Food for low kidney function?
According to Bruce's bloodwork, his kidney function is getting low, which is common for older dogs. The Vet would like to put him on a special diet with low protein and phosphorous (or was it potassium?).
Anyway, the only brands that offer the kidney diet are the following:
Hills
IAMS/Eukanuba
Royal Canin
I know from reading here that neither of these are a big favorite, but apparently my choices are limited.
Can any of you help me choose the best one? Do any of you have a senior dog with kidney issues?
Anyway, the only brands that offer the kidney diet are the following:
Hills
IAMS/Eukanuba
Royal Canin
I know from reading here that neither of these are a big favorite, but apparently my choices are limited.
Can any of you help me choose the best one? Do any of you have a senior dog with kidney issues?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael on
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I don't have a dog with kidney issues but I do have experience with Hills. I replied to a different post of yours regarding dental issues.
My last dog had diabetes. At the time, I hadn't done any reading on dog nutrition so I just relied on what my Vet recommended which was Hill's Science Diet. My dog was put on the weight control dog food from Hills.
She didn't like it so I actually had to buy cat food from Hills which I would mix a little in with the dog food as recommended by my Vet. It was very expensive. If I remember correctly, it was $30-35 for 15 cans. Since I bought two foods, that was $60-70 per month, which is high for such a small dog. Top that with expenses for medication for heart problems and insulin for Diabetes.
Since my dog was on the special diet to reduce weight rather than any specific nutritional requirement such as phosphorus, I feel now that she probably would have been better off with a high quality food but with reduced serving size.
Anyway, not sure if that helps any but that's my experience with Hill's.
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Permalink Reply by Becky S on
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Hi, I council people with kidney disease a lot. I'm not familiar with those dog foods, but generally it's limiting protein (as this could increase the nitrogen level in his blood and make the kidneys work harder) and the phosphorus which is often found in the foods high in protein (dairy, meat, legumes) for people it could also be potassium, but since these are mainly in fruits and vegetables, probably not as much an issue for a dog. I'd keep the tomatoes, potatoes, melon, bananas and oranges out of his diet... but again probably not having much of those anyway. And like Sam said, lots of water can help kidneys function at their best. Really sorry to hear about his health problems and hope you find what you need.
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Has anyone ever heard of food made by Triumph? They have a line called Hi-Tor made for dogs with kidney problems. They also make Evolve. I'm not sure if I should try it or not...
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The dogaware site is very helpful. Thank you!
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Permalink Reply by Sam on
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We have had the best luck with the Royal Canin. Seems our rescue dogs with this issue eat it more readily then the Science Diet. There are also some supplements that are expensive but well recommended by a vet friend of mine. You may consider looking in to that as well. Renal issues can be managed for a good period of time with the right diet. Best of luck to you.
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Today I made the homemade dog food formula that I found on one of the recommended websites. I am amazed at how Bruce absolutely LOVED it! I've never seen him lick his dish clean...every little scrap..like he did tonight. I was practically crying with happiness. It was easy to make and I think pretty inexpensive.
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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
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Good news! I bet that made you really happy to see him loving his food. How many ingredients did the recipe take?
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It was 2 cups of cooked white rice, three slices of white bread, one chopped hard boiled egg, one crushed TUMS tablet and 1/4 pound cooked ground beef (20% fat, no lean stuff).
The hardest part was the TUMS. All I could find were minty or fruity flavors. I went with tropical fruit. I think it was pina colada ;-)
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That is an easy recipe, yeah! : ) Does he eat once a day or twice and is that recipe for 1 meal?
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Well, I just started this, but usually he ate once a day on his old diet. It looks like the recipe will make three meals, maybe? I'll see how it goes.
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Update on Bruce.
He's been on the special diet since August. We put him on alternating Royal Canin dry, some canned food from Truimph, and my homemade low protein diet.
His blood was rechecked today and...it is all normal!
Woo hoo! I am so happy for my little old man.
Now we need to put him on a diet and get some weight off.
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Yay Bruce!!!!! Awesome news, good job Mommy!!!!! : )
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