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I would trying making your own food for him. I have seen a bunch of low-protein dog food recipes that you can make at home. Most include brown rice as a base with veggies (sweet potatoes, zucchini, winter veggies cooked and pureed,) some oil (cod liver?) and some even use ground chuck (not lean.) I would stay away from anything chicken-based or related.
There are actually a lot of recipes posted if you do a web search. However, you really should be consulting with your vet, and let him/her know that your dog doesn't like the K/D; something else could be going on. Moreover, you really need professional advice when it comes to dietary recipes/changes that will be okay for your dog.
If you are going to go the home-prepared route, I would prepare small amounts and do a "taste" test with your dog. He will tell you what he wants to eat and what is good for him.
okay, for anyone else who makes this dumb and potentially costly mistake:
azodyl is a medication that must be refrigerated!
so guess what i did sunday??? yep, left it unrefrigerated on the counter for 7 hours.
for anyone else who makes this mistake: janet at vetoquinol, the manufacturer, just returned my call and said that after the medicine has been opened and refrigerated, it is then okay to leave it unrefrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Thanks for the responses! We are weaning off the K/D. I was never a fan of it, because the ingredients seem cheap, the price high and the nutritional value low. I will be going the holistic route and making his food from now on. I think we'll both be happier.
My cat has kidney disease and was started on Azodyl and Science Diet for kidney problems ( can't think of the initials). She eats the dry in between the wet. She doesn't like the dry, but if she is hungry enough, she will eat it in between wet feedings (which I sprinkle one capsule once daily).
I have heard that if you cat or dog stops eating totally - to feed it ANYTHING it likes for a while - the number one cause of animals with kidney disease is that they stop eating and become lethargic and loose too much weight and shutdown and die. My cat only ate Iams dry. She was shutting down until we started her on the Science Diet for kidney disease AND the Azodyl. She is coming back to life, and we get her next blood work done in 30 days. It is an AMAZING combination. Once again, you have GOT to get your animal eating and pounds back on above all else. Then get back on that Science Diet. I am no professional...just an avid animal lover who has been through it all. Talk with your vet about any changes you want to try.
Thank you so much for your comments. My 17 1/2year old cocker was diagnosed yesterday with Kidney failure. I am so happy to hear someone say there is hope. She is down to 21lbs. The vet said her levels are only slightly elevated and that we caught it early. I was shocked when the bill for to Azodyl was $53 for a 20day supply, so am happy to hear it is available on line much more reasonably.
I see several posts referencing low protein diets. My vet has given me the K/D food and just said to slowly introduce it into her diet but did not say anything about the amount of protein in her diet. She is doing well taking the Azodyl, probably because I put it in a bagel thin with peanut butter. I mixed the KD 1/3 to 2/3 with her regular food but so far she has not touched it. We have made it through 24hr without an accident in the house so I am doing the happy dance.
Does anyone also suppliment with Cholodin? Maggie has been on that for about a year to help with her other old age symptoms. My vet's office has a new vet who I happened to get yesterday. I am sure she is very competent but want to make sure I check things out myself.
The only supplement I used with my cat was Azodyl. I am sorry to say, but my cat has passed. On top of the kidney disease, she had cancer. We found that out later.
My best advise to you is to make sure your dog eats as much as she can. Also, she must drink as much as she can. That is why we switched over to KD moist food. There is a lot of water in that as opposed to the dry food.
Also, you know your dog's behavior. As soon as she starts to seem lethargic, take her to the vet. This can be a quite expensive disease to manage, but I also managed a previous cat with diabetes for four years !! We will do just about anything for our babies, huh?
Vet meds and foods are more expensive. We trust our vets so much, but if you can get the meds cheaper - go for it. I started using 1800petmeds.com for my pet care needs. The only thing you can't get is Science Diet which is prescription only - or at your vets.
Take care, Vicki
Penny
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vickie Murphy
Thank you so much for your comments. My 17 1/2year old cocker was diagnosed yesterday with Kidney failure. I am so happy to hear someone say there is hope. She is down to 21lbs. The vet said her levels are only slightly elevated and that we caught it early. I was shocked when the bill for to Azodyl was $53 for a 20day supply, so am happy to hear it is available on line much more reasonably.
I see several posts referencing low protein diets. My vet has given me the K/D food and just said to slowly introduce it into her diet but did not say anything about the amount of protein in her diet. She is doing well taking the Azodyl, probably because I put it in a bagel thin with peanut butter. I mixed the KD 1/3 to 2/3 with her regular food but so far she has not touched it. We have made it through 24hr without an accident in the house so I am doing the happy dance.
Does anyone also suppliment with Cholodin? Maggie has been on that for about a year to help with her other old age symptoms. My vet's office has a new vet who I happened to get yesterday. I am sure she is very competent but want to make sure I check things out myself.
I used Azodyl on my 14 year old poodle last year. She had mitral valve insufficiency and the lasix caused her to become dehydrated and her Kidneys failed. After She was rehydrated and put on several more meds, her kidneys recovered. We went though several bouts of Kidney failure and recovery and lungs filling up with fluids before finally we just could not control either and had to let her go.
17 1/2 - that's *some* canine-child you have there! How are things going with your pup? I actually have been making my pup's food for several years - he loves it, but it's high protein. I know in time this will need to be decreased as he gets older, but for now - he's good. Just a suggestion... you might try visiting one of the raw diet boards - BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) and see what dogs "parents" might be older and what they are being fed. The BARF diet centers more around protein, but bc this decreases with age, and bc many of the ppl on those boards are quite well-studied on their dog's nutrition and happy to share info, you might find some helpful answers there. Your vet might not agree - and might even whole-heartedly disagree! But it never hurts to get two sides of the story, and even if you learn that it's *not* for you, then you've received some valuable information. But... my dog & others I've met on the BARF (or modified as our's is) diet, are happy and active.
Keep us posted! And best of everything to you & your's!
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