[Shasta220]

I’m taking care of a 17yr old cat with kidney disease right now. I clean/change her water bowl daily, and every time I come, it’ll have lots of specks and and orange tinge to it. Would it have anything to do with her kidney disease? Or is it probably just because her canned food is near the water dish, and she has some “backwash” in the water?

[Lorraine B]

My fur baby is a 15 1/2 year old JRT (China) that was diagnosed with kidney disease. My vet is recommending Royal Canin MP Modified as her diet and am wondering if anyone is familiar with this product and it’s pros and cons. Any info will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

[Shasta220]

Another question entirely off the topic…. What are symptoms of kidney failure in cats? I’m taking care of their cat as well as pup. All I do right now is go to the house to scoop litter and put some canned food in her bowl. She’s 17 and has kidney disease already, and they did give me their vet number incase of kidney failure, saying it’d be okay to put her down if necessary. I’m keeping my fingers crossed all will be fine, but what are some things to look for? I’m guessing no urine in the litterbox is a big one, right?

[kim b]

If your dog has severe allergies with watery eyes, sneezing, constant scratching where the skin is broken and oozing, etc., I have a tip for you! After multiple vet visits, hundreds of dollars, many trips to the pet store trying limited ingredient diets as well as a significant amount of online research, I found Answers fermented Goat Milk. Evidently fermented goats milk, unlike pasteurized cows milk, contains many vitamins, probiotics, minerals, omega fats, etc. that are preserved with the centuries old fermenting process. Even the Bible describes goats milk as “white blood” meaning its the elixir of life. Answers Goats milk is sold in locally owned natural pet stores (the answers website provides you with a list of stores sold throughout each state) in quart sized milk-like containers and is sold frozen. I buy 4 or so at a time and throw 3 in the freezer while defrosting 1 in the fridge given that it last about 2 or so weeks. To make a long story short within 2 days my little guy was scratching noticeably less and within 5 days his scratching is almost non-existent. I can’t believe it; it all disappeared right before my very eyes. My vet told me the allergies was caused by something he was eating however, it appears that his allergies were caused by something he wasn’t eating meaning he must have had some type of vitamin or mineral deficiency. My research on goats milk led me to learn that many US studies conducted in the 1960’s determined that human consumption of fermented goats milk cured many diseases and has even been shown to reduce tumors in both humans and animals. The Answers website contains much information on the milk so go ahead and learn about the many diseases it will eliminate or reduce. If your beloved pet is battling cancer or other diseases such as kidney disease, stomach irritations/diseases, etc. try the goats milk.

I hope this helps especially since allergy season is upon us. Let me know if the milk works for your pet.

[pugmomsandy]

Just because a dog is “senior” doesn’t mean it has these problems. All those problems can potentially happen at any age. I’ve fostered many dogs under 5 (even as young as 1 yr) with joint/eye/digestion/ear issues and have needed hip/knee surgeries and prescription eye and ear drops. A healthy senior can eat regular food (adult, maintenance and all life stages, puppy food). I have a 14 yr old with no active health issues. He is blind and deaf which he was already when I got him last year at 13. He is not on any medications and eats the same foods as all the other foster dogs I have. I use 3.5-4.5 star kibble and top it off with 5 star canned foods which is normally at least 43% protein. He even gets some raw food which I usually make without any plant matter. The dogs get joint supplements and vitamins, antioxidants, supergreen supplements and fish oil. My personal dogs don’t get chemical pesticides which has been linked to some cancers nor do they get unnecessary vaccines. You might want to research “over vaccination”. Try looking up Dogs4dogs dot com, b-naturals dot com, wholedogjournal dot com, dogsnaturallymagazine dot com. These are just a few of the sites pertaining to more “natural” care of dogs. If one of my dogs had late stage kidney disease, at that point I would change the diet, but I wouldn’t change the diet just because they’re a senior in general. Some things possibly connected to cancer is chemical laden commercial kibble, vaccines, the constant application of poisonous pesticides (heartworm and flea/tick meds, fertilizers), even air pollution.

http://dogs4dogs.com/

[Tina]

Senior dog food was created for the idea that senior dogs have special needs. The leading cause of death in most senior dogs is cancer and kidney disease. I’ve read both sides of the same story and I’m very confused. (To high protein can cause kidney disease and to high protein won’t cause kidney disease) Which is it?

[Sarah Y]

Besides protein differences, are there are other differences in senior versus adult food?

I have two senior beagles…both are within normal weight range but it’s a struggle. They get some excercise with a 15-20 minute walk in the morning and a 30-45 minute walk in the evening…every day (unless it’s pouring down rain). My 10 year old, 22 lb beagle was just diagnosed with a luxating patella. I was shocked as all her vet checks have never shown this problem. The vet said it’s possible it was undetected due to muscle mass and as they get older they lose muscle mass.

They eat Wellness senior dog food because the 10 year old had some abnormal kidney values a couple of times and her urine specific gravity can be low at times due to how much water she drinks (she has always been that way). So I chose wellness for the low phosphorus level (.75). The vet thinks she may have some renal deficiences so her take is to be cautious and keep an eye on it.

I was considering a change to blue wilderness senior as it’s grain free and higher in protein. The red meat formula has .7 phosphorus and the regular senior has .9. Any thoughts on this? As fo rmy other beagle, she’s 37 lbs and her only health issue is an autoimmune disease that affects her nails. Oh and the 10 year old recently had full anal glands. Just though I would mention that.

If you would prefer I start another thread, just let me know. Thank you…

[Shawna]

Hi Dori,

One of the key differences between holistic practitioners (truly holistic that is) and allopathic practitioners is that the holistic ones see a change (even if still in normal ranges) as a possible “sign” that something might be going on. Rather than dismissing a mildly high liver enzyme they would treat it even if no sympotms are present. Dr. Becker refers to this as the “grey area”. If you think about it, it makes sense. The body doesn’t just become ill one day. The kidneys lose function before symptoms are seen. The liver is quite stressed before liver enzymes become abnormal. Cancer has already taken a foothold when cancer is usually diagnosed. I love how Certified Clinical Nutritionist Radhia Gleis describes it “you wait till the horse is out of the barn, you wait till there’s symptoms and on a scale from zero to one hundred, a hundred being absolute perfect health and zero being death, we don’t start to really experience sympotms until we’re at about 30. So 60% of the vital energy of the body is diminished and then all of the sudden the body is knocking on the door saying there’s something seriously wrong. At that point pathology has set in or disease is already set in and the horse is already out of the barn.” She says “Our job is to catch you when you are in a biochemical imbalance, and restore that balance before disease and symptoms starts to manifest.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMiBuAWvDB0

Holistically speaking, symptoms are an expression of disease, or imbalance in the body, that has been present but not addressed.

That doesn’t change anything you are dealing with now but I kinda wanted to address how truly holistic practitioners look at and treat versus how allopathic practitioners handle things. Cyndi, if you are reading this, I’m still available to talk but the last few weekends got away from me. I WILL make myself available this weekend any time if you want (well any time after 10:00 am Central time that is). 🙂 You have my number, just call when it is convenient for you…. Dori the offer is open to you as well if you ever want to email or talk..

Starting another post to address you questions as this one is long already…

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Shawna.

[Sarah Y]

thanks cathy…I am sending you positive thoughts for Sprite :-). I’m not ready to make that kind of change yet. I have heard great things about Honest Kitchen but I know it’s expensive too. I think if there are real concerns of kidney disease, I’ll certainly check in to every possible option. Thank you and again good luck to Sprite!

[Shawna]

LOL, Thanks Shasta!! 🙂

I actually have eight small and toy breed dogs ranging in size from 4 to 14 pounds. Five of the eight get raw with a little canned topper for variety. (I’ve been a raw feeder for about 10 years.) The other three get a quarter cup of kibble with a large teaspoon of canned and a large teaspoon of raw. All but one of mine are adopted–one from humane society, two rehomed to me at six months of age (both ill) and the other four came in as foster dogs and never left. 🙂 The one we got from the breeder has had kidney disease since birth and reacts to beef bone, beef tripe and barley (or gluten) which I was giving her for her kidneys (long story). I feed a lot of bison, venison, salmon, lamb, pork, rabbit, eggs, no bone-in beef etc.. Mimi, one that gets kibble regularly, seems to react to lamb so I only give her very small amounts of raw lamb infrequently.. The others may have issues with certain ingredients too(?) but I rotate so frequently that if they do they aren’t on the food long enough for symptoms to appear.

Luckily, none of my pups are finicky or the least bit picky. They all eat anything I put in their dishes. 🙂

PS — all my current babies are small breed but my heart dog is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. My goal is to have another Staffie (grew up with one) at some point in my future.

[Shawna]

Hi Cathy,

Sorry for the delay… The absolute WORST thing you can feed sprite bar none is any form of kibble. Kibble is hard to digest and because of the lower quality of the protein it creates more BUN when compared to an equal amount of digested protein from another source.

AND, your vet is incorrect if he/she told you to feed low protein in the early stages of the disease unless there is significant protein in the urine. Testing has confirmed that lowering protein too low can actually increase all cause mortality. They have also proven that protein does not damage the kidneys. Because of this you don’t need to feed “low” protein until Sprite has advanced symptoms. Limiting protein even at later stages does not help the kidneys but it does help with symptoms which are caused by the increase of BUN etc in the blood. Limiting protein is not helpful however in the later stages of the disease limiting phosphorus is highly advisable. Phosphorus builds in the blood and CAN damage the kidneys. In the earlier stages of the disease phosphorus is often not detrimental.

For the record, my pup has had kd since birth and has been on HIGH protein raw (45 to 54% on a dry matter basis) since coming to me at nine weeks of age. She will be eight years old the end of June this year and is still doing well. The only time she shows symptoms such as vomiting is if I feed her kibble. The Honest Kitchen is a good food but I’d go with Love or Zeal and add extra good quality fats like coconut oil to increase calories and make her feel more satiated without extra protein/phosphorus. Canned (or better yet raw) tripe is another good option and can be fed with the HK or as a separate meal (pending you get one that is complete and balanced).

As noted, increasing fat keeps the calories up while lowering phosphorus per calorie consumed. This is very important in the later stages.

Other things to consider:

I HIGHLY recommend a product by Standard Process called Canine Renal Support. Audrey has been on it since I learned of her diagnosis. It helps to keep inflammation at bay.

Give Sprite access to all the water she wants but do make sure it is pure — reverse osmosis as an example. Adding toxins in via the water source only increases symptoms. Science has shown benefit to giving waters higher in calcium with low sodium. They didn’t identify actual names but Evian seems to fit the bill.

I HIGHLY recommend giving a HIGH quality probiotic and a specific type of prebiotic (known as nitrogen traps). The combination of these two products helps clear BUN etc from the blood sparing the kidneys from having to do the work. It also allows for even higher amounts of protein. I use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense (human product) and Fiber35 Sprinkle Fiber (human product).

There are other supplements that are known to be beneficial such as food grade activated charcoal, spirulina, burdock root, organic turmeric and more. I mix a combination of these and others with a digestive enzyme and some of the Sprinkle Fiber and add a bit to every meal.

The products you use in your home can be problematic too. When Audrey was diagnosed I looked at the CDC and material safety data sheets for product ingredients I used in my home. Many (if not most) of them were not kidney friendly so I got rid of them and use only ones that are not damaging to kidneys. Example — clorox has a chemical that can damage kidneys in animals. From the material safety data sheet “2-Butoxyethanol has been shown to cause red blood cell hemolysis in laboratory animals and secondary injury to the kidney and liver. However, humans appear to be resistant to this effect” Clorox is pretty toxic anyway so I don’t even have it in the house but if you choose to use it, might be wise not to use it to clean the floors as it can be absorbed through the skin. http://www.thecloroxcompany.com/downloads/msds/cloroxprofessionalproducts/409nqf.pdf

I know I’m forgetting some things… 🙁 Let me know if you have any questions. Also Mary Straus’ website discusses the data I’ve mentioned above plus much much more. Very valuable source of information. She lists kibbles but she fed her own KD dog raw and believes in raw. You don’t have to feed raw but I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest avoiding going back to any kibble. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

You and Sprite are in my prayers!!!!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Shawna.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by Shawna.

[theBCnut]

It can be a few different things. There are certain vitamins and minerals that can affect the quality of the coat, including how much it gets sun damaged. Thyroid can affect whether or not a coat sunburns. Age changes can. Kidney disease can. And there are more.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Cathy –

I’m going to alert Shawna to your post. Shawna is a regular poster here and is very knowledgeable about kidney disease. She has a dog that was born with kidney disease. What I can tell you is that you do not want to reduce protein levels prematurely – doing it too soon (such as in the early stages of the disease) will ultimately do more harm than good. The focus in early state kidney failure should be on switching to a high quality protein (i.e. avoiding kibble and instead moving to fresh foods).

[Cathy W]

I am looking for a grain free food with quality medium to low protein and phosphorous for a 13 year old ESS with borderline high BUN and Calcium. Any suggestions?

[Shawna]

Hmmm Losul, I think I’d want the x-ray or ultrasound for sure then.. As Patty said, even if it shows nothing it tells you something. I know I have been told that they can determine the extent of the infection but I don’t recall how.

I found the below, regarding staging, on Dogaware
“Heartworm infection is divided into four or five stages (depending on the model used), based on the severity of the infestation and the age and health of the dog.

Stage 1 (mild) consists of young, healthy dogs with no symptoms and minimal changes evident on X-rays.

Moderate (stage 2) infection will show heartworm disease that is evident on X-rays, but symptoms are minimal, mostly coughing. Stage 3 is a severe infection, with weight loss, coughing, difficulty breathing, more damage visible on X-rays, along with liver and/or kidney damage.

Stage 4 and 5 are considered critical, with the dog often collapsing in shock. These dogs will not survive ordinary heartworm treatment, and must have the worms surgically removed if they are to have any hope of survival.”

Has he coughed at all? I did a QUICK google search and didn’t see anything linking shaking with heartworm disease. I did see “tremors” so googled “tremors heartworm”. All I got from that is side effects of preventatives.. May just be coincidental??

• This reply was modified 11 years, 9 months ago by Shawna.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Shasta-
Have you had a full blood panel done on her? There are at least three very common conditions that I know of that can cause that. I have experienced or have had friend’s cats have these symptoms and it has turned out to be either hyperthyroidism, kidney disease or diabetes. I really hope that isn’t the case for sure. But, a possibility. I use a lot of the budget friendly Authority canned food for my crew. Good luck.

[Shawna]

Hi Dorenda,

Took a few tries but I was able to log on.. Thanks Patty for the email heads up :)..

Vets often suggest low protein for renal disease when it really isn’t necessary. There are studies even that show dogs that have protein lowered to drastically too early in the disease have increased mortality. There’s some fantastic information on the topic on nutritionist Mary Straus’ website (see quote below). My dog has had kidney disease since birth and has been on high protein raw her whole life (45 to 54%) — she’ll be eight years old the end of June 2014.

“Based on research done in the last ten years (see s a Low Protein Diet Necessary or Desirable?), that the only time it is necessary to feed a low protein diet is when your dog is uremic, which generally means BUN is over 80 mg/dL (equivalent to 28.6 mmol/L), creatinine is over 4.0 mg/dL (equivalent to 354 µmol/L), and the dog is showing symptoms such as vomiting, nausea,inappetence, ulcers and lethargy, which are caused by the build-up of nitrogen in the blood. Even then, feeding low protein will not extend life, but it will help the dog feel better. Subcutaneous fluids can also help at this time (and before).” http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidneydiet.html

If your pup is uremic then consider K/D canned with added toppers to entice eating. Toppers like lightly cooked egg whites or canned green tripe are good options. Both are low in phosphorus but higher in protein. To counter the extra protein you can give probiotics and a certain type of prebiotic to induce “nitrogen trapping”. Nitrogen trapping utilizes the bacteria in the colon to help clean BUN from the blood. I use Garden of Life Primal Defense probiotic (human product) and Fiber 35 Sprinkle Fiber (also human product). If symptoms are bad enough that there is a need to keep protein really low try adding high quality fats — organic butter or ghee, coconut oil etc.

I would avoid kibble at ALL COST!!! Kibble of any kind including K/D.

Vet Dr. Royal created a raw kidney disease diet for Darwins. It can be found on their website – link below. The food is REALLY high in protein so again not an option if your pup is uremic. Here’s some info. The actual diet is on the site as well. Your vet will have to contact them to confirm your pup is a good candidate for the diet. http://www.darwinspet.com/kidney-health/

Mary Straus, link above, has diet recommendations on her site – she does include kibbles but kibbles are dehydrating and can cause issues. The protein in kibbles is also poorer quality than any other form and due to this creates more BUN then other diets with the same amount and kind of protein. Nutritionist Lew Olson also has some recipes on her website http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/kidney-diet/

Supplements that might be helpful — the one that I will NEVER run out of with my KD girl is Standard Process Canine Renal Support. Turmeric, food grade activated charcoal and burdock root are some to look at. I’d also recommend giving a digestive enzyme no matter what you feed. Mineral waters higher in calcium while being lower in sodium have demonstrated some benefit. They didn’t identify the brand in the research paper but I believe they may have used Evian. I’ve also read that feeding smaller meals multiple times per day is beneficial.

Hope something here is helpful!! Sure hope you can get your pup feeling better!!!

Shawna

[theBCnut]

BB has great advertising, that is not the same thing as being a great food. There have been a lot of people having vomitting and diarrhea issues with BB lately.

I think you are right about the protein versus carbs thing. Seniors have less ability to absorb the protein in their diet and can need as much as 50% more, not less. There are specific medical problems that may need the protein reduced, but your vet would be talking to you about diets specific to kidney or liver disease if that was a factor.

You may just need a good ALS food with a joint supplement added. No food has enough joint supplementation to actually have a therapeutic dose.

Maybe look at NutriSource.

[FreeholdHound]

This was posted a a Greyhound forum in regards to BDN (not my post)

My inquiry:
“Thank you. I found the product analysis, but need the nutrient profile, ie how much protein, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, niacin, folic acid, iodine, pantothenic acid, iodine, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin A, D & E, etc, etc, etc………………..you get the idea. It’s usually broken down into three different groups: “As Received”, “Dry Matter Basis” “As Served (Hydrated)”.
This analysis is crucial for dogs with kidney or liver disease as an example. I have a dog with kidney disease and it is vital to know the calcium/phosphorous ratio.”

Their reply:
“According to our latest analysis, the ca/ph ratio of the beef is 1.1:1. The Tripe Supreme has a ca/ph ratio of 1.78:1.
The ratio of the chicken is 1.56:1. All the calcium in our products is from natural origin. You can’t compare this with the studies out there based on products where calcium is added as a supplement.
We have our analysis split up in “As received” and “Dry matter”. I really don’t understand the “As Served” part. This all depends how much water is added by the customer. Some dogs like it a bit dryer, some a bit more moist.

We are looking for the highest bio-availability possible. Most artificial supplements that you see used in all kind of different dog foods simply don’t do the job. They are not readily available. This is also the reason we ferment the vegetables. The fermented vegetables make the calcium, vitamins, and the ingredients in general, highly bio-available.
We hear excellent testimonials from our customers on a daily basis. Older dogs that start playing again, dogs that get better muscle tone, long time ear infections that disappear, etc… the list is endless. Dogs that went from one vet to another for years, and get better after being on Big Dog Natural. This keeps us going and tells us that we’re doing the correct thing.

I know what your saying but I raised and owned Mastiffs for over 30 years. We have an old school approach of dog food. Use high quality ingredients and you’re good. I never raised my kids by over analyzing their foods but they were fed well and healthy. I really don’t believe there is a need for deep analysis when the ingredients are top quality. You only need supplements and additives when crap is used. We use the analysis as a guideline to formulate the product, not as a marketing tool. We just want a healthy dog food for healthier dogs.

Hope this help

Carl Van Bael
The Big Dog Natural Team”

[theBCnut]

Get a second opinion. KD is not necessary for early stage kidney disease and in some cases does more harm than good.

[suztzu]

Hello, everyone I am in need of advice and since everyone has helped me in the past, I would love to hear from you all again. Heres the story I have a 10yr old shih Tzu named Leo and I brought him in for routine blood work for a dental, and his blood work came back with elevated ELT levels at 900 (supposed to be around 30) and elevated ELP levels. So my vet suspected Cushing’s disease even though he was not yet exhibiting symptoms like increased thirst and food drive. He is actually a little increased but barely. We did a bile acid test which was high at 30 (should be around 12) also the urine test commonly done to determine if he is secreting cortisol in his urine it came back positive but not too off the charts. Well next step is abdominal ultrasound which I got the results back today are pretty bad he has degenerative kidney disease ( not showing up in blood work yet) nodules on both adrenal glands and a small liver not cirrhotic yet. So she wants him on a diet change immediately and since he is not showing too many symptoms of Cushing’s disease we are not going to do anymore testing for that and cannot treat him for that without possibly creating a renal failure since Cushing’s medications can cause kidney dysfunction. So I guess my question is of course my vet gave me some Science Diet KD to start with but I am not a big fan of it can anyone recommend any other foods for kidney disease and also has anyone else had any experience with these diseases ? I thought he was doing so well for his age in great health at a good weight he’s has been active and happy, I am besides myself. He is getting a liver support antioxidants and vitamins with milk thistle from my vet as well. But I am at a loss at how to proceed, any help would be welcome Thanks for listening.

[Shawna]

Hi assirak2313,

Kibble is the worst thing you can feed a dog with kidney disease. Please do consider canned or home prepared.. And do some research before deciding on a diet (or ask around).. The protein and phosphorus amount in the food needs to be adjusted to the stage of the disease. In the early stages it is usually not necessary, and sometimes problematic, to reduce protein. And the quality of the protein, how well the body uses it, is vital to ongoing health.

The site that RescueDaneMom linked to is an EXCELLENT source of info on diet, supplements etc. When I found out my one year old pup had congenital (from birth) kidney disease, dog aware was one of the most informative sites I found. My kd pup is now seven and a half years old and still going strong. Her vets gave her one year after diagnosis to live..

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Shawna.

[RescueDaneMom]

There are very few commercial foods that are appropriate for dogs with kidney disease. DogAware has a lot of information on kidney disease. Here is their list of commercial foods for dogs with kidney disease: http://dogaware.com/health/kidneynonprescription.html

If I were choosing a food for my dog from this list, I would choose one of the Wellness Complete Health formulas or one of the Wysong formulas (but not the Wysong Nephreon).

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by RescueDaneMom. Reason: add

[assirak2313]

My 11 year old lab mix suffers from kidney disease. My vet has recommended that I feed him Hills Science Diet KD but I noticed the ratings were not very good. Would Wellness Super 5 Mix Just for Seniors be a better alternative?

[sandybreit]

We “adopted” 2 full-size rough collies from a relative who could no longer keep them, several years ago. One is a vacuum when it comes to feeding time, the other, not so much! He was very underweight when we got them, mainly because they were fed together and the other one would eat everything if he got the chance. We have always monitored feeding time closely and not let “the vacuum” have a 2nd dishful, but have had a lot of trouble finding something that “picky eater” would actually eat consistently — and which didn’t cause icky, mucusy stools. We’ve tried adding cooked chicken, chicken broth, canned food, etc., to several types of dry food. Our current diet is Iams Healthy Naturals, with about 1/4 can of Tractor Supply’s 4-Health and a little Beneful mixed in. For the last couple of months “Picky Eater” has been very consistent with eating and pooping (which was also a real issue for quite some time, with both dogs — ages 4 and 6 — having accidents in the house when we were gone for more than a few hours), no accidents, no mucusy stools, and coats haven’t changed at all, as far as I can see. I know Beneful is a really low-end kibble, but am really wondering if I should just leave well enough alone or look for something different… it seems that any of the dry foods have reviews saying they make dogs sick, cause kidney and liver disease, problems with stooling, etc, etc. Should I just go by what seems to be working, or do I need to change? (just of note, I’m far from being a new dog owner, have had them forever but only recently discovered how different the various brands can be in terms of nutrition; former dogs have thrived on what I now recognize as less than optimal food, to say the least) Thanks for any comments, I’m sure I’m not the only one with this sort of dilemma.

[pegripley]

Shawna, I’ve read a number of posts and you seem amazing. I lost my Scottish Terrier, Charlie, to Cancer a year ago this September, he was only 8 years old. We had NO idea he even had it.. Within a few days I couldn’t stand it anymore for myself and my mini-Schnauzer so we got another puppy. She is also a mini-schnauzer. I took her to get spayed in December 2012 and we found out she has Kidney Disease. Since then her #’s have continued to increase and she’s now 16 months old and her BUN is off of the chart, the vets machines can’t read it. It’s over 130, her Creatinine is 4.0 (high end is 1.8) and a few other things are now showing also like decreased red blood cell count = 3.2 and normal range is 5.5-8.5.
I have been feeding her boiled chicken thighs and baked sweet potatoes. I am currently giving her a phosphorus binder and also Renadyl. The Renadyl is supposed to flush the toxins out through her stool rather than making her kidneys process it and work harder.
The odd thing is. Bella has never shown any real symptoms other than the #’s. I had no problem potty training her, she is crate trained and has no accidents. she doesn’t urinate anymore than our other Schnauzer does. We also had an ultrasound done and her kidney’s are slightly smaller than normal but nothing major small and no other abnormalities faound. Now she does love her water but it’s not like she sits next to the bowl and drinks it dry. She usually drinks a lot in the morning or when she first comes out of her crate and then will get little sips the rest of the day. My vet and I are both astonished and very grateful that she isn’t showing any symptoms.
Anyway, now that you know my story I am really trying to find something to prolong her life and also make sure it’s a good quality of life at the same time. It breaks my heart to think her life is going to be cut short.. You seem like you have a good handle on this. Can you please give me any advice..
I took her yesterday for her check up and have done nothing by cry since yesterday. I’m usually a positive person but this is just breaking my heart.
Peg

[soprano1]

I am feeding Blue Buffalo Life Protection for Senior. I chose it, because it is on a list on this site al alternatives for dogs with kidney disease.

[RescueDaneMom]

Regarding Blue Buffalo, what recipe are you feeding? The rating for Blue varies quite a bit between the different lines. Blue Wilderness is 5 stars.

[RescueDaneMom]

Soprano1-

I am by no means an expert. I would suggest checking out the dogaware website at dogaware.com/health/kidney.html. I haven’t figured out how to post links yet so bear with me.

According to my research on dogaware, dogs with early stage kidney disease only need slight diet modifications. The following text is copied from the website:
“Early Renal Insufficiency: In general, creatinine values up to about 2.0 (177 µmol/L) are indicative of mild, or early stage, kidney disease (or early renal insufficiency, as my vet terms it). In cases like these, it may still help to make dietary modifications to reduce phosphorus if blood phosphorus level is above 4.5, but these reductions do not need to be as drastic as when the values are higher, and it is probably not necessary to do other treatments at this stage, such as sub-q fluids (unless your dog is drinking so much that she is having trouble staying hydrated, such as getting up during the night to drink). Adding calcium to each meal if you are feeding a home made diet (to act as a phosphorus binder) would be advisable, and possibly antacids, particularly if your dog is showing any signs of inappetence or gastric problems. I would also give fish oil supplements (body oil, NOT liver oil), at the rate of 1,000 mg (300 mg combined DHA and EPA) per 10 lbs of body weight, along with Vitamin E (50, 100 or 200 IU for small, medium and large dogs), and discontinue any Vitamin A and D supplements (including cod liver oil) added to commercial foods. Additional recommended supplements include a B-complex vitamin and CoQ10, which may be beneficial for dogs with kidney disease.”

There is a table on the website for commercial foods with phosphorous amounts listed. There is only one blue buffalo food on there and it has too much phosphorous. See dogaware.com/health/kidneynonprescription.html

I looked up your previous food (Purina NF) on the same site. It says that food is for Late Stage Kidney Disease. The protein content is 15.9% on a dry matter basis. There are prescription diets that are better suited to Early Stage Kidney Disease. I don’t know why your vet wouldn’t have put your dog on one of those. I think Patty was right and the food was doing more harm than good in your case.

You report that your dog is doing well on Blue right now and you have a recheck in November. If it were me, I would continue to feed Blue and see what her values are at the recheck. If her creatinine and BUN are slightly elevated, I would consider switching to one of the foods on the list of non-prescription foods. My choice would be the Wellness Complete Health Super5Mix Chicken Recipe and/or Wellness Complete Health Super5Mix Whitefish & Sweet Potato.

I hope this is helpful. Again, I would really recommend checking out the dogaware site. There is so much information available. I would read through it before going to your recheck in November so you can be prepared.

[soprano1]

My dog was diagnosed in 2010, and she was showing no symptoms. I learned she had it, because I had a urinalysis done to find out why she was having bladder leakage. She has been on the Purina NF for 2 years, and has gotten progressively worse, but since I made the change to Blue Buffalo, she has improved by leaps and bounds! Her BUN has only been elevated once, and that is when she was on the Purina NF. her creatinine has been up the last 3 times she was tested; but dropped back to slightly higher than normal. She has always had a healthy appetite, and still does. I don’t want to do anything that would be harmful to her! She has a recheck in November, and I believe we are going to see normal ranges! What do you all think of blue Buffalo?

[RescueDaneMom]

Patty-

That’s good to know! I thought something seemed off. My sister’s dog has only slightly higher than normal range creatinine and BUN numbers. I thought that one of the KD diets was overkill at this stage.

-Caroline

[theBCnut]

Yay for you and your sister! KD diets aren’t recommended by the manufactures for early stage KD and can do more harm than good, a fact that many veterinarians manage to overlook.

[RescueDaneMom]

My sister’s dog was just diagnosed with early stage kidney disease. The vet wanted her to feed a prescription diet but the ingredients in it were horrendous. I did a lot of the research for her because she is super busy. I found the best information on dogaware.com. Under the health tab at the top, click on “kidney disease” and you will find a wealth of information. My sister is homecooking for her dog now. She was using The Honest Kitchen pre-mix and adding low phosphorous meats to it but had decided that homecooking is cheaper and she has more control over what she feeds. She is on a tight budget.

Best of luck to you!

[soprano1]

I am interested in knowing if Blue Buffalo is safe for my Siberian Husky who has early stage kidney disease? I was feeding her Purina NF, but I heard some really bad things about Purina. My dog had chronic diarrhea, occasional vomiting, and lost a lot of weight. Her coat was also very bad, with big raw, bald spots, and she also really did not feel good. I believed it was the food doing it to her. Now that I switched her to Blue Buffalo, her coat is looking great, she no longer vomits or has diarrhea, she has gained weight, and she feels better than she has in years! She plays like a puppy, and she is 9 years old! Is the Blue Buffalo safe for her? If not, can you recommend a food that is safe for her? Thank you!

[Shawna]

Hi bullterriermom,

The link Hound Dog Mom provided is a REALLY REALLY good article on glandulars. I use Dr. Lee’s protomorphogen / glandulars on my dog that has had kidney disease since birth. She is seven years old, unmedicated besides glandulars and whole food vitamins etc. Dr. Lee’s company is called Standard Process. Excellent products.

However, some refer to anything outside of allopathic or western medicine as quackery etc. So I wanted to provide you with data supported by allopathic medicine. It is referred to as “oral tolerization”. They have studied it as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889857X05700247

As well as in helping the body not reject transplanted organs – specifically the liver http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10706554 Autoimmune heart disease (unfortunately the paper isn’t pulling up for me today but the link is here and may work for you or tomorrow?) http://lib.bioinfo.pl/paper:19353248  A round about way to see the data is here http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Dlj-FH1tQ8YJ:lib.bioinfo.pl/paper:19353248+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

And, the New York Times has a nice article on oral tolerization called “Hair of the Dog” http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/18/science/hair-of-dog-tried-as-cure-for-autoimmune-disease.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

[theBCnut]

Shawna is having trouble logging on here so I’m passing on her response.

The diet should be geared specifically to the stage of the disease (aka the BUN and Creatinine values). Protein only needs to be restricted in the later stages of the disease. Restricting too early can cause more harm than good. Nutritionist Mary Straus gives values of protein and phosphorus for each of the stages of the disease on her website as well as some canned foods that would be appropriate. She also gives some dehydrated options which would be a good choice, in my opinion, for your pup. http://www.dogaware.com/health…

I wasn’t really impressed with Azodyl. I use a high quality probiotic and a prebiotic called Fiber 35 Sprinkle Fiber for nitrogen trapping. Works REALLY well for Audrey.

I mentioned some other supplements and foods I use for Audrey in this link if interested 🙂 /… Hope the link works. If not, it’s on the “Off topic” page.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your fur baby!!!

[theBCnut]

“A high protein diet is very hard on the kidneys and will eventually lead to premature renal disease. ”

Looks like you need to go back to school. This has been disproven for quite some time. Your PhD is only a piece of paper if you don’t stay up with the latest science or if you try to use studies to prove your opinion rather than what the study was designed for.

BTW, you need to read Dr Mike’s commenting policy.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 3 months ago by theBCnut.

[jamiek]

I happened across this thread while googling something and couldn’t help but registering just so I could reply. There are many well meaning but sadly uninformed thoughts here. I have a phd in animal nutrition and really encourage all of you to get your nutritional advise from your veterinarian not from a forum of people with opinions formed from the Internet. Dogs DO NOT “need” animal protein. There are several complete vegetarian diets on the market. Most dogs also do not “need” to eat a vegetarian diet. There are many dogs that have severe food allergies and their quality of life is greatly improved by a strict vegan diet. There are also MANY dogs whose lives are shortened by eating a diet too high in protein. It does not matter much whether that protein is from animals or plant based. A high protein diet is very hard on the kidneys and will eventually lead to premature renal disease. The trend of the pet food companies pushing a high meat diet is very scary. Especially for older pets. The argument that that is how our dogs ancestors ate is ridiculous. Their ancestors were not spayed or neuter, they were not on flea, tick or heartworm prevention, they were not vaccinated. There are reasons we don’t treat our pets as there ancestors lived. We love them, want to take the best care of them we can, and remember, their ancestors didn’t live very long. FYI, I’ve had dogs that have eaten foods with meat, 1 dog who eats vegan because of severe allergies, and 1 dog who ate vegetarian based on the recommendation of a veterinary neurologist for the treatment of a medical condition. They have all thrived. It’s not a question of meat or no meat for the average healthy dog. It’s a question of the correct balance of nutrients. Too much protein is just as bad as not enough. PLEASE consult your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist, not a random person with an uninformed opinion and an Internet education when it comes to the health of your pet.

[kennekra]

Hey all,

My 15 year old Lhasa/Shih Tzu mix has been diagnosed with the onsite of chronic kidney disease. He’s on Azodyl and until recently was eating Blue Buffalo’s Homestyle Recipe Senior. The vet is recommending we put him on Prescription Diet K/D. While the ingredient list isn’t horrid, it ain’t great either. And I know it’s going to be pricey.

Since Thorndyke only eats canned food these days, what foods would you recommend for him?

Thanks!

[cfishgdmj1234]

I have a cocker spaniel that was rescued from a puppy mill some of her existing problems include: cataracts, constant ear infections, seizures ( currently no medication yet) gum/teeth disease and her sister had hx of IVDD. Now she is presenting with kidney problems. Our vet who is a farmer and does not gain anything from the food he sells says she needs to go go prescription c/d for kidney damage that is now permanent. She has inflammation (blood), crystallization and her number were in the 9’s where they should be in the 6’s. He says if we llave her on Diamond they will get worse. My question is he wants us to take her off Diamond…actually all our dogs bc he says dogs are It carnivores anymore due to yrs and yrs of being bred. He says their bodies are not used to these kinds of foods, and canon process them. We had them on Taste of the Wild and she was fine for about a yr. Then only she got sick on and off for 3 wks. She would vomit everything out of her system then we would do cottage cheese and rice and do it all over again. We did this about three times then switched to Diamond grain free for about 6 wks now. I’m concerned he is suggesting Science Diet, Eukanuba, for the other dogs and to be honest to me with the ingredients he’s saying its better to give your dog a cheeseburger vs grilled chicken. The bi-product and bone meal are what concern me then the grain and corn as well. Do u have any suggestions? I go bk in on Tue and would like to have other options to give him then those 3 foods. And with the one with kidney issues should we start her on prescription? The first few ingredients are corn, chicken bone meal and pork fat. I thought about making my own food with good quality protein, low sulfur… I’m researching renal failure diets for dogs. She’s not in renal failure but obviously is having issues with kidneys.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I vaccinate my dogs as puppies (8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks) with the core vaccines. I’ll then get another booster for the core vaccines one year after the final series of puppy boosters. I do not vaccine again after this (aside from rabies every three years which is required by law). I never vaccinate for non-core vaccines such as lyme, bordetella, etc. It’s known that these core vaccines provide immunity much longer than a year and even much longer than the three year intervals that some vets are starting to recommend. Through challenge it has been proven that most of these core vaccines provide immunity for at least 5 to 7 years and it is believed that they may even provide lifetime immunity. Rather than re-vaccinating yearly (or even every three years) it’s much smarter to have a titer – a blood test which measures the dog’s immunity. If the titer shows that your dog is immune there’s no reason to re-vaccinate – re-vaccinating provides no benefit (or increased immunity) it only puts your dog at risk for the negative side affects that may be caused by vaccines. I would highly recommend checking out this series of videos in which Dr. Becker interviews Dr. Ronald Schultz. Dr. Schultz is an immunology specialist in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/31/what-your-vet-didnt-tell-you-about-all-those-puppy-and-kitty-vaccines.aspx

I do not use any chemical flea or tick preventatives. In my opinion, when it comes to fleas and ticks the best defense is a strong immune system. I have a SNAP 4DX test done on my dogs every 6 months to test for tick transmitted diseases. I comb my dogs with a flea comb daily during flea/tick season and have never found any fleas or ticks (and they’re hounds that spend quite a bit of time outdoors). Since switching to a species-appropriate raw diet I haven’t had any parasite issues (internal or external). I do use some natural-oil based topicals and shampoos and give them an herbal flea and tick tincture from Earth Animal (formulated by Dr. Goldstein).

Concerning Frontline and which contains the active ingredient “fipronil”:

• Dr. Dobozy of the EPA’s Pesticide Division has found that the active ingredient (fipronil) in Frontline remains in a pet’s system with the potential for nervous system and thyroid toxicity. Tests on laboratory animals resulted in thyroid cancer and altered thyroid hormones, liver and kidney toxicity, reduced fertility and convulsions. Frontline’s web site creates the impression that the product stays in the oil glands of the skin. But Dr. Dobozy’s study showed that, in fact, it does enter the body and the organ systems.
• This investigation determined fipronil residues on gloves worn while petting dogs after Frontline application. Frontline contains 9.8% fipronil, which controls fleas and ticks on dogs for at least 30 days. Frontline (1.34 ml) was applied topically on adult household dogs and gloves worn for 5 min during pettingwere collected 24 hr and 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 w post-Frontline application for fipronil residue determinations using GC/MS. The highest concentration of fipronil (589.3 +/- 205.7ppm) was detected 24 h after Frontline application and was undetectable in the gloves collected at 5w. Repeated exposure to such contamination can pose human health risks. [“Human Exposure to Fipronil from Dogs Treated with Frontline” can be found on Pubmed]
• Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Fipronil:
1. In tests with laboratory animals, fipronil causes aggressive behavior, damaged kidneys, and “drastic alterations in thyroid function.” The fipronil containing product ‘Frontline’ caused changes in the levels of sex hormones.
2. The offspring of laboratory animals exposed to fipronil during pregnancy were smaller than those of unexposed mothers. They also took longer to mature sexually.
3. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies fipronil as a carcinogen because exposure to fipronil caused benign and malignant thyroid tumors in lab animals.

Imidacloprid (active ingredient in Advantage) and Pyrethrins (active ingredient in Biospot) have been found to have similar negative effects.

Concerning heartworm prevention. I do use heartworm prevention, however I’m very conservative with it. My dogs get an ivermectin-based preventative every 45 days during hearworm season. The FDA approvals cite that Heartguard, Interceptor and Revolution provide protection beyond 30 days. I use preventatives that contain heartworm prevention only – I avoid the preventatives that also contain wormers, flea preventatives, etc. I’m in northern NY so I usually end up administering the first dose in early May and the last dose sometime in November. Starting the day after my dogs receive their preventative I give milk thistle daily for one week to help protect their liver from the damaging effects of the ivermectin. The SNAP 4DX test I have done every 6 months also tests for heartworms. Dr. Becker has an article about heartworm prevention here: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/03/why-havent-pet-owners-been-told-these-facts-about-heartworm.aspx . This website also has a wealth of information concerning heartworm prevention: http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjheartwormprevention.html .

[Shawna]

PS — sorry, some of the data in my last post I see is a repeat of what I said before. Sorry for the duplicate info.. Should have read previous posts BEFORE leaving last :).. Live and learn 🙂

[Shawna]

Hi Lagotto,

We noticed (at the breeders) that she had excessive drinking and urination, as compared to her 5 siblings, when she was about 6 weeks old. She came to live with me when she was 9 weeks old. At about 4 weeks old she started failing to thrive — because she had a collapsing trachea and couldn’t get enough milk from her mommy. So the breeder put her on raw goat milk and egg whites, syringe fed every 2 to 4 hours, til she could eat on her own. She was weaned onto raw food — mainly hamburger, eggs, raw milk etc.

When she came to me I was making a home made raw diet for my current dogs and she went on that same diet. At her vet visit I told her holistic vet she urinated/drank a lot but her vet poo poo’d my concern and said puppies drink and therefore urinate more. She has bright eyes, she’s very smart, good coat quality etc. She’s a healthy puppy… In looking back I’m actually thankful that happened. Audrey continued on the homemade raw diet til her one year checkup where her bloodwork showed high bun and creatinine. I started tweaking her diet and would take her in every three months for additional bloodwork to see what the tweaking was doing. Turns out, the diet I had been feeding her all along was the best for her with one exception. To the diet I added a “prebiotic” and probiotics to help lower her BUN. Works like a charm..

Audrey continued on the homemade diet for several years but then I got too busy to keep up with homemade exclusively so I started incorporating commercial raw diets — Bravo as an example. Became busier yet and moved exclusively to commercial raw — Bravo, Darwins, Answers (recently started) and premixes like The Honest Kitchen Preference and Steve’s Premix with raw meats.. Audrey turned 7 years old the end of June and is still going strong. I have NOT lowered her protein. I have not lowered her phosphorus or made any other changes than adding prebiotic/probiotic and supplements. I use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense probiotic and Fiber35’s Sprinkle Fiber as the prebiotic. A really good prebiotic, made specifically for dogs, can be found on Dr. Mercola’s website under the “Pets” link and then under “Products”.

I would NOT regularly feed her kibble if I was paid to do so. In my opinion, kibble will cause a much earlier death in a kidney disease dog.. Kibble is a POOR QUALITY food for kd dogs/cats—even the best kibbles on the market… At the very least, feed a canned diet. If you can, feed raw or lightly cooked. I also don’t feed Audrey any grains. IF you are going to feed grains it needs to be either sushi rice (aka glutinous rice) or cream of wheat (or farina). These two grains are low phosphorus. All other grains have higher phosphorus and don’t add anything to the diet that can’t be found in a more species appropriate food.

You also want to feed higher fat foods — ditch the lean ground beef.. Feed the highest fat foods you can get (unless she is showing signs of pancreatitis). Fat adds calories without phosphorus—adding organic coconut oil is a good idea too. Protein is NOT damaging to the kidneys and only needs to be reduced to prevent symptoms of uremia in the later stages of the disease — such as vomiting or depression. Audrey has NEVER to date ate low protein.

Let her have ALL the water she wants. Audrey used to sleep in the water bowl when it was empty — she was that obsessed with water and, I’m guessing, desperately trying to tell me she needed some. She started this, sleeping in water dish, at the breeders. I kept potty pads ALL over the house for her. I was lucky in that she used them. During the night I keep her in a 4 foot by 4 foot enclosure we made (for our foster puppies). It was made out of wood and plastic chicken wire. I had her water bowl, her kennel, a blanket outside the kennel and a potty pad with LOTS of newspapers under it — she would fill a potty pad to the point of leaking during the night. As she got older she was able to hold it. Since about three months of age she has slept with me in my bed at nights.

Darwins now has a kidney diet.. I haven’t seen it yet but I do think it is worth checking out. Urban Wolf has a premix designed for kd dogs that can be added to raw or home cooked meats. And I think Grandma Lucy’s has a lower phosphorus premix that is also suitable for dogs needing their phos lowered..

Also consider adding a whole food B and C vitamin to the diet. These two vitamins are “water soluble” and because of the excessive urination can become depleted if not supplemented. I use Standard Process Cataplex B and C. I also give Audrey a whole food multi as a precaution. I use Standard Process Catalyn. Standard Process also makes a whole food supplement specifically for dogs with kidney disease. It’s called Canine Renal Support — I HIGHLY recommend using it. I also give liver support also by Standard Process — Canine Hepatic Support. The liver can become overstressed in a kd dog.

I HIGHLY recommend only using reverse osmosis or distilled along with a mineral water like Evian. Mineral waters (only those lower in sodium) have shown some positive benefits to kidney patients.

Also try to eliminate as many chemical toxins from your house as possible. I was already living in a relatively toxin free environment but I had to eliminate my Swiffer mop, candles ets. These have chemicals in them that the kidneys have to filter — putting an extra strain on them OR adding to the blood poisoning when the kidneys can’t filter as well. DO NOT use flea/tick or heartworm meds on her. And DO NOT vaccinate her. Audrey has only had one set of shots (given by the breeder before I got her) and has NEVER had a rabies shot. She was diagnosed before getting the shot and I was able to get a lifelong exemption for her in my state.

As mentioned, Audrey turned 7 last month and is not on any medications (no phosphorus binders, no sub-q fluids etc) just the supplements.

I don’t use it but I know others that have had positive results with the herbal tinctures from Five Leaf Pharmacy. http://caninekidneyhealth.com/ I would NOT follow their diet though… 🙂 http://caninekidneyhealth.com/

I would also highly recommend reading the material on Mary Straus’ dog aware website. This is the site where I got most of my knowledge / as well as courage to continue feeding Audrey a high protein raw diet. She has some EXCELLENT info on the site — when to feed low protein, when to lower phosphorus and how much (phosphorus is an essential mineral – lowering it too much too early can have unintended consequences), which foods are lower in phosphorus etc. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

Your puppy can still have a fantastic quality of life.. Learn as much as you can, stay positive and enjoy her fully!!!!!

If you ever want to chat offsite, I can be reached at shawnadfaemail @ yahoo. com (take out the spaces–they are included here to prevent robot spammers from sending me junk mail).. 🙂

[Lagotto]

Hi Shawna, my 10 weeks old Lagotto has just been diagnosed with serious kidneys problems her BUN is way off chart her urine is almost as clear as water . She drinks over a liter of water a day. I have her for 21/2 weeks she hardly gains any weight. She is taller but very thin. The breeder offered to take her back and put her down. Apart from excessive drinking and urinating and not put on weight she is full of energy and really playful.I decided to keep her,the vet didn’t recommend any diet plan for her just told her to let she eats normal food, she eats puppies musli mix with raw met and let nature take it course. Her musli comprise of roll oats, dehydrate pea, carrot, bone meal plus all essential vitamins and minerals. Since she has been diagnosed I stop feeding her those food and go on low protein, low phosphorus, low sodium,. She got her appetite back with the meal I made which is 1 cup cooked white rice with one whole egg, two eggs whites, a spoonful of low fat ground beef. Cook in 1 Tb coconut oil. I sprinkle one capsule of fish oil, and grind 900mg of calcium carbonate to it. She has been eating this food for 3 days. Her weight is up for almost 200 g. I am not sure this diet is good enough for her growth. I ask the vet or phosphorus binder and start to sprinkle on her food. The vet now recommend pediatric junior digest & dental 29. I mixed a little of the dry food into home cooked . Her water intake is almost double her usual high intake. Your Audrey story is really inspiring . What do you feed Audrey? Home cooked or dry food.what is your strategy with Toilet train?

Many thanks, Lagotto

[rogerharris]

Here are top 10 wholesome dog treats you can make at home:

1.Dog Cookies: Include kiss me cookies, peanut butter cookies, pink delight paw print cookies, etc. that are specially made for puppies.

2.Pumpkin: You can use wheat cream or rolled oats with pumpkins. There is no need to cook first; you should bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F. This treat is made mostly for senior dogs.

3.Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Biscuits: This vegan diet is great for gluten intolerant dogs. You can use millet, almond, rice, corn or oat flour if your dog is allergic to wheat.

4.Apple Cinnamon Dog Biscuits: The treat is meant for dogs with arthritis and/or diabetes. This dish should be refrigerated overnight or for one and a half hours then baked for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

5.Oatmeal Bark Bites: This treat is good for dogs with pancreatic or liver disease since it has low animal protein and fat.

6.Veggies Treat: The treat contains low levels of phosphorous and fat. This is restricted for diets that curb liver and kidney diseases. When cooking, include vegetables like zucchini and sweet potatoes which are low in phosphorous.

7.Crispy Yam Doggie Snacks: Bake slices of sweet potato and make the dish sweet, salty, crunchy or spicy.

8.Vegetarian Muffins: Include ingredients for vegetarian diets like apples, carrots, wheat flour, molasses, oats, etc.

9.Beef Dog Treat: These biscuits are meant for dogs that love meat.

10.Chicken Dog Biscuits: To make the treat, you have to use organic low sodium chicken broth that is organic.

These and other dog meals are easy to make and the ingredients are readily available. These recipes are a great way to offer wholesome treats to your dogs unlike the commercial foods in the market which cause kidney complications. Make your dog treats from 100% natural and organic ingredients.

[paige-s]

I just wanted to start a thread to tell everyone about Canine Caviar 🙂

Its very similar to a raw diet but in kibble form. There is many options to choose from aswell.
Grain free has 3 options – venison, duck, herring (all are single protein, no potatoe)
Lamb and pearl millet
Chicken and pearl millet
Special Needs
Puppy grain free

The special needs diet can replace almost all Science diets from a-z from the vets office. Personally i have my girl who has a liver disease on it and is doing better then ever.
Its great food for diabetics, sensitive stomachs, dogs who throw up alot, colitis, ibs, kidney problems, pancreas problems, and more.

the food has a proper alkaline level and pH level as well. i have seen this food do fantastic things for dogs (i work with clients directly helping choose dog foods and nutritional based questions).
For any dog with allergies this food i great because there is no grain, no potato, and no chicken in 3 of its options.
For dogs with sensitive stomachs, colitis, ibs, any tummy problems, the entire line has pre and probiotics in the food too, as well as peppermint to help calm the stomach. Check the food out for yourself and put your dog on it and you will see amazing results.. !!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi jacklyn –

The most effective thing you can do to repel fleas and ticks from your dogs is to boost their immune system. Vital dogs are less susceptible to parasites (both internal and external) than dogs with weaker immune systems. The first step to creating a strong immune system is by feeding a species-appropriate diet. For years I used chemical flea and tick topicals on my dogs (Advantix or Frontline Plus). Two summers ago was a really bad summer for fleas in my area, despite receiving a monthly dose of Advantix my dogs (I had two at the time – Gus was 6 and Gertie was a pup) got infested with fleas. When I say infested, I mean really infested – Gus had the hair chewed off both his hindquarters exposing the raw skin because he was chewing on himself so much and Gertie was just crawling with them, when I separated her hair I could just see fleas crawling. So in addition to the Advantix I put them on Trifexis (oral flea preventative, with heart worm preventative – took them off Heartguard) and set off flea “bombs” in the house. To no avail. I hired an exterminator to treat the yard and house – that didn’t do any good either. Finally I gave up and we all suffered through the summer and early fall until the temperatures dipped below freezing, then the fleas died off. That fall I switched my dogs to a raw diet (at the time of the infestation they were eating The Honest Kitchen and various 4 and 5 star canned foods). I read online many reports of dogs not requiring flea and tick treatments while on a raw diet because their immune systems grow so strong. It sounded bogus to me but I really didn’t like using chemicals on and around them (I had began learning more about chemical flea and tick preventatives and started to become scared of using them) and I figured it things couldn’t be worse than the previous summer. So that next summer (would have been last summer – 2012) I didn’t use any chemical preventatives. I used Sentry Natural Defense topical (chemical free – contains natural essential oils) and Earth Animal herbal flea and tick tincture (drops that I add to their food made with herbs known to make the dog’s natural scent/blood less appealing to fleas and ticks). I combed my dogs daily with a flea comb and did not find a single flea or tick the entire summer. I’ve been chemical-free ever since and so far so good for this summer too. I’ve been having a snap test (blood test for tick transmitted diseases) done prior to the start of tick season and after tick season and all my dogs have tested negative for tick transmitted diseases each time – ticks are bad in my area and last summer 4 individuals I know had their dogs (all of which were on either Advantix or Frontline Plus) test positive for lyme. I’m now a believer that healthy dogs are less susceptible to infestation.

Some information about the active ingredients found in many popular flea and tick preventatives:

FIPRONIL (active ingredient in Frontline)

“Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Fipronil”
-In tests with laboratory animals, fipronil causes aggressive behavior, damaged kidneys, and “drastic alterations in thyroid function.” The fipronil containing product ‘Frontline’ caused changes in the levels of sex hormones.
-The offspring of laboratory animals exposed to fipronil during pregnancy were smaller than those of unexposed mothers. They also took longer to mature sexually.
-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies fipronil as a carcinogen because exposure to fipronil caused benign and malignant thyroid tumors in lab animals.

IMIDACLOPRID (active ingredient in Advantage)

“Journal of Pesticide Reform Factsheet: Imidacloprid”
-Imidacloprid is a relatively new, systemic insecticide chemically related to the tobacco toxin nicotine. Like nicotine, it acts on the nervous system. Symptoms of exposure include apathy, labored breathing, incoordination, emaciation and convulsions. Longer-term exposures causes reduced ability to gain weight and thyroid lesions.
-Pregnant laboratory animals exposed to imidacloprid experienced increased incidence of miscarriage and had smaller offspring than unexposed animals.
-Imidacloprid has been shown to increase the incidence of genetic damage called DNA adducts.

PYRETHRINS (active ingredient in Bio Spot)

-According to CPI, from 2002 through 2007, at least 1,600 pet deaths related to spot-on treatments with the pyrethrins were reported to the EPA.
-According to the website “Bio Spot Victims”: Toxicological studies have linked this pesticide to serious acute and chronic health effects. The EPA has classified it as a possible human carcinogen because it increases the frequency of lung and liver tumors in laboratory animals. It suppresses the immune system. Permethrin is also suspected to have played an important role in the development of illnesses known as the Gulf War Syndrome.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi wantthebest4myk9 –

I would be very interested in seeing these (non-existant) sources that prove protein causes kidney failure. Could you cite them please? I’m very familiar with the Merck Veterinary Manual, in fact I have a copy in front of me, and I can assure you it says nothing of the sort. The only instances in which high levels of protein can be harmful is if a dog has certain chronic medical conditions – i.e. liver shunts, late stage kidney failure, etc. – high levels of protein do not cause these conditions (there’s a difference).

Here are my sources. If you’d like to see more let me know.

Excerpt from “Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 4th Ed.”:

“Feeding protein above requirements to healthy dogs and cats does not result in toxicity because the excess amino acids from the protein are catabolized and waste nitrogen is excreted.” [this is a passive process that does not stress the kidneys]

This is an excerpt from “Pet Food Safety: Dietary Protein” by D.P. LaFlamme, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVN:

“The ability of dietary protein to to induce renal pathology was studied in both dogs with chronic kidney failure and older dogs without chronic kidney failure. One study, undertaken to contrast the potential renoprotective benefits of protein restriction or phosphorus restriction, compared four carefully controlled diets. The results showed that protein had no adverse affects, even in dogs with kidney failure, although phosphorus restriction did protect against worsening [pre-existing] kidney failure. Two other studies evaluated older (age 6 to 8 years at the start of study) uninephrectomized dogs that were fed either dry diets containing 18% or 34% protein or canned diets containing 22% or 36% protein. No adverse effects from dietary protein were observed. On the contrary, mortality was slightly higher dogs fed the lower protein diet.”

The summary of LaFlamme’s article states:

“Based on a comprehensive review, there remains no evidence that dietary protein causes kidney damage, or any other adverse effects, in healthy dogs.”

This is an excerpt from “Focusing on Protein in the Diet” by TJ Dunn Jr. DVM:

“Ahhhhhh … I know what you’re thinking! Too much protein! Kidney damage! Well, guess what? The very early research that pointed a finger at protein as being a cause of kidney failure in dogs wasn’t even done on dogs! It was done on rats fed unnatural diets for a rodent — diets high in protein. (Were we tinkering with Nature during these “tests”?) Rats have difficulty excreting excess protein in their diets because they are essentially plant eaters, not meat eaters.

Dogs are quite able to tolerate diets with protein levels higher than 30 percent on a dry weight basis. Dogs are meat eaters; that’s how Nature made them! Rats are not. So some of the early research on rats was assumed to be true for dogs … and the myth of “too much protein in a dog’s diet causes kidney damage” was started. And just like any seemingly valid rumor or assertion, it derived a life of its own and is only recently being accepted as untrue.”

This is an excerpt from “Kirk’s Veterinary Therapy XIII, Small Animal Practice” by written by Finco, Brown, Barsanti and Bartges:

“…restriction of protein intake does not alter the development of renal lesions nor does it preserve renal function. Considering these (research) findings, the authors do not recommend reduction of dietary protein in dogs with renal disease or reduced renal function in order to achieve renoprotective effects.”

Dr. Kenneth C. Bovée describes using dietary protein as a nutritional management approach in dogs suffering from kidney disease as “a medical myth”. The common belief that moderate and high protein diets cause kidney disease is also unsubstantiated. According to Bovée:

“Results of the 10 experimental studies on dogs have failed to provide evidence of the benefit of reduced dietary protein to influence the course of renal failure.”

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[BarneyBo]

Hi, PLEASE, NEED ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER PET PARENTS! About 10 days ago we got a Yahoo News alert stating the FDA was re-releasing a pet food recall list with 180 companies’ pet foods on them, (including Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, Alpo, Science Diet, ETC.)
Reason given was the food (wet, dry and some treats) have toxins in them, chemicals called melamime and cyulaic acid, when combined together they can cause kidney disease in dogs and they could die from it.
Our 9-year-old Labrador/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, Barney, had passed away suddently just about a week before, on April 3, 2013, and the symptoms described for this kidn of poisoning sound a lot like what he had.
Please pass on any info you have on this. The FDA list was released in 1997, but apparently made the news again recently because of these pet foods causing new outbreaks of salmonella. How do we know that any of these pet food companies cleaned up their act since this recall in 2007? How do we know any pet food is safe?
Our Bishon Frise, Bo, who is 6, is lost without Barney. When he joined our family as a 5-month-old puppy (who is learning disabled due to being dropped on his head by his former owner), Barney was already here, and as “big brother,” he taught Bo everything he knows. Now he howls, hangs his head, looks for Barney everywhere, and will not eat. He has been showing signs of kidney disease as well, drinking a lot of water for one thing. He will be getting checked out at the vet asap.
When I called the vet about Barney, and later mentioned about the recall, he advised me to throw out the dog food and fix Bo chicken with rice, Tums, and to bring him in for a checkup.
We are scared of the long-term exposure Bo has had from the same food Barney ate, mostly small-sized crunchy type Kibbles and Bits types of dry food, and Alpo wet food.
Can anyone help us and give us some direction on this? Why would a list that was released in 2007 be re-released in 2013? Evidently at that time (2007) the govt. said this batch came from China, but who knows if any of it is safe? It appears the FDA is not too stringent on these companies or our own government’s standards. Experiencing outrage, grief and extreme concern for our surviving pet and many, many other dogs, cats, horses and their owners who have suffered needlessly. The ASCPA web site has a lot of great info on this. Thank you and God bless. -Barney and Bo’s Mom and Dad

[design.girl]

I have 3 dogs. All my lil rescues. A pug, a 3 legged havanese and a blind havanese. :o)

My little blind girl has such intolerance for food. She’s been checked out every time we have an episode of diarrhea.We have to withhold food for 24 hours every time it happens. She is 8, we’ve tried Wellness Senior, Merrick, Innova grain free simple ingredients venison, wellness simple solutions.
Right now I am making her homemade diet of 3 ingredients + a multivitamin and probiotic
So for example this week was Turkey /Pumpkin & rice boiled. The other 2 could eat a dead rat out of the yard and be fine. They have iron tummies, Winnie is the exception. She is so sensitive to everything.
I don’t want a high protein diet because I lost a dog to kidney disease, and I know high protein is tough on kidneys. Any suggestions for something mild?