# Canned Food Recommendation for a Dog with Kidney Disease



## SundaeToo (Nov 6, 2010)

My border collie mix is now nearly 15. His BUN & creatinine levels are quite high and he's been diagnosed with a chronic kidney failure. Is there a non-prescription canned food that would serve him well? I'm looking for something with high moisture and low phosphorus.

Because of the kidney issues, he's really lost his appetite and will turn his nose up at dry food. Any canned out there? As of right now, he'll eat Purina's E/N (which is actually for dogs with intestinal upset). Prior to all of this, he was happily eating a Natura brand kibble. Because of the P&G buyout, I have changed my other dogs to Wellness, but this old guy won't eat kibble. Help please.


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## philovance (Jan 7, 2009)

There was a thread here on this subject last year: http://tinyurl.com/32vhwgg

Here is some helpful information on dogaware.com: http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

Here is a discussion of phosphorus levels in various foods and a list: http://www.raingoddess.com/dogfood/phos.html

If you think you might want to prepare your own food: http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/kidney-diet/


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## SundaeToo (Nov 6, 2010)

Thank you. I really appreciate the help.


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## philovance (Jan 7, 2009)

I have had several cats who struggled with CRF at the end of their lives so I feel your pain. Your dog's quality of life will increasingly depend on his being fully hydrated. I lost a cocker to IBD who was uninterested in food when he became dehydrated from the severe diarrhea. For the last two months, I gave him fluid supplementation subcutaneously and it made a big difference in his outlook and appetite. It's really very easy to do: you simply pinch a fold of skin behind his neck, gently insert a needle attached to saline solution and let the solution drip for ten minutes. The positive effects are noticeable almost immediately.

Please ask your vet if he/she thinks this will help and if so a technician can show you how to do it. We bought needles, tubes and solution bags very affordably over the internet from a human medical supply outlet with a Rx from our vet. It sounds scary but it really isn't and it makes you feel less hopeless about the illness, which in an older animal can be managed but not cured. Diet will slow the deterioration of the kidneys and may help to lower the BUN and creatinine but in my experience fluid supplementation is one of the most helpful measures you can take.

Here is a link to more information: http://www.felinecrf.com/managb.htm Because CRF is so common in cats there are several Yahoo groups dedicated to support. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/ is one of the biggest.

Dog-specific Yahoo groups:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9KIDNEYS/

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9KIDNEYDIET/
Focuses on diet. If you decide you want to work with someone with a lot of experience designing diets for chronic illness, you can consult with Monica Segal (www.monicasegal.com). Here's a link on Monica's website that will explain her dietary approach to kidney problems: http://www.monicasegal.com/health/kidney.php Monica also hosts a Yahoo Group where you can ask questions and search the archives for info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Kitchen/join/

Good luck!!


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Completely agree with the subQ suggestion. Sassy was 44 pounds and took in .5-1 liter a day for nearly two years. So worth it! I bought fluids from Costco and venosets and needles online. It ended up costing about $15 a week if she was getting lots of fluids. Not bad considering how much it helped her quality and length of life. Vet didn't think it would help as this is done very often with cats but not medium sized dogs but it sure did.

Also on dogaware
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjinappetence.html
Sassy was twice saved by suggestions from that article. First time, Pepcid. Smart dogs won't eat if their tummies hurt. Second time Mirtazapine which seemed to act as an antidepressant for her too!

How much phosphorus does Purina EN have? Might look into that as normal phosphorus levels are not good for kidney dogs.

My vet gave Sassy some feline canned kidney food once, she ate it a couple times. The dog kidney canned foods might be tasty enough if she can tolerate high fat. At least one's meat source is pork liver. Not much pork liver though!

Joining K9KidneyDiet will give you access to a lot of recipes for kidney dogs. I don't know how much the cans are costing you but I figured Sassy's food cost me about $40 a month for 800-1000 calories a day. She got more protein, I could tailor the fat content to what she could tolerate and I knew it was safe food. I am a lousy nurse but it made me feel good that I could make her food for her. She mostly appreciated it too.


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