# Now Babs has chronic kidney failure



## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

We just got through the whole MCT scare, surgery went well she has clean margins, but now I find she is in the early stages of kidney failure, I am heart broken but hopeful. 

Her protein creatinine ratio is high & she has trace amounts of blood in her urine.

Of course regular vet wants her on a prescription diet (NO) I will be discussing a diet with the holistic vet Weds, he has her on some kidney support & Chinese medicine, with bone broth & wants veggies added.


So I have been doing a ton of research everything I have read suggest a high fat, moderate protein and low phosphorus diet.





Anyone else have a dog with chronic kidney failure? What do you feed your dog?


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Aw, Babs! I have not had a kidney dog yet, but dr strombecks home prepared dog and cat diets has a kidney recipe, as does Lew Olsens book. 

Good luck!


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

wishing you and your dog the best.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

Shamrockmommy said:


> Aw, Babs! I have not had a kidney dog yet, but dr strombecks home prepared dog and cat diets has a kidney recipe, as does Lew Olsens book.
> 
> Good luck!


Thank you, I have already lost my 4 YO Max to acute kidney failure, so this is just heart breaking, the only good thing is I caught it early.


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## GRoberts99 (Feb 25, 2014)

Sorry about your loss.


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## stbernardlover (Jun 24, 2013)

I am so sorry to hear about this. I know you are skeptical about the perscription diets (as many others are), but I will say that I knew a friend's dog diagnosed with acute renal failure at age 5, and she lived on to be 12 eating canned Hill's k/d. 

Wishing you guys the best. Your Max sure was beautiful


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

stbernardlover said:


> I am so sorry to hear about this. I know you are skeptical about the perscription diets (as many others are), but I will say that I knew a friend's dog diagnosed with acute renal failure at age 5, and she lived on to be 12 eating canned Hill's k/d.
> 
> Wishing you guys the best. Your Max sure was beautiful



Thank you, he really was a great dog.. Unfortunately no one caught it until it was to late, even with 3 doctors & multiple test. 
I have gotten some other opinions about Babs and this doctor thinks that her kidney's are functioning normal for a raw fed dog, just go to show that vets don't always have the answers


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## stbernardlover (Jun 24, 2013)

Rvent said:


> Thank you, he really was a great dog.. Unfortunately no one caught it until it was to late, even with 3 doctors & multiple test.
> I have gotten some other opinions about Babs and this doctor thinks that her kidney's are functioning normal for a raw fed dog, just go to show that vets don't always have the answers


Oh that's great to hear about Babs! I've heard that normal results from blood tests are based on kibble-fed dogs, and most vets do not know what is normal for a raw fed dog. (?)


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

stbernardlover said:


> Oh that's great to hear about Babs! I've heard that normal results from blood tests are based on kibble-fed dogs, and most vets do not know what is normal for a raw fed dog. (?)



That is actually very true, but there are a few that don't change regardless of diet, the protein in the urine, blood in the urine, specific gravity is important, Babs has had protein & trace amounts of blood in her urine for a while but she has been having these for a while now but her specific gravity is great. 
I actually did a ton of research about kidney failure in dogs, everything I have read suggests that the old way of thinking that dogs require less protein is false, it is more important to lower phosphorus & give high quality proteins, the prescription diets are based on the old theory


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

Rvent said:


> That is actually very true, but there are a few that don't change regardless of diet, the protein in the urine, blood in the urine, specific gravity is important, Babs has had protein & trace amounts of blood in her urine for a while but she has been having these for a while now but her specific gravity is great.
> I actually did a ton of research about kidney failure in dogs, everything I have read suggests that the old way of thinking that dogs require less protein is false, it is more important to lower phosphorus & give high quality proteins, the prescription diets are based on the old theory


The vet diets are based on the newest research and are updated pretty regularly as things are confirmed, though not knee jerk. Any renal diet from a vet is well researched and renal disease is probably the most successful management of all the disease categories. you are correct. The focus is the phosphorus and sodium, not total protein, but quality of protein. But these diets have much more than that to deal with metabolic acidosis, muscle wasting etc. It's actually a much simpler mechanism than urinary diets or derm diets.


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

stbernardlover said:


> Oh that's great to hear about Babs! I've heard that normal results from blood tests are based on kibble-fed dogs, and most vets do not know what is normal for a raw fed dog. (?)


It's hard to evaluate the blood level differences in raw fed vs kibble. there seems to be a consistent difference but do we interpret those higher levels as being more taxing on the healthy kidneys, and if they are healthy, does that matter? Does it suggest we should be more diligent with UAs and blood work in older dogs fed raw since once kidney insufficiency occurs a dietary change is most definitely needed. it's always back to a risk discussion. Kidney disease is just so insidious that I prefer to err on the side of caution and limit protein and minerals like phosphorus since there is no down side to doing so.


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