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  1. #1
    Senior Dog
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    Kidney disease question (don’t worry - not my dog!)

    A friend’s senior schnauzer-poodle mix was recently diagnosed with stage 2-3 kidney disease. They’re switching her to a prescription k/d diet, but she wanted to know if she can still give her her regular treats (mostly doggie junk food like pepperoni, beggin' strips, etc). I doubt those are particularly high in protein, but since I rarely if ever use them, I don’t know, plus the dog is tiny, so even smaller amounts might have an impact.

    Any advice/suggestions I can pass along? We did lose Scully to kidney failure, but it happened very quickly, so we never had a chance to try to manage it in earlier stages.

    Thanks!
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  2. #2
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    I do. I give rock pretty much anything else. I mean he doesn't get a ton of treats on a normal day anyway. i think he may be stage 2? or maybe that improved when we stopped the NSAIDS over a year ago. His kidneys have been steady (knock on wood). Other than the food change I don't think about it at this point (though now that i'm waiting for bloodwork ...)

    He IS on hill's KD which, sucks, but whatever. We do some home cooked (HIllary's blend) but doesn't tolerate it well so he gets two meals per week of that. At some point I decided I wasn't going to keep adding more stuff (probiotics and stuff) to help him tolerate what is supposed to be much better food :P

    Waiting for bloodwork but up until now the kidney issues have not be a big issue.

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    Annette47 (11-30-2017)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog
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    When my one cat was diagnosed with kidney disease, he was 13. Mischief had always had a good appetite but it started flagging as time went on. I fed him whatever I could get into him (and put Pedialyte into the canned food so that he'd stay as hydrated as possible). He ate whatever canned food he'd agree to eat...and he really preferred Fancy Feast...also cantaloupe, strawberries, popcorn...gosh, what else?...and he lived for another 4 1/2 years with just "food therapy" since he refused subcutaneous fluids.

    If the dog really looks forward to those treats, perhaps just limit them a bit but not eliminate.

    Quality of life, ya know?

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    Annette47 (11-30-2017)

  6. #4
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    I know more about this in cats and only second hand. But my understanding is it's not so much the quantity of protein as it is quality? So maybe some real meat jerky bits instead of commercial treats? Homemade would be best I bet. If it's the same in dogs?
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    Annette47 (11-30-2017)

  8. #5
    Best Friend Retriever
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    Our Pug has been on a prescription diet for constant bladder infections.....yes, it's Hill's also, but I decided I would try about anything to see if we can control all these infections. She still has problems, though, despite me giving her a cranberry supplement as well. This last time, she had so many white & red blood cells & crystals in her urine sample the vet said "is there any chance she could have gotten into something else to eat?" I said "no, she hasn't gotten into anything different.......then, red-faced, had to say, but we do give her treats......" Now we have to buy the canned version of the prescription kibble, & cut it into little flat pieces & cook it at 250 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or so to make it into little "treats" that she can still have.....have you ever tried cooking canned dog food? Pretty much REEKS!

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    SunDance (11-30-2017)

 



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