I have a 9 year old yorkie that is in early kidney failure and need advice
 

One of my yorkies, 9 year old Zoey is in early kidney failure. My vet recommends a lowered protein, low phos type of diet. I am wondering if anyone else is dealing with this and what kind of food you have your dog on? I know that Science diet makes an Kidney diet and I have her on that but she is not crazy about it. In addition I do make her a homemade diet as well. But she is finicky. I would love to find a good canned food that she would eat.
Any help would be very appreciated! Just wanting to know your secrets on this topic.

I'm sorry that you and Zoey are facing this. Is Zoey on k/d food? Purina makes a kidney diet too and I think you need a prescription from the vet to get it. Has the vet mentioned Pepcid and Maalox (Maalox is used as a phosphorus binder). Sammy took all of that plus vitamins. He liked the k/d. He would have canned for dinner and dry for breakfast and the dry as treats too. I would follow the vet's suggestions for diet. It plays a role in treating this horrible disease. If you have any questions, please PM me if I can be of any help. Praying for your Zoey.

It sound like you have been through all this with Sammy. May I ask how he is doing? Thank you for your help and prayers. It is a tough thing to go through for sure.
I have had Zoey on a homemade diet but I do not feel that it is good for the long haul since it has so little in it. I have her on a daily vitamin. I just started her on the Hill's K/D. She has such a finicky stomach I hope that it works for her. I have always been told about grain free diets and followed that and now the K/D has corn in it:confused: But if that is what is good for her I guess I will keep her on it as long as she will eat it. I have not tried the Pepcid or Maalox. i would like to know more about it though. Any information is appreciated!

I just wanted to say I am sorry to hear of your little one being sick. I hope they can find something that will help her. May I suggest coconut oil...there is a really good thread on here (somewhere!) and all the benefits of coconut oil...it's kinda an all over health...I couldn't believe some of the ailments it was good for. My furkids are having poop issues right now...when it's cleared up I am going to talk to my vet about it.

We are fighting this same battle with our Lucy. I thought at first that she was a finicky eater, but it turns out that she gets nauseous from time to time. We tried Hills and Royal Canin. Lucy would not eat either of them (so now I cook for her). I do remember reading from others that their pups liked the Purina (like Sammy's Mom said). It's a tough, uphill battle though. I included a link to nutritional data of some of the brands out there. I'm sorry it's a long read, but I was hoping it would help you decide what to try next. Hugs to you and Zoey.

DogAware.com Health: Prescription Diets for Dogs with Kidney Disease

Sadly, my Sammy passed away last June. We did all we could but he was older than Zoey, maybe that had something to do with it. He was 13. It's just a hard thing to deal with. But keep up with the blood tests to help chart how things are going and follow the diet that the vet recommends. Ask your vet about Pepcid. That is because they can get ulcers from the disease and the Maalox is a phosphorus binder. I think it gets the phosphorus out of the food before it reaches the kidneys. Any other questions, or you just need to talk, I'm here for you and Zoey.

All three of my Yorkies are on Blue Buffalo Senior . Their health has improved 100%. Check out Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor to read about the nutrition value of any food you can think of. Blue Buffalo comes out on top every time.

Thanks everyone for all your kindness and help. I will look into the coconut oil and the Purina as well. Your all a great bunch of people.

I am sorry for your loss. It is so hard to lose a dog. They are like our kids.

Thank you. They really are like having children. I hope Zoey will do well on her prescription food.

Find away to get her to eat the Rx dog food. The most important thing with Renal Failure is to keep her hydrated so wet food due to high moisture content is probably best plus most dogs prefer the smellyness of wet food to dry food.

I went through CRF with my Zoey for 2 months give or take. She was only given a few weeks but she fought like a champ for over 2 months. Her renal failure was due to poisoning by Waggin Train and Canyon Creek dog treats by Nestle Purina.

LadyJane has been through this too with one of her butt previously.

Hoping a praying you find a treatment plan of your girl that works for her. Make everyday count.

So sorry to hear that. Our sweet little Charlie also had kidney issues. He was on Prescription Diet K/D (we purchased thru vet's office). There is both a hard food and soft food (we did both and that seemed to help). It is on the pricey side, but often rebate offers (if you check the website and/or ask when you purchase food). k/d® Canine Renal Health - Dry
It helped our Charlie (we just lost him a few months ago just days after his 17 birthday). He was on it the last two years of his life.
I wish you the best.

My 12 year old Daisy has early renal issues. I home cook for Daisy and her diet has three ingredients and supplements. Her kidney values in 6 weeks greatly improved with a slight modification to her diet to cutting phosphorous in half and the addition of microdose of asprin and benazaprine once daily.

My personal opinion is that it does not matter if you have a diet with few ingredients if that is what the dog needs so long as it is properly balanced. I also do not think coconut oil should be added to the diet of a renal dog, I use omega 3 oils because there is some indication that it may help delay CRF in dogs and it is used for Daisy to dampen her immune response for her other problems.

I have been giving Zoey fish oil daily. I have read that Omega's do help. I am starting to switch her from the homemade diet to the Hill's Rx K/D canned food. So far she is eating it mixed with some of the homemade. When I make my own I use, ground beef, rice, egg, and bread, add some calcium and fish oil. She eats it but I find that she leaves some rice, so I worry that it throws the balance off. It would be easier for me if she will accept the canned food. I find the food I make smells funny after a few days in the fridge as well.

Has anyone used Epikatin? I get it from Revival animal. It is suppose to be a phosphorus binder?

Early kidney failure.
 

So sorry your baby is going thru this horrible disease. i have been there and know how painful it is for you too.
Apart from the special food, is she getting fluids IV or sub Q to keep her well hydrated as that seemed to be the main treatment for my dog?
Good Luck, our prayers are with you.

No IV or fluids at this time. My vet says it is too early yet for that, thankfully. She drinks a ton of water. I have just switched her from a homemade diet to the Hills K/D canned and she seems to be accepting it so far. I also give her a MVT and mix some fish oil in her food. So far, so good. I just hope she does not get too bored with the food. I have always spoiled her too much in the past before this with roasted chicken. My vet says there is no evidence to suggest that a high protein diet had anything to do with her kidney disease. But it now makes it a bit harder to get her to accept a lowered protein diet. Any suggestions for snacks or treats?

Sorry about your dog, it must be very hard to have to rehydrate them all the time. Can you tell me your story? How long has your baby been sick?

For snacks and treats we would give Sammy dry k/d or a little piece of vanilla wafer. You can ask your vet for any suggestions for treats. Good luck!

I am sorry to hear your baby is going through this. I have Nikki who is estimated to be about 19 years old. He was a senior rescue so no history on him. About a year and a half ago he was diagnosed with early kidney failure. The vet put him on KD diet. I give him the canned as he has no teeth and it's easier for him to eat. His blood work from a month ago had not changed. But this past week he didn't want to eat and he was very lethargic and having trouble standing. So I took him to the vet and his blood work was a little worse. His BUN went to 46 and his creatine was 1.6 or 1.7 I can't remember. The vet wasn't too worried about the kidney values as he was not eating and had evidence of some sort of infection. So I think the KD diet has helped keep Nikki's kidney failure from getting much worse. Until recently he loved the KD diet. My 3 girls think it is a special treat and try and steal his food (he's blind) when they can. I started warming it now and on vets advice mix it with chicken baby food. He is now eating like normal. I hope your baby can live a long time with the disease under control. I will keep her in my prayers.

Kidney disease
 

I do feel for all you posters and the pets who have to deal with KD. I am sure if it is caught early, the life of the pets can be managed so the dog is comfortable and happy for many years. Cindy, it is great that she is drinking and hydrated. Thank God when it is diagnosed early and it can be treated and managed before it becomes untreatable.
What happened to my baby? You may not wish to read, as it is horrible.
My situation was very sad and urgent as she had 75 % loss of kidney function, and my poor little one passed in 3 days from diagnosis. She was only 11.5 years and had always been healthy with only occasional bouts of minor (well managed I thought!) pancreatitis. She was fine but had a little tummy upset and I took her to the vet the same day, on a Friday. I had no idea she was sick as she walked, ate, etc as usual until that Friday. He did exam and various tests, x-rays etc etc and diagnosed acute kidney failure. She was very constipated (I did not know this as she was still pooping) and had pancreatitis as well. He gave an enema and had her on IV hydration in the office for 2 days. When stabilized, we brought her home and proceeded with the sub Q hydration. She would be fine for about one hour and then would go back to the miserable symptoms of vomiting, pooping blood etc. It was so pitiful to see her like this. We kept up the hydration which was very unpleasant for her, but every time she would quickly regress. After sitting up with her again on Sunday night with all the symptoms unabated, we decided she could not go on like this and that the kidneys could not be kept running by hydration. So we made the awful decision to give her peace on Monday am. It was such a shock to have this happen so quickly with no warning. How could she be so sick and we did not know??? The guilt never goes away. What did we miss and how????
Sorry for the sad story.

Dorothy, I am so sorry for your loss. I have been through losing several of my beloved pets and there is no pain that compares to it except for losing a child. Their care falls to us and it also falls to us to make their decisions for them.
My Zoey has had bouts of tummy problems for as long as I have had her. I have not thought much about it either. I took her in for a routine dental and I always get the preliminary blood work and it was there that they found high protein in her blood. My vet them drew more blood and sent it out. I had taken her to the vet last year because she was drinking too much and at that time they sent out blood but it was mostly normal. I was just lucky that they have caught it early.
I had a little shih tzu that I had a similar thing happen in 2008, she would get an upset stomach from time to time and I never thought much about it. She was 15 years old and it was the week after my son died. She just stopped eating. I got her to the vet and it ended up being a huge mass on her liver. We had to say goodbye that day. I held her while they took her. Don't fret too much about what you think you should have done or missed. You were there for 11 1/2 years and that is a good long time that she had with you.
There are so many dogs out there that never know love at all.
I pray that you will find peace with your loss.
Cindy

The most painful thing I have ever experienced in the way of a pet was losing my first yorkie Reese. She was 6 years old and had bad knee's. She got to where she could hardly walk. I took her to my vet and he told me he had done knee cap surgery on many dogs. That morning I dropped her off, I had to be at work, I was a single mom and we needed my income even though that day was a day most of my department got let go. I did not know it at the time. My daughter said to me as I was going out the door to take her to the vets office "watch her die on the table". I dismissed it and went on to take her to the vet. Now this was the best little dog anyone could ever ask for. My friend brought her to me all the way from California when my husband ran off with a younger woman. Anyway, I called the vets office just after lunch and he picked up the phone and told me that he was worried about her, that her heart had stopped and that they had to do CPR on her. She suffered brain damage. He kept her there for a week in oxygen, she was in pain and she cried a lot. She would lay on her side and dog paddle. I brought her home that way. I bought a baby crib and would tube feed her all her meals, give her enemas to help her eliminate. I gave her SQ valium to keep her calm. After 4 weeks it was not improving and I had to make the painful decision to let her go. I still feel guilty that maybe I did not give it enough time. That was in 2005 and I can still cry over it. She went in there a fat and healthy little girl and came out brain damaged.

Zoey's long story made short

My 4 year old yorkie, had since she was born, was poisoned by Nestle Purina's Waggin Train and Canyon Creeks's sweet potato and chicken jerky treats. She was diagnosed in Feb. 2012 and died April 20th, 2012. The vet only gave her a few days but she lived +2 months after diagnosis. I was home cooking for her and giving her SQ fluids daily as well as supplements. She was born and died in my arms.

(She has her own thread for the long story)

I hope you do better with your little one.

KD
 

Hello Cindy.
Thank you for your comforting words. It was my first dog and a terrible experience to lose her so suddenly. I can now better accept her passing and the guilt is getting less as time goes by. I am so sorry that you have had to say goodbye to some of your beloved pets, the pain is still as dreadful I am sure.
We do our best for our fur babes, but they are so long suffering and do not let us know they are sick. Not until it is serious and often too late to help them.
What an awful thing to happen, losing your son and fur kid at the same time! I cannot imagine the pain you went through, I am so sorry.
On a more positive note, you did catch little Zoey at an early stage and she is responding well to care and treatment. It shows that frequent testing pays off to check on these latent diseases our babies can have. Wishing her a long and happy life under your loving and tender care. Sorry I cant help with diet and treats, but it seems you are doing a great job with her food. I did find that with a picky eater, a very very small sprinkle of Parmesan made the food very attractive. Not enough cheese to affect dietary restrictions, but I think the strong smell does the trick. Hugs.

I have been through renal failure in the past with pups. My Cody who passed in 2006 was with me for 4 years...I adopted him at the age of 8. He did very well on Purina NF until the last six months of his life when he stopped eating and was failing. I consulted with a vet nutritionist and he did very well on a home cooked diet....he was almost ready to go to the bridge when we opted to do that and it gave him an extra 6 months.
Since you seem to want to add things to your pup's diet, I strongly recommend that you consult with a vet nutritionist. They can advise you best about diets. You can find one at American College of Veterinary Nutrition
Good luck! :)

I am so sorry for your loss! It must have been devastating to lose your beloved pet from something that could have been avoided, had those treats not been tainted. I have heard bad things about the treats. You are in my prayers. God Bless!

I cry for her daily. But is she saves just one life she will have not died in vain.

You quoted me, but it was not my pup that had bad treats. :)

Sorry!