I have to say I rarely reply to food orientated threads because inevitably someone will bring in raw food and there goes the thread. I never ask questions about my dogs diet because in the past ive been made to feel like evil personified for discounting a raw diet. Suffice to say my dogs are in peak condition (as they should be at 5 and 3)! My last girl died from kidney failure but hills prescription kept her going for quite a while and at the end stage I was feeding her anything to avoid the inevitable. I have to say she was a delightful rescued scavenger that would eat anything from Easter eggs to discarded whatever. She was 16. Her love of chocolate and her thievery of the odd whisky never seemed to cause harm. I have great faith in my vet. And the Glasgow vet school is wonderful. All the best.

I'm just trying to help but Prescription Diets will eventually make matters worst... ingredients don't lie!

Here’s 50 documented reviews from pet owners about Hill’s on Consumers Affairs, many commenting on K/D.

Dog Food Analysis says:
Pros: None
Cons: Zero meat content, use of low quality grain fragments and filler, carcinogenic chemical preservative (no longer uses ethoxyquin).
Would you recommend the product: No
Rating: 0
"We note that this is a food of extremely low nutritional value, and inadequate for use over anything but the very short term. We also note modern research that suggests protein restriction is required [not true] for kidney disease, but rather, high quality sources of protein (that do not exist in this food) are more appropriate."

Hill’s K/D kibble contains a horrible 14% and a dangerously high 60% carbohydrates (6% is the norm in the canine ancestral diet).
Your dog doesn’t need less protein but rather high-quality animal protein which you will not find in any RX formula... in fact, Hill’s K/D has NO MEAT whatsoever... this for a carnivore.

You just have to check the horrible ingredients in any Hill's formula and you can see the harm these ingredients cause on my page and there’s 42 links of reference at the end of the page.
Hill’s K/D is one of the worst; very very low grade plant protein NO animal protein whatsoever!), very high carbohydrates filled with grains, corn and sugars which are very bad for healthy cats/dogs and deadly with those with kidney disease.

I make or order over 1300 diets/month for the clients of several great vets who practice integrative medicine and not one would even think of recommending RX diets.

In most cases, CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) or kidney disease is preventable and caused by feeding a low-quality, high carbohydrate kibble containing often dangerous fillers.
Because the moisture content of kibble is only around 10% compared to a good balanced, raw meat diet or grain-free canned at 75% - 78% moisture, the kidneys often eventually fail.
I’ve even met horrible vets that recommended kibble and not wet food for kidney disease.
I also rote a page “Is Kibble or Wet Food Best”?
BTW, CRF doesn’t exist in the wild.

I just want to remind that diet is THE most important health factor with a cat/dog with or without kidney disease.
I’m speaking from experience; many years ago I had two cats die from CRF before I knew anything about cat/dog nutrition… I held both vets responsible and got all my money back for the huge vet bills because of the food they recommended which was Hill’s Prescription Diet.

I'm just trying to help but Prescription Diets will eventually make matters worst... ingredients don't lie.
Here’s 50 documented reviews from pet owners about Hill’s on Consumers Affairs.

Dog Food Analysis says about Hill's K/D:
Pros: None
Cons: Zero meat content, use of low quality grain fragments and filler, carcinogenic chemical preservative (no longer uses ethoxyquin but used to).
Would you recommend the product: No
Rating: 0
"We note that this is a food of extremely low nutritional value, and inadequate for use over anything but the very short term. We also note modern research that suggests protein restriction is required [not true] for kidney disease, but rather, high quality sources of protein (that do not exist in this food) are more appropriate."

Hill’s K/D kibble contains a horrible 14% and a dangerously high 60% carbohydrates (6% is the norm in the ancestral diet).
Your dog doesn’t need less protein but rather high-quality animal protein which you will not find in any RX formula... in fact, Hill’s K/D has NO MEAT whatsoever... this for a carnivore.

You just have to check the horrible ingredients in any Hill's formula and you can see the harm these ingredients cause on my page and there’s 42 links of reference at the end of the page.
Hill’s K/D is one of the worst; very low protein, very high carbohydrates filled with grains, corn and sugars which are very bad for healthy cats/dogs and deadly with those with kidney disease.

I make or order over 1300 diets/month for the clients of several great vets who practice integrative medicine and not one would even think of recommending RX diets.

In most cases, CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) or kidney disease is preventable and caused by feeding a low-quality, high carbohydrate kibble containing little or no meat, grains, soy, wheat and other dangerous fillers.
Because the moisture content of kibble is only around 10% compared to a good balanced, raw meat diet or grain-free canned at 75% - 78% moisture, the kidneys often eventually fail.

I’ve even met horrible vets that recommend kibble and not wet food for kidney disease... unbelievable.
I also wrote a page “Is Kibble or Wet Food Best”?
BTW, CRF doesn’t exist in the wild.

I just want to remind that diet is THE most important health factor with a cat/dog with or without kidney disease.
I’m speaking from experience; many years ago I had two cats die from CRF before I knew anything about cat/dog nutrition… I held both vets responsible and got all my money back for the huge vet bills because of the food they recommended which was Hill’s Science Diet.

Finding a good vet will make all the difference for your dog, and if your vet recommends RX diets that's NOT a good sign.

Again, here are the vets from my webpage that I would call. If none are nearby, most should do phone consults for a reasonable fee…. I'm sure they’ll all confirm what I’ve been saying about horrible Prescription Diets.
I know of some of the very best vets in the world that are on my page in the U.S. that do phone consults should you wish.
Sorry for the long post, good luck.

Dr. Sue Armstrong,MA, VetMB, VetMFHom, CertAVH, MRCVS, RSHom
Dr. Vivien Smith, B.Vet.Med, Dr. Med Vet, MRCVS, LFHom (Vet)
Balanced Being Veterinary Centre
Unit 8 Erivan Park
Sandbeck Way
Wetherby
LS22 7DN
Tel: 01937 543860
Website

Dr. Nick Thompson, BSc (Vet Sci) Hons, BVM&S,VetMFHom, MRCVS
Holisticvet Ltd.
Apthorp
Weston Road
Bath
BA1 2XT
Tel: 01225 487 778
Email: nickthompson@holisticvet.co.uk
Fax: 07092 233 930
Website

Dr. Barbara Jones, BVMS, MRCVS, VetMFHom
Oakwood (Holistic) Veterinary Centre
Babbinswood Farm,
Whittington,
Oswestry,
Shropshire
SY11 4PF
Website
Email: info@vetholistic.co.uk
Tel: 01691 679699
Fax: 01691 657563

Dr. Cheryl Sears, MVB, MRCVS, VetMFHom
Harestock Stud,
Kennel Lane,
Littleton,
nr Winchester,
SO22 6PT
Tel: 01722 781241
Website

Dr. Richard Allport, BVet Med, VetMFHom MRCVS
Natural Medicine Veterinary Center
11 Southgate Road
Potters Bar
Herts
EN6 5DR
Tel.: 01707 662058
Website

Dr. Tim Couzens, BVetMed, MRCVS, VetMFHom, CertNetAc
Dr. Peter Gregory, BVSc, MRCVS, VetFFHom, CertlAVH
Dr. Sonya Winsor, BVetMed, BSc (Hons), PhD, MRCVS, VetMFHom
The Holistic Veterinary Medicine Centre
The Village Works
London Road
East Hoathly
Lewes
East Sussex, BN8 6QA
Tel.: 01825 840966
Fax: 01825 841434
Website

Dr. Chris Day
Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre
Chinham House
Stanford in the Yale
Oxfordshire SN7 8NQ
Tel.: 01367 710324
Fax: 01367 718243
Website

Dr. Mark Elliot, BVSc
Dr. Nick Thompson, MRCVS
Dr. Meg Kaplan, MRCVS
Hamilton Veterinary Clinix
110 Boundary Road
St. John's Wood NW8 0RH
Tel.: 020 7372 7077
Website

Roger Biduk

When I saw the ingredients in the kidney diets I opted to cook my dogs food. There is a Yahoo group were you will get advice on feeding for any renal problems, they were a big help to me.

The ingredients in the prescription renal diets are rubbish, they charge a fortune for them and yet they must be the cheapest on the market to produce.

My vet suggested one of these for Lily when she showed early signs of kidney failure in her blood and urine tests. I refused to feed them to her as she is intolerant anyway to cereals and corn which is the main ingredient, the next main ingredient was animal fat which has been shown in these quantities to be a cause of bloat especially in deep chested breeds. The fillers on the list do consist of sawdust which I will not feed my dog.
The vet had to agree with me when he realised I knew what i was talking about, he said the next best thing was a senior diet, followed by a home cooked diet.
I opted to try her on a good quality senior diet and it has worked for her. Her bloods and urine test results are almost normal now.

For some dogs the renal diets may work and if they seem to be working for someones dog I would say stick with it, but if starting out looking for a renal diet I would say think carefully and perhaps try what my vet and others have told me a senior diet of good quality.
I do soak the complete senior food before feeding and add some wet senior food too.

remember diets with dogs whether for a health condition or not, is never one diet suits all, every dog is an individual so its finding the best diet that will help or suit your individual dog.

Each to their own. I know what suits my dog & what is keeping her alive.

I trust & believe in my vet to do what is right for my dog. Blood test results verify / corroborate this fact

We took part in research carried out by a well known Genealogist / Boxer breeder/ exhibitor, to try & identify the gene responsible for JKD within the breed. Unfortunately findings were inconclusive. However research is still ongoing in Europe, it is hopeful one day the gene will be identified.

When Merlin was first diagnosed with renal failure my vet suggested a senior diet for him. When I looked into them the main difference was 2 per cent protein, the quality is more important than the per centage so I contacted Burgess to ask about the phosphorous Levels, they were well within the levels my vet wanted.

I have a dog that has recovered from acute renal failure. She was placed on prescription food right after the incident (and I do believe it may have had it's place in the beginning), but after a while she gained weight, was lethargic, and was very irritable.

We switched her onto a raw diet (low phosphorous) and she is doing wonderfully - a whole new dog. It has been 3 years now since her ARF and her levels are all stable. I personally would stay away from a kibble prescription diet as kibble is too dry. A kidney dog should be eating food that is moist. Also, recent research has shown that a low-protein diet (such as K/D) is not good for kidney disease (moderate protein is better) unless your dog is uremic or there is significant protein in the urine.

I personally feel that a home-cooked or raw diet (not a prey model raw diet, though, where there is a lot bone and no veggies) is best for dogs with kidney disease, if you do it correctly. Protein quality should be high. Always make sure that you have water available as well.

There are certain supplements that kidney dogs should have, depending on their bloodwork: you may need iron. A vitamin B complex, CoQ10, omega-3 oil, digestive enzymes, and spirulina are also great for kidney dogs.

Talking to my vet after they had diagnosed Merlin with kidney failure he said renal failure cannot be cured, it can be slowed down and the dog have a normal life.

Kibble needs to be soaked, fit healthy dogs are often dehydrated because they don't drink enough.

The quality of the protein is more important than the percentage. The food Merlin had was good quality, a good raw diet or home cooked usually has good quality protein which. Is good for the dog.

There are two types of renal failure - acute and chronic. Although rare, dogs can recover from acute renal failure. When dogs do not recover from acute renal failure, it leads to death or chronic renal failure. Dogs can also develop chronic renal failure without an acute attack. They cannot recover from chronic renal failure.

The vet has said that Roxy has a type of kidney insufficiency and I think that's the precurser to kidney disease. They have said there is no evidence to suggest that medicating at this stage will make any difference to the overall condition in the long term, so she will not be medicated for now.

I've decied to keep her on a good, complete moist diet, along with a wee bit of Burns mixer for a bit of crunch/variety as it's lown in protein and phosphorus as well (it really isn't a lot as it's mostly moist food she's getting), along with a phosphate binder (Ipakitine) and she now gets filtered water.

She seems to be very happy at the moment, is eating well and putting on a bit of weight which is good after a scare we had a few weeks ago.

So, all is well for now.

I'm not going down the raw road.