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oneofakind864 · 03-14-2015, 02:59 PM

First of all SO sorry if you are reading this because your dog has kidney problems. It's a terrible and heart wrenching diagnosis to get about your furbaby. And I am NOT a vet or even a breeder. I am just a yorkie mom who went through hell fighting kidney disease and who got my dog to have 5 good, relatively happy years after being diagnosed. I did a LOT of research and spent hours on the computer trying to find how to best deal with all of it. And like I said- I'm sure some might disagree- but my vet would back me up. He has been amazed at the lengths I went to in order to keep my little girl happy. And he was ASTOUNDED at how long she stayed with me before she decided it was time to leave. I have no problem sharing what I learned if it will help even one more yorkie parent to keep their babies feeling good for a little it longer. Hopefully I won't step on anyone's toes who might be more of an "authority".

We caught my yorkie's kidney problems very early. She was only 7 when we got a BUN of 94, creatinine was normal. But we immediately put her on the Hill Prescription diet. She was on that for 2 years before she started getting sick from it and just flat out refused to eat it anymore. THat forced me to make her food for the last 3 years of her life. To make a long tearful story short. She had 5 more good years after her initial diagnosis. She did get sub-q fluids for the last year when the vet determined she was dehydrated and needed some assistance with hydration. As the disease progresses.. your baby will lose his or her appetite. And unfortunately- commercial kidney diets aren't very tempting to most dogs. So you have to get creative. There are several home made kidney diets that consist of a base of rice mixed with chicken or beef, sweet potato, egg whites...the list is very long. But the important thing to know ( and I just found this in reading, research and talking to breeders who are friends of mine) Is most normal doggy diets are pretty high in protein- some as much as 50%. A dog with kidney problems needs to have a diet that is no more than 25% protein. This in and of itself can cause problems. My little girl became anemic and had a strike because her protein levels were too low. So the vet recommended we give her a transfusion and up it to 30%. I asked "won't that burn through her kidneys faster?" And he made a very good point. He said- She can die right now from either a stroke or other complications from the low protein diet. OR you can have her healthy and feeling pretty good until her kidneys go.

The transfusion was a miracle. And when we upped the protein levels she started making red blood cells again and got 6 more good months.

I am posting here because so many yorkie owners will be overwhelmed by the low protein diets out there on the internet. Most of them are OBVIOUSLY for much larger dogs...as in 40 lbs or up dogs. With a breed that is rarely over 10 pounds. Here are some easy ideas that will help your dog keep their appetite and allow you to save time by not having to cook. First of all...most dogs need about 1.25 to 1.75 oz of home made cooked food, or baby food ( which has lots of water in it) per pound of body weight. (this is based on doing the math from the recommended servings of the kidney diets I found and dividing down for my little 3 pound girl) I tried to get her to eat 5-6 oz a day because she was a bit underweight all her life. But I would settle for getting 3.5 to 4 oz in her towards the end. The day she died she was down to 1.5 lbs. So be aware as your dogs kidney disease progresses it is common for them to lose weight. Choosing hi calorie foods as part of the food you make can off set that. Everyone knows pureed mango had a LOT More calories .oz for .oz- than pureed Zucchini- Right? Use your common sense.

if you don't have one- you need to GET a food scale ( that measures oz or grams) so you can control your portions and keep track of how much your baby is eating.

Pick a pureed babyfood that only has the meat and broth (no added salt in the ingredients) You can easily find Chicken, Beef, Ham and Turkey. This will be 25% of your total food weight. For my little girl it was 1 oz.

Then you can use mix of additional baby food or you can add home made add ins like Sweet potato, cooked brown or white rice, quinoa, barley, oatmeal or cream of wheat. Just make sure that these are cooked VERY soft. These are excellent carbohydrates. This should be 50% of the total food weight.

The other 25% should come from fruits and veggies. if you dog need the calories fruits are higher in calories than veggies but that is your call. (Avoid veggies that are high in phosphorus like winter squash or fruits high in potassium like Bananas) Peas, carrots, apples, mango, pear, spinach, applesauce, and so many others are all great. ** if you DO give them a veg with a cellulose coating like peas, make sure you smash them open. Dogs can't digest the cellulose so they can't get the nutrients if the coating isn't broken.

Or you can use Baby food that has blends of Apple, Pear, Spinach, peas...whatever. Just make sure there is no ONION in any of the baby foods you select and keep a close eye on salt, phosphorus and potassium. If your yorkie also has trouble with teeth and tender gums.you can actually use 75% baby food veggies and fruits in whatever combo you like. Some good ones that my little girl loved are
Pear Spinach
Pea
Peas and Carrots
sweet potato and sweet potato blended with anything
Apple blends
Beets ( in moderation)
Turkey, cranberry, apple
Mango puree
peach puree
and some of the cereal blends

Babyfood makes it easy to change it up and keep a finicky dog interested. My little girl ate right up to that last weekend before she passed.

You may also want to put 1/8 of a teas of good high quality oil in the food. olive oil is fine and so is coconut oil, but one that has omegas is better.

There is a company called five leaf pet pharamacy that sells a product called " Doggie Greens" A bag is 25.00 but it will last you YEARS! I only needed 1/16 of a teas per day for my little girl. This is a mix of plants that are GREAT for your dog. www.fiveleafpetpharmacy.com

They also sell a bunch of drops they say can cleanse your pup..but my little girl HATED them and wouldn't TOUCH any food they were in so as far as those went I threw away 100 bucks. ( I admit they do kinda stink) And the drops are darn expensive. Personally if I had it to do over. I'd pass on the drops and just do the greens.

Vetri-science also has a vitamin supplement especially for Kidney Function called Renal- essentials. My little girl got a half of one of these daily. Comes in chicken and beef flavors and she loved both. **Keep them TIGHTLY stored in a zip lock or they get hard as a brick.

You may also want to change out their treats. I got rid of all the hi sodium jerky style treats ( that probably contributed to the kidney problems) and protein based treats(which are hard on little kidneys) and started giving cheerios and those "Puffed" cereal brands over in the baby Aisle. THey have the motto "Eato your colors" and flavors like Apple/Spinach, Strawberry/Beet and Sweet potato/Mango etc. They are sweetened with natural fruit puree and don't have salt and my girl loved them when she wouldn't eat anything else.

And lastly...if you dog is getting sick and it's a yellow bubbly stuff.. ask your vet about amphogel. It's white liquid you give them either in their food or with a syringe ( no needle of course) by mouth. And also a Tinnic solution to offset the lower protein diet with vitamins and minerals- especially iron-normally found in commercial dogfood.

If you wanna read for yourself all the info I used to create this diet for my little girl I'll be happy to share. Most of it came from a downloadable series of books about dog food. It's the best $50 I ever spent. I learned how to make my own dog food ( regular and kidney diets) What ingredients to look for in dog food that would make them something I would NEVER buy. It also taught me how to look for the best commercial dog foods. There is a section about home made remedies to various doggy ailments, how to make healthy treats and a lot more. Just ask And I'll share. But I didn't want to come off sounding like a infomercial

I hope some of this helps. I got 5 years with my precious baby after the kidney disease started. My vet said the last two were a miracle, plain and simple, and that any other dog would have been long gone.

I am so sorry to hear your pup has Kidney problems. It is eventually going to take them away from you. But you CAN slow it down and do everything you can to keep your baby as happy and healthy as possible for as long as you can. Good Luck and I hope this helps some of you.

03-14-2015, 02:59 PM	#6
oneofakind864 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: San Jose CA USA Posts: 129	Maybe this can help you? First of all SO sorry if you are reading this because your dog has kidney problems. It's a terrible and heart wrenching diagnosis to get about your furbaby. And I am NOT a vet or even a breeder. I am just a yorkie mom who went through hell fighting kidney disease and who got my dog to have 5 good, relatively happy years after being diagnosed. I did a LOT of research and spent hours on the computer trying to find how to best deal with all of it. And like I said- I'm sure some might disagree- but my vet would back me up. He has been amazed at the lengths I went to in order to keep my little girl happy. And he was ASTOUNDED at how long she stayed with me before she decided it was time to leave. I have no problem sharing what I learned if it will help even one more yorkie parent to keep their babies feeling good for a little it longer. Hopefully I won't step on anyone's toes who might be more of an "authority". We caught my yorkie's kidney problems very early. She was only 7 when we got a BUN of 94, creatinine was normal. But we immediately put her on the Hill Prescription diet. She was on that for 2 years before she started getting sick from it and just flat out refused to eat it anymore. THat forced me to make her food for the last 3 years of her life. To make a long tearful story short. She had 5 more good years after her initial diagnosis. She did get sub-q fluids for the last year when the vet determined she was dehydrated and needed some assistance with hydration. As the disease progresses.. your baby will lose his or her appetite. And unfortunately- commercial kidney diets aren't very tempting to most dogs. So you have to get creative. There are several home made kidney diets that consist of a base of rice mixed with chicken or beef, sweet potato, egg whites...the list is very long. But the important thing to know ( and I just found this in reading, research and talking to breeders who are friends of mine) Is most normal doggy diets are pretty high in protein- some as much as 50%. A dog with kidney problems needs to have a diet that is no more than 25% protein. This in and of itself can cause problems. My little girl became anemic and had a strike because her protein levels were too low. So the vet recommended we give her a transfusion and up it to 30%. I asked "won't that burn through her kidneys faster?" And he made a very good point. He said- She can die right now from either a stroke or other complications from the low protein diet. OR you can have her healthy and feeling pretty good until her kidneys go. The transfusion was a miracle. And when we upped the protein levels she started making red blood cells again and got 6 more good months. I am posting here because so many yorkie owners will be overwhelmed by the low protein diets out there on the internet. Most of them are OBVIOUSLY for much larger dogs...as in 40 lbs or up dogs. With a breed that is rarely over 10 pounds. Here are some easy ideas that will help your dog keep their appetite and allow you to save time by not having to cook. First of all...most dogs need about 1.25 to 1.75 oz of home made cooked food, or baby food ( which has lots of water in it) per pound of body weight. (this is based on doing the math from the recommended servings of the kidney diets I found and dividing down for my little 3 pound girl) I tried to get her to eat 5-6 oz a day because she was a bit underweight all her life. But I would settle for getting 3.5 to 4 oz in her towards the end. The day she died she was down to 1.5 lbs. So be aware as your dogs kidney disease progresses it is common for them to lose weight. Choosing hi calorie foods as part of the food you make can off set that. Everyone knows pureed mango had a LOT More calories .oz for .oz- than pureed Zucchini- Right? Use your common sense. if you don't have one- you need to GET a food scale ( that measures oz or grams) so you can control your portions and keep track of how much your baby is eating. Pick a pureed babyfood that only has the meat and broth (no added salt in the ingredients) You can easily find Chicken, Beef, Ham and Turkey. This will be 25% of your total food weight. For my little girl it was 1 oz. Then you can use mix of additional baby food or you can add home made add ins like Sweet potato, cooked brown or white rice, quinoa, barley, oatmeal or cream of wheat. Just make sure that these are cooked VERY soft. These are excellent carbohydrates. This should be 50% of the total food weight. The other 25% should come from fruits and veggies. if you dog need the calories fruits are higher in calories than veggies but that is your call. (Avoid veggies that are high in phosphorus like winter squash or fruits high in potassium like Bananas) Peas, carrots, apples, mango, pear, spinach, applesauce, and so many others are all great. if you DO give them a veg with a cellulose coating like peas, make sure you smash them open. Dogs can't digest the cellulose so they can't get the nutrients if the coating isn't broken. Or you can use Baby food that has blends of Apple, Pear, Spinach, peas...whatever. Just make sure there is no ONION in any of the baby foods you select and keep a close eye on salt, phosphorus and potassium. If your yorkie also has trouble with teeth and tender gums.you can actually use 75% baby food veggies and fruits in whatever combo you like. Some good ones that my little girl loved are Pear Spinach Pea Peas and Carrots sweet potato and sweet potato blended with anything Apple blends Beets ( in moderation) Turkey, cranberry, apple Mango puree peach puree and some of the cereal blends Babyfood makes it easy to change it up and keep a finicky dog interested. My little girl ate right up to that last weekend before she passed. You may also want to put 1/8 of a teas of good high quality oil in the food. olive oil is fine and so is coconut oil, but one that has omegas is better. There is a company called five leaf pet pharamacy that sells a product called " Doggie Greens" A bag is 25.00 but it will last you YEARS! I only needed 1/16 of a teas per day for my little girl. This is a mix of plants that are GREAT for your dog. www.fiveleafpetpharmacy.com They also sell a bunch of drops they say can cleanse your pup..but my little girl HATED them and wouldn't TOUCH any food they were in so as far as those went I threw away 100 bucks. ( I admit they do kinda stink) And the drops are darn expensive. Personally if I had it to do over. I'd pass on the drops and just do the greens. Vetri-science also has a vitamin supplement especially for Kidney Function called Renal- essentials. My little girl got a half of one of these daily. Comes in chicken and beef flavors and she loved both. Keep them TIGHTLY stored in a zip lock or they get hard as a brick. You may also want to change out their treats. I got rid of all the hi sodium jerky style treats ( that probably contributed to the kidney problems) and protein based treats(which are hard on little kidneys) and started giving cheerios and those "Puffed" cereal brands over in the baby Aisle. THey have the motto "Eato your colors" and flavors like Apple/Spinach, Strawberry/Beet and Sweet potato/Mango etc. They are sweetened with natural fruit puree and don't have salt and my girl loved them when she wouldn't eat anything else. And lastly...if you dog is getting sick and it's a yellow bubbly stuff.. ask your vet about amphogel. It's white liquid you give them either in their food or with a syringe ( no needle of course) by mouth. And also a Tinnic solution to offset the lower protein diet with vitamins and minerals- especially iron-normally found in commercial dogfood. If you wanna read for yourself all the info I used to create this diet for my little girl I'll be happy to share. Most of it came from a downloadable series of books about dog food. It's the best $50 I ever spent. I learned how to make my own dog food ( regular and kidney diets) What ingredients to look for in dog food that would make them something I would NEVER buy. It also taught me how to look for the best commercial dog foods. There is a section about home made remedies to various doggy ailments, how to make healthy treats and a lot more. Just ask And I'll share. But I didn't want to come off sounding like a infomercial I hope some of this helps. I got 5 years with my precious baby after the kidney disease started. My vet said the last two were a miracle, plain and simple, and that any other dog would have been long gone. I am so sorry to hear your pup has Kidney problems. It is eventually going to take them away from you. But you CAN slow it down and do everything you can to keep your baby as happy and healthy as possible for as long as you can. Good Luck and I hope this helps some of you.