In the past few weeks I’ve had a slew of clients come to me with dogs who are struggling with kidney issues.
While we see kidney disease being overall widespread among cats, every day, thousands of dogs are diagnosed with this health condition.
Surprised? Perhaps we shouldn’t be, considering that the majority of pet parents still think that kibble is a perfectly healthy and good food for their pets. More on that later in the article.
So what do you do if your dog has been diagnosed with kidney disease or if your vet announces your dog is in kidney failure?
Let’s first look at what kidney disease is.
Kidney disease, also known as renal disease or kidney failure, is a condition where the kidneys are not functioning properly. The kidneys play a crucial role in filtering waste products from the blood, regulating blood pressure, producing hormones, and maintaining fluid balance in the body.
There are two main types of kidney disease in dogs:
Common symptoms of kidney disease in dogs include:
It’s important that if you notice any of the above signs, it’s vital to get your dog to a veterinarian asap to get them checked out.
Several factors can contribute to kidney disease. Some examples include:
As with anything, everything in the body is connected, so the key here will be to do our best to avoid any of the above-mentioned conditions.
Eliminating all dry food such as kibble, is crucial. Kibble will only exacerbate thirst as kibble is dry food which can further dehydrate your dog’s system thereby worsening kidney function.
Fluid is necessary to flush out as many toxins from the body as possible which is why a high-moisture diet becomes really important to manage your dog’s kidney disease.
A gently cooked diet is preferable that is easily digestible, and that provides moisture and all the nutrients needed to support your dog while they are going through this disease.
During my consultation packages, you, as my client, will learn how to cook for your dog and the recipes will be 100% customized to your dog’s needs. If cooking sometimes isn’t possible, I will advise you on which brands of dog food I trust, and that you can safely feed your fur baby.
Many veterinarians will suggest reducing your dog’s protein immediately, regardless of what stage of kidney disease they’re in. This might not be the best way forward, however.
The belief is that protein harms the kidneys and that reducing protein consumption will slow the progress of kidney degeneration. This is based on early research done on rats and was automatically applied to be true for dogs (excess protein does cause problems for rats).
Vets also like put the dogs on a low-protein “prescription” diet right away, and pet parents who cook for their dogs are told not to feed any high protein foods like meat and poultry, despite no evidence that a low-protein diet slows kidney disease or prolongs the life of a dog.
This advice can actually cause harm. When protein levels are very low, the body will start to cannibalize itself to get the protein it needs and start consuming muscle tissue, making older dogs even more compromised. This also creates more waste products than if you feed the proper amount of high-quality protein.
Another interesting thing to note is that the amount of blood filtered through the kidneys is related to the amount of protein in the diet, so lowering protein may in turn reduce the kidney’s ability to filter and excrete toxins.
Additionally, a low protein diet is often not very palatable, so many dogs with kidney disease will eat only enough to survive, or stop eating completely if that’s all they’re being fed.
Other conventional treatments might include fluid therapy, dialysis and medications to manage symptoms, but rarely gets to the root cause.
While feeding low-quality protein to your dog is not advised, the key is to improve the quality of food you feed (i.e. fresh, human grade food). A high-carb diet is very inflammatory and not advised.
Lowering the protein is advised only in stage 3 and 4 of kidney disease in holistic care, while reducing the phosphorous levels can be helpful.
A low phosphorus diet is achieved by feeding leaner meats such as chicken breast and turkey and reducing organ meats, reducing processed foods and treats and increasing vegetable content in the diet as well as limiting dairy products.
Make sure your dog stays well hydrated, which will contribute to better blood flow to the kidneys, and diluting the blood which makes it easier to filter.
Fluid therapy can also be administered and is the mainstay of home treatment in stage 3 and 4.
The key will be to decrease and manage inflammation in the body and by providing high quality Omega 3 in the diet can be one of the best way to do so. Rhubarb extract has also shown to increase blood flow to the kidney.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine and herbs might also be very effective in managing kidney disease because again, these help increase blood to the kidneys, a key factor when trying to help flush out all those toxins.
Other methods that can be employed is a PEMF loop which will help decrease kidney values over time and also increase blood flow to the kidney as well as giving your dog quercetin and stinging nettles.
If your dog is currently struggling with kidney disease and you want to learn more about how you can support them naturally, feel free to schedule a call with me and we can come up with a protocol that will be 100% suited to your unique dog’s needs.
If you’re reading this and have a perfectly healthy dog but want to do everything possible to avoid your dog vetting this diagnosis (1 out of 10 dogs are diagnosed with this and the number seems to be increasing), here are a few steps you can take to make sure your dog stays healthy:
Have more questions? Get in touch with me by emailing me at sunny@nachoavereagedoghealthcoach.com and we can talk about how to support your dog holistically, whether he or she has been diagnosed with kidney disease or other health challenges you want to support naturally!
Disclaimer: medical information or statements made on this site are not intended for use in or as a substitute for the diagnosis or treatment of any health or physical condition or as a substitute for a veterinarian-client relationship which has been established by an in-person evaluation of a patient. This information and advice published or made available through this website is not intended to replace the services of a veterinarian, nor does it constitute a veterinarian-client relationship. Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary based upon the circumstances, the patients’ specific situation, as well as the health care provider’s medical judgment and only after further discussion of the patient’s specific situation, goals, risks, and benefits and other relevant medical discussions. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
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