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Chronic Kidney Disease

1K views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  Pasofino 
#1 ·
I have a rescue Pitt mix who was diagnosed with CKD about 2 years ago. Thank goodness for my awesome vet.

She has him on fluids every 2-3 days, SubQ, 500 ml, fish oil, Benazipril, aspirin, omeprozole and a few other meds. He is doing quite well, with a few bad days every now and then.


I have fed him numerous different foods trying to find the right combo that he will eat and will stay down. I just cannot bring myself to feed him the Science Hill or Canidae food for kidney patients, so I cook for him and feed him raw tripe.

So far it has worked, but I wanted to know if anyone else has had a dog with CKD and what you have fed him. He has days when he won't eat any of the foods he normally likes, so I want to have a dry food on hand since he does like kibble. I have other dogs that eat Solid Gold and California Natural, so he has eaten it on occasion, but it is too high in phosphorus for him to eat very often.

The Tripe has been a lifesaver, but is too expensive to feed exclusively.
 
#2 · (Edited)
That's something I struggled with for Galaxy. She had a very elevated pancreas as well, so the vet's choice was to treat the pancreatitis with diet and the kidney with meds. Her diet was very restricted, pancreas is low-fat diet, Kidney is high fat, low protein. As her kidneys got worse, I switched to a home cooked meal and eventually supplemented with Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw. For the home cooked meals, I stuck with chicken and short-medium grained rice with string beans and carrots. I remember doing lots of research on different foods and the differences in nutritional value depending on how it was prepared.

There is some good information on Dogaware.com The person who runs the site is a nutritionist who has additional experience with KD dogs. She will also respond to emailed questions about your diet. She may, or should ask you about recent test results as well.

A few people recommended CoQ10, so I added 30 mg 2 x's a day to her pill regiment. Good for organ support and no side-effects that I'm aware of.

Galaxy didn't make it beyond 2 1/2 years after her diagnosis, she was 9 or 10 at the time, but had a lot of energy and vitality in her last 2 years. I was grateful for that.

Sending healing thoughts and prayers.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks 3Dog. I have been to that site, very good info. That is where I got the suggestion to feed Raw Tripe. It is nasty, but he loves it and I think it made a huge difference in his health.

I cook eggs (low phosphorus) and sweet potatoes a lot for him.

I had not thought about Honest Kitchen. I think Phydeaux carries that, so I will check it out, thanks!!

Being a vegetarian, it is hard for me to handle raw food but the freeze dried raw food is a great option.

So, your guy lived 2.5 years after being diagnosed? We don't think Two is more than 8, so hopefully, being "younger" will be in his favor.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I;ll bet he's loving that tripe. I don't have the courage to try it.

You can check out the ingredients on the Honest Kitchen website if it helps. HK Preference was recommended by a holistic vet who knew Galaxy's medical history and knew I was having trouble finding a diet to meet the needs of both of her bigger medical issues.

I didn't mean to scare you with Galaxy's timeline and I certainly wouldn't use her as a guideline for longevity for KD dogs. She had quite a few other issues going on as well. It's just that it was a big factor in trying to find a diet that would work for her. There are lots of dogs who manage well with KD

One thing I did find, and I'm sure you already know this, is be careful with 'natural' OTC products for dogs as well as vitamins, herbs and minerals. In reading some of the ingredients in foods and OTC products and doing some research, there were a few ingredients, herbs and additives that will aggravate the kidneys. Don't know them off the top of my head, but I do remember researching some and found there were very few if any, she could use. I think that's why vet's tend to lean towards prescription foods. Galaxy started out on Royal Canin LFDG for pancreas and did quite well for about 12-18 months until she developed kidney issues.
 
#5 ·
I agree about OTC herbs. My vet has given me some kidney support herbs by Standard Process. It is working well, or at least, something is.

There re a few pet food places around here that sell high end foods and do carry HK foods. Thanks for the reminder. I emailed them and asked which of their foods is lowest in Phosphorus. One of them was less than 23% protein so I wanted to find out the phosphorus levels. That along with the tripe and other things I cook, may do well. His tastes seem to change, depending on his B vit levels. Some days he loves the trip (most days) but there are some days he is just not interested in it and will only eat eggs and sweet potatoes.

(You're right, that Tripe is tough to take, but I now get it in frozen 2 lb containers so it is easier to handle than getting it locally. Just open and plop it in the bowl!)
 
#6 ·
I agree about OTC herbs. My vet has given me some kidney support herbs by Standard Process. It is working well, or at least, something is.

There re a few pet food places around here that sell high end foods and do carry HK foods. Thanks for the reminder. I emailed them and asked which of their foods is lowest in Phosphorus. One of them was less than 23% protein so I wanted to find out the phosphorus levels. That along with the tripe and other things I cook, may do well. His tastes seem to change, depending on his B vit levels. Some days he loves the trip (most days) but there are some days he is just not interested in it and will only eat eggs and sweet potatoes.

(You're right, that Tripe is tough to take, but I now get it in frozen 2 lb containers so it is easier to handle than getting it locally. Just open and plop it in the bowl!)
 
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