[Merry G]

I read that when you lower the protein the phosphorus is lowered also because it’s contained in the meat protein. I found a canned dog food that has a .8% of protein and according the the article I read, that’s a good low range.
She doesn’t like that KD Science Diet dog food! I don’t either! It’s rubbery and I don’t like the added ingredients. And not too long after I was feeding it to her she got really sick with throwing up and then refusing to eat. I had to fix chicken broth and crackers for her, lol like ya would for a kid! A few days later she was fine and now she’s as frisky as a pup.
I have a very picky boxer so getting her to eat something good for her is a real challenge. I boil and then fry or bake chicken for her and add yellow potatoes, carrots and celery. And it’s seasoned with some rosemary, sage, a bit of ginger and salt and it tastes good to me so I always hope she’s not in her “diva mode” and will chow down on it! lolol Dogs! How they get US trained to suit them! 🙂

The dog foods I saw that were made from fish used salmon. I’m going to see if my girl will eat tuna fish. She won’t eat food that I put fish oil in. So maybe she’ll get her omegas with tuna instead.
I had to laugh at the Vet when he asked if Sage drinks alot of water or more than usual. Fer cripes sake I said to him. We live in the DESERT and we ALL drink more water than people in the flatlands or moisture rich areas do!
But sigh…it made me paranoid so now I pay too much attention to the amount of water she drinks which is no more than she always did, lol. I’m looking for things that aren’t there because of this diagnoses.

[Merry G]

PS.
I just read the report from this Doc Bovee for about the 5th time. It sounds like the idea for reduced protein diets was developed in the 40s but it really has no basis in scientific fact. It even appears that a low protein diet is worse for renal failure. We picked up some Science Diet kd last week.
I fed my Boxer some of it trying to ease her into new food and she’s not been feeling well for the last couple of days. She won’t eat but drinks water and then goes and eats grass and throws up. She also seems to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning her
“girlie area” especially at night.
I’m calling the Vet on Mon and hoping to get her in the same day.
I know that nausea and vomiting are supposed to be signs of more advanced kidney failure but it seems to me that in the so called “early stages” these symptoms shouldn’t be occurring just yet and perhaps there’s something else going on her making her sick. Sigh….and that’s probably just me grasping at straws and trying to maintain hopefulness that my Sage hasn’t moved so quickly into the advanced stages of renal failure.
She was only diagnosed this past month.
I live in the desert and I don’t feel that the vets we’ve been to over the years have been all that great. They seem to care more about cows and horses than house pets. We’ve gone to all 4 of the vets available and their competency has alot to be desired but we’re hoping this guy is the best of the worst.
Ok, thanks again to you all who have taken the time to read my ramblings and responded. We dog folks are sniffalicious top shelf!

[Merry G]

I don’t understand how a dog’s BUN numbers can be elevated either by dehydration or a sign of kidney problems. You’d think that they wouldn’t even mention dehydration! He did tell me that she can live with it for quite some time before it worsens but didn’t say how quickly it can progress or what to watch for. She doesn’t really like the KD Science Diet and I found some dog food online that has low protein and I ordered a case hoping she’ll be happy eating it. I don’t mind making my own food for her. I’ve been boiling and crock potting chicken for her for more than a year because she decided regular dog food was beneath her “diva dignity.” I mix it with brown rice sometimes and she gets the broth and carrots too.
I like to squirt a bit of fish oil in her bowl but that dog can sniff it out and then she will not eat it!
I would have no problem cooking her whatever kind of food would be good for her I’m pretty much used to it now.

I read a paper written by a Vet about putting a dog on low protein food in the early stages of renal failure. His name is Kenneth Bovee, DVM, MmedSc, (Dept of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.) It reads kind of dry and technical but I did my best to understand it. It seems that there’s quite a controversy about if a low protein diet actually helps but Vets have been told it works so they’ve been recommending it for a long time.
I’ve read about herbal supplements that can help the kidneys function better, or “cure” renal failure but I don’t believe there’s a cure!

I appreciate all your feedback and I hope that I can help Sage live the rest of her time with us in a painless, quality way. I still marvel at what a dog can add to one’s life and how completely smitten we can become over them! I’ve had 4 boxers in my life and I’ve loved every one of them equally and my life was enriched by their love.

http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/support-files/bovee_protein_renal.pdf

[Merry G]

Boxers just seem to be known for having digestive problems! I’ve had 4 in my lifetime and each one was unique in their belly issues. My first boxer liked yogurt and my current boxer Sage will eat it too. Sometimes I’ll sprinkle some acidolphilus (sp) on her food. It helps too. They get so excitable sometimes that they’ll throw up so I don’t encourage any friskiness after my girl drinks water or finishes eating even if she wants to play. I’ve cleaned up alot of puddles of puke over the years, lol. But I adore boxers and will have one til the end! Good luck with your bodacious boxer!

[Merry G]

I have an 8 yr old Boxer named Sage who was just diagnosed with early renal failure. Her first blood test had high BUN numbers but the second test was on “the high side of normal.” The Vet also said that dehydration can cause the BUN numbers to be high. I have to travel 50 miles 1 way to get to the Vet, and Sage hates long car rides and is pretty much in a state of high anxiety, drooling and slobbering all over the car, and constantly panting and putting her head out the window. She won’t drink water when we get to the Vet’s either. So he said she has to be on the Hills Science Diet KD formula so that her kidneys won’t get worse. She’s a very picky eater and I’ve been cooking chicken for over a year for her meals. She also gets carrots, brown rice and an occasional few spoons of canned dog food mixed into her bowl. She doesn’t mind the Science Diet but it’s only a matter of time before she refuses to eat it and I would like to find some alternative low protein/low phosphorus food for her to try. I’m still undecided about this so called kidney problem since she could have been dehydrated. I told the Vet about her anxiousness in the car but he pretty much blew that off. She also had 2 urine tests and he said that it “wasn’t concentrating enough protein.” I want to do right by my dog with her diet and this kidney issue but I’m getting more confused the more I look up dog food information. I just want to keep her as healthy as I can for as long as I can. Any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated!

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