Expert: Silva Mirovics - 6/16/2009

Question
hi,

thank you for being willing to address my concerns. i need some diet ideas [or any ideas at all] for my precious little girl...

i noticed my dog drinking more water recently. i took her to the vet and blood work revealed her bun, at 33.2 and her creatine at 2.2. with a urine analysis, he diagnosed her with renal failure, but he said it was in its early stages. two weeks later results were bun 28 and creatine 1.8 [this was done at their office, and they showed the high as 27 and 1.8 respectively.
all of her other blood work was perfectly normal.
the vet told me to take her off raw food [which she has consumed her entire life...meat and veges] and to now cook it. his only advice, thus, was to change her diet, which i understand is the treatment of choice. however, i have always fed her healthy, and as a matter of fact, he acknowledges that she is probably in such good health because of her raw food diet.

the only thing i am doing differently is giving her omega 3s/essential fatty acids.

do you have any ideas as to what i could do to help her. she shows no symptoms at all, and ostensibly, she feels fine. i understand this is progressive, and i wanted to know if there was anything i could do to forestall what they say is the inevitable.

thank you very much for any help you may be able to give me.

Answer
Hi J
The reason for your vet suggesting cooked food may be simply that it is easier for the body to digest.  Otherwise I am not sure of his reasoning.  I do know that it is best to introduce poultry and fish meats when there is kidney disease as too much red meat is not advisable when there is renal failure.  So maybe alternate her daily with either red meat or poultry or fish.
It is great that you have always, and continue to feed her naturally.  Commercial foods are no good, especially when there is kidney problems.
You may also want to contact herbalist Robert McDowell - www.herbal-treatments.com  as he has some superior herbal remedies or can make one up specifically to suit your needs.
Otherwise you can also look at www.petalive.com for some products, but these may prove more expensive as you would probably be requiring ongoing treatment.
There is also a company that makes a fabulous blend of products specifically for kidney disease in dogs.  They are also all-natural and have a great reputation:  www.caninekidneyhealth.com  - their website also offers further informaiton on diet needs.

I hope this helps and brings your dog a bright future!
Silva.
www.roxysworld.com.au