Best Dog Food Diet For Kidney Issues

Yes, there is a lot of controversy regarding low protein diets for kidney disease. Probably due to the fact that *cooked* proteins seem to be more difficult for the kidneys to handle, but RAW proteins are easier. So, I agree with you that a RAW diet would be best for your mom’s little Dachsund.

Dr. Pitcairn’s diet recipe for kidney disease is excellent. But I believe that he recommends the meat to be RAW and the vegetables to be cooked. So, I am not sure if your mother was cooking the hamburger???

For now, if she is feeding canned food plus turkey and vegetables, perhaps she would consider NOT cooking the turkey, (or cook it only *rare*), substitute cooked potato or yams for the oatmeal, and cook the vegetables, and see if that helps her appetite. From past experience, I can tell you that small breed dogs DO NOT care for raw diets, (unfortunately), perhaps they have been bred further away from their wolf ancestors than the big breeds?

Here’s what I would suggest for kidney support:

1. Renafood by Standard Process available on amazon.com. Give her 1/2 tablet crushed into the food (or by mouth) two times daily, for kidney support.

2. She ALSO needs to start on Azodyl available on amazon.com. Open and add one capsule into her food two times daily. Azodyl, formerly called ‘Ki-Bow’, is made of nitrogen absorbing bacteria. They go in to the intestine and help to absorb the nitrogen excess causing the increase in the blood BUN levels. (Blood Urea Nitrogen)

3. If the BUN is at 50 or less, and Creatinine levels are not above 4, the above support should be adequate, and I would not give her the Enalapril. She might benefit from one or two injections one time per week of B-vitamin complex .2cc plus .3 cc of B12 sub-Q. This will help boost her appetite.

If her blood levels are higher than this, she may need to have Sub-Q fluids 100 cc every other day or two times per week to help as a ‘dialysis’ to flush her kidneys.

This is not holistic, but she may also need to be on some antibiotics to help the teeth issues, since the bacteria in the mouth, and dental disease may also be causing her poor appetite.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO

Here is the rest of my response.

Seek the help of a holistic veterinarian, so you can consider homeopathic remedies to improve her *Vital Force*. This not only helps her kidneys, but improves her overall health, which is the goal of HOLISTIC medicine!

Another resource for vets knowledgeable in homeopathy is AVH.org.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

I do want to add a couple things and clarify.

Right now I’m creating the diet for her dachshund. I’m following Dr. Pitcairn’s recipe but I am cooking the meat first. My mom has never fed raw so it’s hard to convert her. He does state in his book that if you can’t feed raw, then give it to them cooked.

I was able to show her your reply and she is now feeding some raw with the mixture. The next batch of food I will create for her will use raw food in the mix.

For now I gave her some Nature’s Variety Instinct raw to add in. It is convenient because it comes in the one ounce medallions and they use high pressure pasteurization on their food. This made it easier to convince my mom to try raw. Now that she is started, the next batch I make up will only include organic raw burger or chicken.

The Instinct is 95% meat and 5% veggies. The dachshund is drinking more water now. I wonder if this is because of the higher protein.

Like I said, the next batch will be at the lower protein rate. I’m also adding in oatmeal and sweet potatoes instead of so much rice.

So far she is eating it up fine. I got in the Renafood and will get in the Azodyl as well.

She goes into the vet on March 7th. Of course they will not support a raw diet so I have to deal with them on that subject.

Until then, I want to find out if I should continue the Instinct as part of her diet or just go ahead and mix up another lower protein mixture with the proper amount of protein for the kidney diet. The excessive water drinking has me a little concerned.

By the way, her teeth are now fine; this was a past issue she was having. Also, her appetite is fine, she was just getting picky.

Thanks again for your help.

Roger

You wrote,
“should I continue the Instinct as part of her diet or……mix up another lower protein mixture with the proper amount of protein for the kidney diet. The excessive water drinking has me a little concerned.”

The excessive thirst is also a concern to me too. It may indicate a worsening of the kidney disease, not due to the increase in protein. At this time, I think you should return to a diet with MORE vegetables, 50%, and decrease the protein to 50% or less. (Adding in Oatmeal, Barley, or Quinoa would be good.)

Good to hear your mother will feed the raw diets!!

Keep us posted!

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.