What Stage Kidney Failure Does My Dog Have?

[mydogsaremylife]

Hello. My 11 year old yorkie was diagnosed with kidney disease a month ago, but I am confused about his lab work.  His creatinine was 1.3 (still in the normal range), but his BUN/Creatinine ratio was 45 (high).  His phosphorous and potassium are also high (phos 6.6 and pot 6).  Is this Stage 3?  He has other health issues as well, high blood pressure (2 meds daily) and has survived two torn ACLs (at age 6 and 7) and had a tumor removed from one of his anal sacs just after Christmas of 2012.  He is my little miracle dog, but has been having lots of upset stomach the past few weeks with some vomiting.  The vet put him on aluminum hydroxide last month.  Did he need to be on this?  Could it possibly be causing the upset stomach?  I am taking him back to the vet later today for a re-check.  

[Kaymbsc]

Thanks, Lynne. I really appreciate all the detail in your response.

Does Darbie get anything else for acid besides Tums? Does she/has she had a problem with acid, vomiting and/or ulcers?

I wonder if ground beef, 80% lean, would work as well (for my Mandy) as flat iron chuck steak.

You've had such good results with Darbie, I want to try mimicking your plan, scaled down, of course, for a 12-pound dog

Thanks again,

Kay

[DarbiesMom]

Hi Kay!

Darbie is a female lab-mix and finding the right portions was a constant experiment. As much as she loves chicken, her stool gets loose, so the chuck steak has been great. My market sells "flat iron chuck steak" which looks like 4" squares, 1/4"  thick. The meat pan fries ( with a hint of unsalted butter) within minutes. At below "medium rare", it should be very tender. I usually cut what I need at the time of her meal, discarding gristle.

Darbie gets 1/2 c KD kibble soaked in a splash of unsalted chicken stock and water.; 1/2 can of KD STEW; 2 TBS yogurt ; 6 (1/4") cubes steak. Her supplements go in her dish= 1ea. Azodyl, Fish Oil, Cranberry soft gel, CoQ10 (30mg),Glucosamine. After each meal, she gets a Tums ( assorted Berry) which has helped a lot with any gastro issues.

When Darbie was solely on KD prescription foods she lost a lot of muscle strength in her legs.  Adding the bits of high quality protein as advised by Tony has not only made Darbie stronger, but also proved her numbers could go down!

Stonyfield Organic makes YOBABY Vanilla which is packaged in 4oz cups.I enjoy their low fat plain, so Darbie and I can share a 32oz tub:) Tony has advised us all in prior posts to be wary of lactose intolerance, so please keep that in mind:)...I hope this is helpful!

Best of Luck to everyone during this journey...This forum is a blessing and it does take a lot of research and TLC...But, you will be rewarded:)

Fondly,
Lynne and Darbie

[Kaymbsc]

Thanks, Lynne.

You mentioned Darbie gets semi-rare chuck steak mixed in her meal with plain yogurt, too. What proportions are you using?

I've tried tons of different human foods with Mandy; I regularly roast organic chickens for her, cook organic ground beef (80% lean), cook organic eggs, human baby food, and bunches of other things, but until we tried the K/D beef stew, it was a struggle to get her to eat.

We haven't yet tried chuck steak nor yogurt.

Since we know Mandy likes at least some of what you're feeding Darbie (the KD Beef & Veg stew), maybe Mandy's palate is similar to Darbie's. So I'd like to replicate (in smaller portions, of course) what you're giving Darbie to see if Mandy likes it, too. If you wouldn't mind sharing your recipe, that would be great. Thanks again!

Kay

Kay

[Kaymbsc]

Hi there. Just one comment about the K/D food. My girl Mandy wouldn't eat it, either. Then I read Lynne's comment about the Hills k/d Beef & Vegetable stew which apparently is something new this year. So even if your Yorkie won't eat the KD canned food (because the original is bland and blah), if he hasn't yet tried the new Beef & Vegetable stew flavor, it might be something he likes. Mandy loves it, but she wouldn't touch the other KD stuff.

Good luck. I know what a struggle it is to find food that they'll eat.

[DarbiesMom]

Hi there:)

I'm so hoping your little yorkie is finding a balance....This is such a difficult time when figuring out this disease as well as other complications that arise. Please update on his aluminum hydroxide intake....I hope you saw positive results with a change of dosage.

Darbie went thru a horrible time with food association w/ sickness....I hope you find a nice menu that can stay. It means so much overall.

Best of wishes to you:)

Lynne and Darbie

[DarbiesMom]

Hi Kay,

I'm catching up a bit since being away for a few days...Excellent news that Mandy is receptive to the KD Stew! This was a great turning point for Darbie as I knew she was getting nutrition from a KD source and supplementing human grade protein ( Darbie is thriving on bits of semi rare chuck steak mixed in her meal with plain yogurt too...She's a lab-mix. Her legs got so strong as did her overall happiness! )

Wishing you a healthy journey! There is hope and Mandy will benefit from all your love:)

Fondly,
Lynne & Darbie