kidney disease in dogs

Question
We adopted our 2 year old German Shorthaired Pointer through a rescue in Nov. '04.  He tested positive for lyme and has since shown high b.u.n. (?I think) levels in his kidneys.  The 1st test his level was 35 and 2 months later it was 40.  Our vet recommends a low protein diet made by Hill's.  It is costing us a fortune.  Is this diet absolutely necessary and what will happen if we opt not to keep him on this diet?  Is there an alternative diet or treatment for him?

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Andrea Bray  

Answer
The K/D diet is specifically designed to ease the work load on the kidneys and is boosted with extra vitamins and minerals that are often depleted with kidney disease.  Diet is really the mainstay of treatment for kidney problems.  Signs of kidney disease don't usually appear until more than two-thirds of kidney function are lost. Studies have shown that dogs live TWICE as long when eating this diet versus regular food when they have kidney problems.  In the long run, you will save money by feeding the recommended diet as he is less likely to develop problems which requires less trips to the vet and less medication.  And since this food is very high quality, he should not need to eat as much as an over the counter food.  You have to feed him anyway, and when it comes down to price per day, it is only a few cents more.  You can call Hill's and ask them for coupons or if there are any rebates available.   www.prescriptiondiet.com   There are other prescription diets available for kidney disease that are made by other companies such as Purina Veterinary Diet NF or IVD Select Care Modified or Waltham.  You can also supplement with a home-cooked diet but you must be very careful that you are feeding a completely balanced diet or you can cause more problems.

Make sure that your vet has checked his electrolytes to rule out Addison's Disease.

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Here is a very informative website on kidney disease....

www.cah.com/library/caninekidney.html