# Best diet for kidney disease



## Lou123

Hi,

I have a 12 year old Wiemeraner who has just recently been diagnosed with kidney failure.. he has done very well to get to this age with nothing so far! so I am looking for the best natural dry food to give him other than the prescription diets the vets say you should use. I struggle to keep weight on him and especially with winter coming do not want to restrict his protein down to the low amount the vet diets do - I have also been told by some good friends who are vets that it is a miff about the lowering the protein and all the tests were done on Rats...!

Has anyone used a good diet that is not high in protein, is low in phosphorus and not acidified? I want to stay as natural as possible - most of the store diets upset his tum!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

Many thanks


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## miss sophie

go raw. its cheaper, just as convienent, and really; doesnt he deserve it.?


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## rannmiller

Oh good, that's what I was gonna suggest. I have an almost 11 year old lab/shepherd mix who's diagnosed with kidney failure. She was on SD prescription for the longest time and did absolutely horrid on it. Ever since I've switched her to raw, she's done 100% better. 

I think the difference is the quality of the protein. Raw is just an absolutely superior source of protein to anything you can find in kibble. And then you know exactly what your dog is getting, the quality of it, and as miss sophie said, it's cheaper.


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## BoxerMommie

I would go with either raw or homecooked. Look online and see about finding a book on canine kidney issues and see if there are some recipes.


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## zomo

I vote raw also.


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## LoveNewfies

Most definitely raw, home cooked as a second. It is far, far easier on the entire body, including the kidneys, to process food in their most natural form.

Adding probiotics and a good quality salmon oil with vitamin E has also shown to be beneficial for kidney problems.


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## attackofthebear

About the salmon oil, skip it and just feed canned fish i.e mackerel, sardines, salmon instead.


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## LoveNewfies

Salmon oil will typically provide more concentrated amounts of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids than canned fish. With canned fish make sure you watch for sodium content.


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## Snowden

LoveNewfies said:


> Salmon oil will typically provide more concentrated amounts of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids than canned fish. With canned fish make sure you watch for sodium content.


I agree... you don't want to add sodium to the diet. My 13 year old weimaraner also had kidney disease (he passed in Sept 2008). I found that cooking his meals helped. I used chicken or turkey with sweet potato, pumpkin, or rice.

Good Luck

Lindsey


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## selfservepetspa

LoveNewfies said:


> Salmon oil will typically provide more concentrated amounts of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids than canned fish. With canned fish make sure you watch for sodium content.


I would consider adding green tripe to get your omegas, probiotics, digestive enzymes and other additional nutrients (especially if you can get it raw, otherwise try Tripe by Ziwipeak).


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## ILuvLabs

Lou:

You might want to check Yahoo groups as they have a group for just about every ailment you can think of.......have never belonged to any but I've heard people say they are very helpful.

I also went to the library & borrowed Donald Strombeck's Home Prepared Dog & Cat Diets & Richard Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats. They both have a lot of recipes for home cooking & great info about nutrition but Strombeck's book had a lot more recipes geared toward cooking for pets w/illnesses. Once I get over Christmas  & have some money once again, I want to buy both of them.

HTH.


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## StellaLucyDesi

If you don't want to go raw or homecook, there are other options. Flint River Ranch is a dry food that is designed to help with urinary issues. Check out the website Flint River Ranch Natural Pet Foods for Healthy Dogs and Cats. The only drawback is that it has to be ordered online, I believe. Another food that is considered okay to use with urinary problems is Eagle Pack Holistic Select Anchovy formula. You can go to their website at Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc. and read under the pet health section. I also know that foods like Innova Senior (the regular, not Senior Plus) have lower protein, ash, phosphorus, magnesium percentages. Innova low-fat, as well. Solid Gold recommends their Holistic Blendz for urinary problems. Also, a can food diet or can food mixed with dry and some water helps. IMO, good can food to use is EPHS chicken, Innova Senior, and Solid Gold Turkey & fish. I'm sure there are others that would work, but these are my choices for my 8-year old cavalier that has struvite crystals and a UTI. Good Luck!


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## onthink

I vote raw too.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

The dog aware site Kidney Disease has great information about diet and kidney disease. You may find nutritional requirements change depending on the severity of the disease.


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## CharleyBrock

In my personal experience, home cooked has actually been best. But that's just my dogs... raw tends to lead to more unpleasant urination etc. experiences.


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## Ali

The only commercial foods I would consider using are Karma Organics and Canine Caviar Senior. Both of these are quality foods and have a phosphorus of .5% - much lower than any other commercial food considered ok for renal issues. 
Managing a renal dog can be complicated at first but there are a lot of great resources, including the yahoo group. Good luck!


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## fuji24

The alone bartering foods I would accede application are Karma Organics and Canine Caviar Senior. Both of these are superior foods and accept a phosphorus of .5% - abundant lower than any added bartering aliment advised ok for renal issues.

Managing a renal dog can be complicated at aboriginal but there are a lot of abundant resources, including the beast group.

________________
Weight loss pills


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## steve

*best diet for kidneys*

I also vote for raw as well as flushing the body out as much as possible. Tripe is a excellent idea as well as lipase, amylase and other digestive enzymes. One other thing that is excellent is powdered cranberries which are excellent for the kidney and help flush out the toxins that are stored in the liver and kidneys.


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## RawFedDogs

steve said:


> I also vote for raw as well as flushing the body out as much as possible. Tripe is a excellent idea as well as lipase, amylase and other digestive enzymes. One other thing that is excellent is powdered cranberries which are excellent for the kidney and help flush out the toxins that are stored in the liver and kidneys.


Amylase is an enzyme for digesting plant matter. It is not needed by dogs fed a proper raw diet. Liver and kidneys don't store anything. They are filters but toxins aren't stored in either of them.


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## steve

RawFedDogs said:


> Amylase is an enzyme for digesting plant matter. It is not needed by dogs fed a proper raw diet. Liver and kidneys don't store anything. They are filters but toxins aren't stored in either of them.


Where then do the toxins go? If the kidneys and liver are the bodies filters, you would think it not be wise to consume them on a frequent basis.


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## jdatwood

Another vote here for RAW!


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## RawFedDogs

steve said:


> Where then do the toxins go? If the kidneys and liver are the bodies filters, you would think it not be wise to consume them on a frequent basis.


To the bladder and out in the urine. Both liver and kidneys are very nutritious to eat ourselves and feed our dogs. Dogs actually NEED to eat at least liver. Kidney also in the diet also is even better. My dogs eat a pretty big glob of beef liver at least once a week and have for 7 years.


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## symondneil

Hello,
Nice post for diet for kidney disease.The food you choose is entirely up to you. Raw protein is actually the best for a KD dog but if that is not an option for you, for whatever reason, then I would suggest you look at something like Ziwi Peak. Using Ziwi Peak as your base food, you can then add in your supplements or even add in some home cooked meals for rotation and variety.


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