Kidney dog help

Question
Hi Shanti,

I have an approximate 7 year old Doberman who has kidney disease. I am working with both a holistic and traditional vet to help my girl. Her kidney numbers are sky high. Her latest results are: BUN 215, Creat 5.2, and Phos 13.1. I am doing 750mls of sub-q fluids 2 times a day and aluminum hydroxide as a phosphate binder.

My first question is about food. Prior to her getting sick I was home cooking for her, she will not touch anything that I make for her now, so unfortunately I must resort to commercial food. She doesn't like the prescription diets much, so I was hoping that you might be able to make some suggestions of regular canned dog food that I can feed her that will be lower phosphorus and lower fat (because she just had a bout with pancreatitis). I need to find a way to get more calories in her because she is not consuming enough with the diet that her vet has her on (g/d or Royal Canin LP - she doesn't much like the LP). Is there anything that you could suggest for an appetite stimulant. I can get her to eat, just not what she should and I am trying incredibly hard to stick to her kidney diet.

She is becoming mildly anemic. Can you recommend a good supplement or food to help with this? I've read a lot of people use the pet-tinic, but with her size I don't think it's feasible to use.


If you could think of anything that may help her I would definitely appreciate the help. Overall she doesn't act very sick. She is not vomiting, she plays with her ball for hours a day, chases rabbits.

Her currents meds are:

40 mg famotidine 2x/day
500 mg of Amoxicillin 2x/day (in case this is Lepto or something like that)
10 mg pred
750 ml LRS 2x/day
4 tablets Rhemmania 8 2x/day
Urtica 2x/day
Moxibustion
Pet alive liver and immunity support 1 cap/2x/day
Kidney-tone
Inflamma-tone

Thank you so much for any help that you can give us,
Have a great night,
Ricki and Lucy

Answer
Hi Ricky,
I would have to see your dobey to help, are you doing  acupuncture with an actual acupuncturist?
Do we know if this is kidney dz due to diet? or renal disease associated with age?

I am not sure what you were making for her before, but a specially prepared home cooked diet that meets specific nutritional needs designed for the individual dog would be best, but i would have to see you as a client to help with that. You can contact me on my site for that http://www.thenatureofthebeast.org/Contact-Us.html
I am sorry she stopped eating the other foods.
I agree the prescription diets are awful.

I would email brands such as Wysong, Avoderm, Wellness, Eagle Pack, Holistic Select, BFF, Merrick's and get their breakdown for phosphorous and protein content and fat content. Each flavor is different but this is the best way to find an appropriate food for Lucy.
Stay away from duck as it the inhumanely fattened  fois gras ducks used for pet food..(super fatty)
You can add 1-2 tbsp liver to her diet twice weekly for anemia support. Organic, grass fed, outdoor, humanely raised animal liver- steroid and hormone free. Do not use too often as it can be congesting.

All products to help appetite should be lower phosphorous foods try-  barley, (one hard boiled egg, but also egg whites), kidney beans, lentils,  cream of wheat, sweet potatoes, white meat chicken , rice milk, thoroughly cooked basmati rice, squash.
This needs to be accurate in ratio of protein/phosphorous/calcium and essential daily requirements so we can work on that if you would like to do a long distance consultation (via my website).
You can also add 1/2 banana to meals if Lucy may like bananas.

Your vet should be able to give you an appetite stimulant.

There might be other kidney formulas to use but that can only be determined by an intake bc it is very individualized.
Best of luck
and kind regards,
Shanti