dried raw. This way with the hydration they are getting plenty of water. I also stick to only the LOW IN FAT proteins because my one would get diarrhea with the high fat. So maybe the best you can do with diet is the hard task of helping with the pancreatitis as well as the bladder stones is the high protein/low fat diet.
I read this in Whole Dog Journal
Low-protein diets have also been shown to predispose dogs to pancreatitis, especially when combined with high fat intake. Some prescription diets may be a concern, such as those prescribed to dissolve struvite bladder stones; to prevent calcium oxalate, urate, or cystine stones; and to treat kidney disease; especially for breeds prone to pancreatitis.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Patricia A.

[aimee]

Hi Antonio,

I’m sorry that your dog isn’t well. If your dog needs both controlled protein and fat then a homemade diet from a veterinary nutritionist may be the best option.

Did your dog have an ultrasound to diagnose pancreatitis? The reason I ask is because decreased kidney function can make the pancrease tests increased in the blood due to the decreased filtration. In that case the dog doesn’t actually have pancreatitis. However, , if your dog was dehydrated the pancreas could have been inflamed secondary to dehydration and may be more fat tolerant then a dog sensitive to dietary fat.

Alternatively, if your dog had pancreatitis dehydration from that will increase the kidney values, but once rehydrated those should have come back down if kidneys were OK. Or your dog could have underlying kidney disease and then got pancreatitis .

It can be tough to get it all figured out as one influences the other. Have you discussed your concern regarding the fat content with your vet?? G/D, may be a compromise in managing the two situations. Your vet is the best to guide you .

[Marisa J]

Hi, I work in a pet store and lots of my customers have had concerns with DCM. Therefore I have done plenty of research on it to help out these customers and for my pets sake as well. It is a topic that I am very knowledgeable. I recommend reading the whole FDA article or at least skimming through it. There are two documents, one is all the cases and one is the FDA’s study. The results are inconclusive at the moment and many brands are working together with the FDA to further investigate.
From reading it I can tell that there are many factors that the FDA left out like affordability (who can afford the vet bills for these tests? What food are they feeding if they can afford? Are they feeding a more expensive kibble or a cheap one at Walmart?), genetics (what breeds are more likely to have which diseases? How many of this species is in the USA (out of 77 million dogs), metabolism (how can a dog digest a kibble diet compared to dehydrated, canned, freeze dried, or raw? How bioavailable is taurine in kibble?), what diets were these dogs on (a majority were on kibble only, some had a mixture, I think 1 or 2 were on raw, and couple had dehydrated foods).
In the end, out of the 500 some cases of dogs with DCM a huge section were fed kibble only diets. So, if anything I would link it more so as a kibble problem than a grain free vs with grains. With the research I have done looking at scholar articles, brand studies (of course always reading between the lines because brands what to do a study to help their brands cause), blogs, and websites, I have noticed that grains cause more inflammation in dogs than peas as they are not as easy for dogs to digest. They force the organs to work a little bit harder. If you notice too, no raw diets (at least that I have come across) have grains in them, only fruits and vegetable, and meat.

There are many other diseases like cancer, liver problems, kidney disease, and pancreatitis that are a lot more common than DCM. DCM affects a small amount of dogs (less than 600 out of 77 million dogs in the US). But if you do decide to feed grains. Please watch out for smelly ears, itching, and hot spots. As grains, along with chicken, are a very common allergy in dogs (since they are put into a lot of foods due to their low cost).

[Marisa J]

If you are looking to switch over to a food without chicken and has grains I highly recommend Farmina or Inception. These foods are amazingly high in protein from animal meat and low in carb for a grain diet. I would highly advise you stay away from grains as the research I’ve done has shown that it is harder for their organs to digest, however, I understand with the fear of DCM. But the results are inconclusive, as I have read both 70 page articles on it. Its more so a kibble problem it looks like than a grain free vs with grains. Also, there are far more common diseases like pancreatitis, cancer, kidney disease, and liver disease.

If you want to switch over to grain diet watch for any symptoms of smelly ears, itching, or hot spots as your dog may have a grain allergy as well.

Fromm cannot tell you the amount of protein in their food from animal meat. Their bags are also high in carb as they use high glycemic index foods like potatoes. If you really want to add grains into the diet please look into Inception and Farmina Ancestral Grains.

[Patricia A]

Giving tums or pepcid to your dog on a regular basis is not a good idea .
Repeated use. Regular exposure can lead to kidney disease, urinary stones, pancreatitis, and other conditions in dogs. Alternative treatment is necessary for chronic stomach issues, and there are safer alternatives if your dog needs calcium supplements.
Maybe a change in diet done very slowly could be a better solution?

[m3ntat]

Prescription Royal Canin SO diet can help dissolve struvite uroliths specifically, and prevent formation of struvite and oxolate uroliths. RC also makes multiple diets with the SO index, including a behavior modifying diet, Calm. Stress is primary contributor to urinary disease, including bacterial infections, sterile inflammation, uroliths in the bladder (cystolith) or kidneys (nephrolith), as unsure which your vet has diagnosed. Moderating stress with diet, supplements, environment, and exercise, can help reduce stress induced disease and inflammation. Feliway (cat) and Dog Appeasing pheremone products are very helpful. Over the counter products by veterinary companies, such as Composure (Vetriscience), Zylkene (Vetoquinol), and Calming Care (Purina) are the most utilized amongst vet professionals. Long-term use of the rx urinary diet is recommended in repeat urethral obstruction or urolith affected pets. Obstruction by crystals blood/bladder cells, and stones is emergent, as blood cannot flow through the kidneys to filter toxins into urine, and toxins accumulate in the blood, leading to electrolyte imbalance, azotemia, dehydration, hypotension, and shock left untreated. Since he is older onset, ensuring water intake and more elimination opportunities on walks/yard visits will help decrease risk for concentrated urine accumulating crystals, which can form uroliths that gain size the longer crystals are present. Dilution decreases urine crystal formation. Inquire as to the serum kidney values, to ensure underlying kidney changes are not the contributors to the bacteria and crystals sited in his urine. Ultrasound is the best way to diagnose urinary tract changes, inflammation, and foreign material; limited abdominal U/S can find early kidney changes, prior to any abnormality in serum/blood work. Hope your boy continues to improve, as he already sounds 100% turnaround. Link to SO index Calm diet https://www.royalcanin.com/us/dogs/products/vet-products/canine-calm-dry-dog-food

[Donna G]

I’ve had my boy (6 year old Rottie now) on a Grain Free diet his whole life. two years ago he developed kidney stones and required emergency surgery. The vet also recommended neutering him due to an enlarged prostate blocking the urethra. After that he was put on some herbals (no idea what they were really) and Hill’s K/D diet. I imagine it is a combination of the higher in fat food and his being neutered, but he’s put on a lot of weight despite us watching what he eats very carefully. He is not fed any human food. I really want to get him off the k/d diet and I would love to get him back on a grain free food. He also gets itchy feet being on a food with grain…lol. Does anyone else have experience with this? The Vet is happy to leave us on a Prescription diet so they have no real recommendations. I’m at a loss….any recommendation would be welcomed! Thank you!!!

p.s….I also have a female Rottie, who cannot eat foods containing high fat content due to a hereditary eye disease…I would love to find one food that can suit them both.

[Ania V]

Hello,
At first, thank you for this conversation which I read and has helped me a lot. Please, excuse my english as I am from Greece. My dog Maya is 16 years old and has kidney disease for 1,5 year (May 2018) with her BUN at 70 and Creatinine at 3.2 in her latest tests. Creatinine has been stabilised all this time around 3 but BUN has unfortunately increased. It was 56, around 4 months ago. I cook and feed her home food with beef all this 1,5 year with white bio rice, bio vegetables like butternut pumpkin, carrots, cale, green beans, sweet potato, bio apples and bio eggs (no yolks at all). I also give her carbonate calcium in her food and omega-3. Also, my vet subscribed PRONEFRA for the kidneys which Maya takes from the beginning and HEMOVET the last 4 months because her haematocrit (HCT) was a bit low (39). Now it is 42.4 again but the vet suggested to keep giving them. Her PHOS is normal at 4.6, never high or low.
My question is what can I do to reduce BUN. I read that you suggest Probiotics and Acacia Fibers. Would that help Maya’s case? I would appreciate any suggestion and help as I am doing all this time a massive effort to keep her as healthy as I can. My vet has unfortunately confused me sometimes. For example, she told me when we had the latest tests that I should reduce the beef in her food in order to reduce protein. Is it a good idea to reduce protein now? She also told me to give Maya brown rice and not white, but I ‘ve read that this is not a good idea. I am confused and in need of advice regarding BUN’s latest increase.

Thank you in advance.

Ania

[Joyce B]

Elizabeth G there is a Facebook group called Canine Kidney Disease that can better address your questions if your dog has kidney disease. People in that group have tried it all and are very knowledgeable and helpful. Best of luck!

[Patricia A]

Aimee I agree that I didn’t get very technical with the questions for the vet. I was just trying to point out that some owners think the brands sold at the vets MUST be superior in some way since of course vets know what food is the best. I thought this also at one time. And MOST of the time if asked what should I feed my “healthy” dog your vet will I believe 9 times out of 10 suggest the ones in their practice. Why is that when again 9 times out of 10 the vet cannot even tell you the ingredients listed on the labels they sell?
Honestly, so many of these companies are so gimmicky and people fall for it. Like the dog food manufactorers who sell specific kibble just for different breeds. Like a Chihuahua on the bag and then for your Shitzu, poodle, yorkie etc. are specifically made for just for that breed.Really they want us to believe that a diet for a Yorkie would be different then a Chihuahua. People are gullible.
Here are the four ingredient labels I asked the vets to rank. Can you guess which one is the prescription diet?
Also regarding prescription diets for dogs interesting article below.
Food #1
dog food ingredient
Food #2
Prescription Diet Dog Food
Food #3
prescription diet dog food 3
Food #4
Prescription Diet Dog Food
The Answer: Prescription Diets Revealed
Now, if there’s one thing I can say about my veterinary friends, it’s that they don’t follow direction very well! Only one of the vets actually ranked all of the foods as asked. But the rest had some very interesting things to say about the prescription diet.

So to start, here are the rankings in order from best to worst from Dr Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing:

Food #2 ranked first because it contains all whole foods

Food #4 ranked second because it contains meal but otherwise contains whole foods

Food #1 ranked third, thanks to the by-product rice, by-product meal and overall low quality ingredients

Food #3 ranked last, based on the use of corn for its first ingredient, followed by by-product meal.

And if you haven’t guessed already, the prescription diet in that list is Food #3.

Want to hear what some of the other vets had to say about the prescription diet?

Dr Jodie Gruenstern: This food was the lowest quality in the list. It contains GMO corn, soy (lots of it!), which is a common allergen, synthetic vitamins/minerals, shavings (if you didn’t know, the ingredient cellulose is literally sawdust), natural flavors, which usually mean MSG.

Dr Jean Dodds: Poor quality food: the first ingredients are corn, which is often GMO, and chicken by-product meal rather than whole chicken. Flax and soy are phytoestrogens.

Dr Judy Morgan: This is a Pet Store Food. Corn is the first ingredient, no muscle meat used, only by-product meal, synthetic vitamin/mineral supplement, corn and soybean are GMO, waste fillers are abundant. Overpriced in my opinion, considering the poor quality, cheap ingredients used).

Dr Dee Blanco: This one starts with corn to increase inflammation, then adds lighter fluid to it with soybean products and poor quality protein. Then it tries to make up for the poor quality foundational ingredients by adding synthetic supplements of the poorest quality, such as calcium carbonate, folic acid, ‘generic Vit E supplement’, etc. Looks like they added l-tryptophan to calm the nervous system down after putting the body into overdrive inflammation. Natural flavors?? Could be an entire cadre of carcinogens, allergens and toxins. Argh!

Dr Peter Dobias: The worst recipe – first ingredient is corn, then by-product, then flavors, wood chips. It may not be supermarket food but a veterinary diet right?!

So, as you can see, our vets didn’t exactly think the ingredients in the prescription diet were high quality. In fact, they thought many of them would be harmful.

So why exactly do we trust our vets to prescribe diets when this is the best they can offer?

And, more importantly, why are vets gullible enough to think these foods can do anything to change chronic health issues in dogs, such as allergies, kidney disease, or in the case of this particular food, joint disease?

If we really want to look at the quality of these diets, I think the first place to start is who’s making them?

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree
The major players in the prescription diet category are the major players in the regular pet food category:

Hill’s Science Diet
Purina
Royal Canin
Iams
These companies are hardly renowned for quality ingredients. In fact, most veterinary diets are manufactured by companies that predominantly manufacture lower quality grocery store foods. The same company that makes lower quality foods like Alpo and Beneful is also making prescription diets. How much better do you think the veterinary food would be?

Let’s compare two Hill’s foods: a regular food (Natural Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Adult) and a prescription food (j/d Canine Joint Care).

The regular pet store brand:

Hills Ideal Balance
And the prescription food:

Hills JD
Now, a 30lb bag of the regular food is $47.99 at Petsmart. The prescription diet dog food can also be purchased at Petsmart for $84.95 for a 27.5lb bag. It’s twice as expensive!

Now, you might be thinking this is because the prescription diet was formulated and tested with a specific condition in mind.

This is completely false.

While an over-the-counter food with a health claim (such as controls weight) is subject to FDA regulations and enforcement, the FDA practices “enforcement discretion” when it comes to veterinary diets.

Put another way, this means the FDA has not reviewed or verified the health claims on any veterinary diet.

Did you catch that? There are very few ingredients in veterinary diets that aren’t also in other regular diets. In the example above, I’d say the pet store brand is a better quality food, wouldn’t you? The prescription diet contains by-product meal (which comes straight from the rendering plant), lots of soybean and corn products (a cheap replacement for animal protein) while the regular food contains more expensive, higher quality ingredients.

Apart from fish oil, what food ingredients exactly would help dogs with joint pain? As Dr Dee Blanco stated, this food would actually cause inflammation.

And fish oil is a terrible addition to pet foods. It’s much too fragile to be added to processed foods and as soon as the bag is opened, it will oxidate and cause inflammation in your dog.

Ironic isn’t it, when the food is supposed to be treating inflammation in the first place?

[Related: We’ve got 5 reasons you should dump fish oil. Click here.]

Consider The Source
Those two diets are made in the exact same plant. The manufacturer uses the same suppliers.

Doesn’t it stand to reason that the quality of ingredients will be the same?

I challenge the pet food industry to prove that chicken by-product meal, soybeans, brewers rice and powdered cellulose have been extensively researched and proven better than the higher quality foods used in most regular pet foods.

So if your vet ever says your dog needs to be eating a prescription diet, ask him to review the ingredient list. Then ask him for hard evidence that the foods in the prescription diet are any better than those in regular diets.

I think we know what the answer will be.

And if you’re one of the smart 60%, then I know you already know the answer!

It’s nothing but Bull$hit.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by Patricia A.

[Patricia A]

Melissa regarding CJ and IBD..Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Dogs
What is inflammatory bowel disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not a specific disease. Rather, it is a specific reaction that the stomach or intestines have to chronic irritation.

What are the clinical signs of IBD?
If the stomach is involved, your dog will have chronic vomiting. If the intestines are involved, chronic diarrhea will occur. This is the most common form. In some dogs, both parts of the digestive tract are involved, so both vomiting and diarrhea occur. If the disease occurs for several weeks to months, weight loss and poor appetite are common.

When does IBD generally occur?
IBD is most common in middle-aged to older dogs, but it can occur in younger dogs as well.

How is IBD diagnosed?
The chronic irritation that causes IBD stimulates the body to send cells from the immune system to the affected area. The most commonly found cells are lymphocytes and plasmacytes. Occasionally, eosinophils and neutrophils will be found. Thus, the disease is diagnosed when these cells are identified in abnormal levels in the tissue. A pathologist is responsible for this part of the diagnosis; his/her report usually calls the disease lymphoplasmacytic gastritis (relating to the stomach) or lymphoplasmacytic colitis (relating to the colon).

In order to obtain these cells, a biopsy is required. In most cases, an endoscope is passed into the dog’s stomach or colon (while the dog is under anesthesia). A tiny biopsy instrument is passed through the endoscope and used to take small samples of the lining (mucosa) of the affected organ.

Is this the only test required for diagnosis?
The tissue reaction that occurs in the stomach or colon is diagnosed with a biopsy. However, determining what causes the tissue reaction to occur requires further testing. Tests or treatments should be performed to rule out stomach and intestinal parasites, cancer and infections. Diseases such as diabetes are also considered. In addition, diseases of the kidney, liver and pancreas should also be ruled out.

How is IBD treated?
The ideal way to treat this problem is to diagnose the underlying disease that is causing the reaction. Sometimes the above mentioned tests will do that and sometimes a cause cannot be found. In the latter situation, the disease is called idiopathic. That means that a disease is present, but there is no known cause. Many cases of IBD are considered idiopathic.

Some dogs with IBD respond to a change in diet. This is done in two ways. First, a food is chosen that contains a protein source that the dog has never had, such as duck or fish. If that is not effective, a high-fiber diet is tried. Unfortunately, a true food trial requires that the test diet be fed exclusively for four to six weeks. If dietary therapy is not successful or feasible, drugs are used to suppress the inflammatory reaction.

Do corticosteroids cause side effects in dogs?
Corticosteroids, like prednisolone, are notorious for causing a variety of side effects in humans. However, this is rarely the case in dogs.

To minimize any possible adverse effects, our goal is to use the lowest dose that is effective and to give it on an every other day schedule. It will be necessary to begin therapy with a rather high dose, but once response occurs, the dose is tapered to a minimal level.

Does this mean that I will be medicating my dog for the rest of his/her life?
Long-term therapy is required for many dogs. Generally, a dog is treated for a few months before prednisolone is discontinued to see if it is still needed. If the signs of vomiting or diarrhea recur, medication is resumed.

Are other anti-inflammatory drugs used?
Prednisolone is the most effective anti-inflammatory drug with the least side effects. However, it is not effective in all dogs. Sometimes a stronger drug is used initially to gain control of the disease. Then, prednisolone is tried again as a maintenance drug.

Could stomach infections be a cause of IBD?
Some spiral-shaped bacteria can cause vomiting in dogs. The most common are helicobacter pylori, which have been shown to be the cause of disease (including stomach ulcers) in humans and are also pathogens in dogs. However, they are also found in many normal dogs and humans. Therefore, finding spiral-shaped bacteria on biopsy is not always meaningful. It is considered a pathogen only if an associated inflammation is in the stomach mucosa.

What is the prognosis?
If a response occurs to diet change, the dog can be maintained on a this diet for the rest of his/her life (as long as it is balanced). If the dog responds to medication for stomach bacteria, a good prognosis is justified. If response occurs to corticosteroids, the long-term prognosis is also good if administration of the drug is feasible. However, if there is no response to diet or corticosteroids, the prognosis is more guarded. At that point, further testing is suggested to see if an underlying disease can be found.

[Susan B]

I would like to comment on your scare article, listing the FDA’s DCM dog food advisory list. We take issue with their conclusions for a variety of reasons, some of which were mentioned in your article, such as the role that breed and food brand popularity play in influencing the suggested food correlations in their study. A more obvious, underlying question would be, what does the govt have to gain by suggesting that grains be consumed? The implications on the economy of mass US production farming immediately come to mind. We, for one, owning a small farm and having raised dogs and owning multiple breeds for decades, have been feeding Taste of the Wild exclusively for years. Our bench lab, golden doodles, golden retriever, cockapoo, French bulldog, Welsh Corgi and Brussels Griffon have all exhibited perfect health for their entire lifetimes, fed only on various flavors of grain free Taste of the Wild. We have only ever had two health issues with any of our dogs: the Corgi developed onset of kidney disease in old age, likely genetic related, and our Golden Retriever suffered from horrid allergies of the skin up until switching him to grain free. Shame on anyone for down rating Taste of the Wild. Testimonies such as ours should hold much more credibility than any poorly executed, suspect FDA report.
Please pass this on to whomever is in charge of content and editing.
Sincerely,
The Baker family
Michigan

[Lisa B]

I want to share my experience with Ziwi Dog Food.
In December of last year, we took our 15 yo Pom, Bailey, in for a dental. Her bloodwork came back perfect. Her ALT was in the low
100’s. Our vet said anything below 200 was acceptable for her age.
Sometime in January, I made the switch from a frozen raw food
to Ziwi. Within a few weeks, I noticed Bailey’s appetite had
started to decline. Unfortunately, I attributed it to her age. Bailey had been in excellent health except for early dental disease as the result
of being in a puppy mill for her first two years. In the last few years, she began losing her hearing and then vision, but she was perfectly healthy other than these issues. Because I thought her picky eating was related to her age, I did NOT act quickly enough and take her to our vet. I mean, her bloodwork was perfect right? So for the next 2 months it was a daily struggle to find something that would appeal to Bailey’s taste. In March, I took her in for an examination. Initially,
Our vet thought kidney failure; however, after checking kidney function he checked her liver enzymes. Her ALT was 2664!!! How in the world? I had an extremely difficult time convincing
our vet it was not Lepto. We had absolutely no standing water anywhere on our property let alone our furkids’ fenced yard. Also, because of Bailey’s vision loss we stayed with her while she was outside. In fact, we never leave any of our 5 Poms or GSD outside without one of us. Believe me when I tell you that I tried absolutely everything to get her ALT within an acceptable range from giving her daily B12 injections to feeding through a syringe to adding Denamarin and even insisting on a prescription for prednisone to increase her appetite. She improved a little for about a month. Her next ALT was 1600 so I thought we were making some improvements, but she began declining again and this time she did not improve. She had lost about half her body weight and was so frail. I knew she was telling me it was time to let her go. That was May 1st. In June, our Bandit suddenly stopped eating. Never was there any other sign he was unwell – just a lack of appetite as with Bailey. No vomiting, diarrhea, etc. I immediately took him to our vet to have his enzymes checked and his ALT was 400!!! Our vet did an ultrasound and saw no evidence of a mass or something to explain the elevated ALT. Our vet prescribed the Hills KD which I was not in favor of so I purchased Dr Harvey’s Paradigm Superfood and went back to a low protein slightly-cooked diet. I immediately bought milk thistle and SAM-e for pets and gave him the maximum dose of milk thistle for his weight. Based on my research, the denamarin did not contain an adequate amount of milk thistle for pets whose liver was
damaged. Within a few weeks, our Poms, Cricket and Rumor , suddenly stopped eating. I knew if Cricket EVER refused a meal something was wrong. Sure enough, they both had elevated ALT – Cricket was 183 and Rumor was 150. After much debate with our vet, I immediately stopped feeding them the Ziwi and began the same protocol as Bandit. I also stopped the Half Moon organic dog
which are extremely high protein (as is Ziwi). Our vet added Ursodial which is bile acids. Bandit’s last liver panel was nearly perfect. His
ALT was 140 (he is 7 and this is high-normal, but within an acceptable range. Cricket and Rumor will be re-tested next week, but I already feel confident their ALT will be an acceptable number because their appetites have returned. Oh, one last thing! We had liver panels performed on our Piper (our super-size Pom at 17lbs) GSD Sadie, and their results were perfect! How could this be? The only differences were: they were not exclusively fed the Ziwi (I halved it with the Stella & Chewy and Open Farm freeze-dried raw) and size. Our 4 Poms who had elevated ALT’s were between 6 and 11lbs and fed exclusively the Ziwi air dried. Does anyone think this is merely a coincidence? I cannot accept it as coincidence. I am trying to get them back to a home-prepared raw (or slightly cooked) diet. I
had them all on a raw diet for about 7 months a few years ago, and
they loved it. My only concern at that time was my concern that I wasn’t adding the correct amount of necessary vitamins and minerals for each one of them, but I recently learned Dr Karen Becker (an holistic veterinarian) has formulated a meal mixer that contains everything necessary to ensure my home-prepared diet is nutritionally balanced. If anyone is interested, you can find the meal mix available at Mercola Healthy Pets website.

[anonymous]

About a decade or so ago, I was using topical flea/tick preventives (less than the vet recommended) plus “natural” stuff that did nothing.
I ended up with 3 dogs testing positive for Lyme. Two remained asymptomatic and lived long lives and passed from unrelated causes.
One suffered greatly from kidney damage and neurological damage caused by this disease, she required frequent lab work and vet visits, this dog required medications, prescription food and subq fluids daily for 2 years until I could no longer keep her comfortable (uremia).
All received lots of antibiotics when first diagnosed, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Never want to go through this again
Homeopathic vets are dangerous in my opinion. I will never listen to one again.

[steve johnson]

Vicki,
So sorry your dog has kidney disease. It’s a hard diagnosis. I went through the same thing with my first dog and she never wanted to eat and had constant nausea. It’s good you are asking because dogs with kidney disease do need a special diet. Whatever you decide to do in terms of supplements and diet , be sure to check with your vet. I don’t want to give advice but from my experience with my own dog, I was told not to give a fish based diet because fish is very high in phosphorus. I had to switch from a fish and potato diet and decided to feed a homemade diet because my dog wasn’t wanting to eat. I used the supplements from this website: https://www.askariel.com/kidney-disease-treatment-for-cats-and-dogs-s/1857.htm and my dog perked up quite a bit and lived much longer than the vet had originally thought she would. I think the site will include some free diet tips on your order. Since a lot of veterinarians do know the products, it would be good to show them to your vet (along with any diet tips) before using. Wishing you all the best.

[anonymous]

About a decade or so ago, I was using topical flea/tick preventives (less than the vet recommended) plus “natural” stuff that did nothing.
I ended up with 3 dogs testing positive for Lyme. Two remained asymptomatic and lived long lives and passed from unrelated causes.
One suffered greatly from kidney damage and neurological damage caused by this disease, she required frequent lab work and vet visits, this dog required medications, prescription food and subq fluids daily for 2 years until I could no longer keep her comfortable (uremia).
All received lots of antibiotics when first diagnosed, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Never want to go through this again
Homeopathic vets are dangerous in my opinion. I will never listen to one again.

[anonymous]

Talk to your vet, all effective medications including flea/tick preventives have potential side effects.

I watched a dog die from Lyme disease caused by a tick bite. Not diagnosed in time, spent $$ trying to keep that dog comfortable for two years. The dog went into kidney failure (incompatible with life).

I’ll take the possibility of side effects from flea/tick preventives over that nightmare any day.

[Joyce B]

Please check out Canine Kidney Disease Facebook Group. It’s a public group so you can browse it without joining if you prefer. There are many very knowledgeable folks on there willing to help. Some feed prescription food, some don’t. With kidney disease the appetite can get very poor and many dogs won’t go near the prescription stuff. There are low-phosphorus food ideas, as well as supplement recommendations. For example, many have had success with Azodyl. Best of luck to you!

[joanne l]

Here is an article for you to read

My pet has kidney disease – what kind of diet should I feed?

[Vicki B]

His oncologist does not recommend any kind of special diet. After doing my own research on this website and others, I would like to alter/supplement his diet in the best possible way. That is why I was asking for Best dog food for Kidney Disease recommendations.

[anonymous]

I would consult your vet.
I think a prescription /therapeutic diet would be the best choice.
Usually dogs with kidney disease require a low protein diet/ prescription food to be comfortable, along with prescription medications.

[Vicki B]

My 11 yr old Cocker has kidney disease and had a kidney removed in April ’19. He is fed Holistic Select Adult Anchovy & Sardine and Salmon Meal Recipe along with a Salmon oil Supplement & (1) Nutramax Dasuquin with MSM daily. Is this the Best Dog for kidney Disease?