[timbo]

Can anyone suggest a recipe that closely approximates L/D dog food?

I have an Australian Kelpie which I brought over to the United States from my homeland as a puppy, and now, at ten years of age, he's developed liver and kidney problems that have sapped him of all his usual vitality and left him constantly throwing up his food. He's lost a lot of his condition, plods around the house like a snail, and can barely muster the energy to climb up on to his favorite sofa. Measure that against a dog who, until a few weeks ago, was extremely hyperactive and spent much of his time burning off excess energy doing lap after lap of our large back yard at a near full sprint and would practically run circles around himself in excitement every time he'd see us.

I've currently got him on antibiotics, vitamin shots, and medication for liver, kidneys, and also for anemia, but the vet also suggested that he needs to go on an L/D diet permanently.

Under normal circumstances I wouldn't mind paying the $60 per 20lb bag if it means looking after my dog's health, but right at the moment we are up to our eyeballs in major debts and financial obligations (thanks in large measure to a costly legal suit involving my wife's sociopathic ex-husband) and I'm piling up everything to do with my dog on my credit card, together with a pile of other things, while we sort ourselves out and wait for this legal case to finally come to a conclusion.

It would certainly help the budget if I could cook up suitable food for my dog that matches or closely approximates what L/D dog food has to offer, and would in fact see me return to something I used to do for my dogs back home in Australia - cook up their food myself. I assume that outside of the actual food itself I'd probably have to throw in some suitable vitamins as well.

Bottom line - does anyone know where I can find a recipe that approximates L/D requirements, or if one actually exists on the net?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kathyy]

http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/
Also http://http://www.dogaware.com/kidney.html has terrific info on feeding real food to sick dogs.

Both sites have a number of articles on feeding real food to dogs, great primers.

Then since your dog has kidney issues check the phosphorus content by making up a recipe at nutritiondata.com and make sure there isn't too much phosphorus.

My 15.5 year old Sassy is on a home cooked kidney diet. That plus subcutaneous fluids and a daily Pepcid to help her appetite have perked her up nicely. Her home cooked food isn't replacing the K/D it is BETTER in every way.

If he is on antibiotics that messes up the intestinal flora big time. Sassy stopped eating when she was on a high powered one. A simple antacid worked wonders. She mopes around without her fluids so make sure he is getting more than enough fluid.http://http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/h2o.htm Sassy gets the amount that comes up in the calculator plus what is in her wet food AND subcutaneous fluids.


Get copies of ALL the lab work you have had done and join the yahoo group K9KidneyDiet for ways to zero in on best treatments for the dog.

 

[HORSEandHOUND]

Can I make a tiny suggestion?
even though these prescription foods have oodles of what we find as icky ingredients in them, they are balanced to keep your dog alive for as long as possible. Sadly even a dvm posting here will not be able to give you a cheaper option without a boatload of risk.
Be honest with your vet and tell them the LD is too expensive for you right now, and what else can you do to do right by your pet. It sux when someone tells you its going to cost boatloads to keep your furry friend feeling good, i totally understand, but i also understand the mindset that at this point, anything cheaper will sound like a better option.
just be careful is all i'm saying.

 

[Kathyy]

The script kidney diets are just for kidney and liver diet is just for liver. If you have a combination problem what do you do? If your dog needs low phosphorus L/D is the wrong food. It has 126 mg P per 100 kcal. My kidney dog gets 450 mg phosphorus per 800 kcal. What's that, 55 mg phosphorus per 100 kcal? Too much phosphorus makes dogs feel ill and the kidneys will continue to decline.

Perhaps try to find a copy of Strombeck's book it is about 10 years old and may be at the library. My vet gave me printouts of the kidney recipes. He goes into good detail about how and what to feed and has lots of recipes for all sorts of problems but falls down on the micronutrient part of it. Just recommends a multi mineral and vitamin supplement. Looked at the shelf lately? Shelves and shops full of those.