My dog has kidney disease. Can he have milk? What else can I do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Hi, my dog has been diagnosed with renal failure and given 6 - 12 months. he is a rescue springador, very fit now. I am feeding him3 or 4 times a day with prescription diet plus veg and fruit and salmon oil. I don't understand phosphorous. I know he can't take salt. can he have milk or is there anything else I can do? THANK YOU VERY MUCH
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on October 1st, 2017
I'm sorry to hear about your dogs diagnosis! Phosphorus is something we try to avoid with renal failure because the kidneys have lost the ability to excrete it properly. Because milk is high in phosphorus I would avoid giving it. A prescription renal diet like you are using is the best food to avoid giving too much phosphorus. If your dog's phosphorus levels are already high you can ask your veterinarian about giving medications like aluminum hydroxide. As far as additional things you can do at home for your dog, subcutaneous fluids may be worthwhile. Your veterinarian can teach you how to administer these fluids. Medications like Azodyl may also be helpful. As an integrative veterinarian I also manage my patients with kidney disease with acupuncture and herbal medicine. It may be worth looking into integrative veterinarians in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to you and your dog!
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on September 2nd, 2017
It would be important to rerun get bloods to determine if it is the elevated phosphorous that is contributing to the signs and not any other complication or additional conditions. There are additional phosphate binders, specialised diets and tonics such as pronefra but it would be important to fully assess her bloods, current medications, diet and supplements before adding or changing anything
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Do you know of any natural remedies for reversing kidney disease? My dog was just diagnosed with Kidney disease, and he is 14 years old. Are there supplements or food I can give him? Is excise good for him? He is losing weight, and his breath smell
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. I am sorry to see that Boomer is in renal failure. What I typically recommend for renal failure in dogs are the following products: 1. Rehmannia 8 liquid or tablets 2. Epakitin (to help bind excessive phosphorus) 3. Renal support by Standard Process 4. Azodyl probiotic capsules (if you are not already giving these) 5. Prescription kidney diet such as Hills K/D 6. Renal K+ 7. Anti-nausea medications (Cerenia / Zofran) Some of these are more natural products and obviously the anti-nausea medications are prescription drugs but can help keep Boomer more comfortable. I also managed a kidney failure patient who also had lymphoma with all of the above including subcutaneous fluids and also treating him twice weekly in a hyperbaric chamber. His original prognosis was 3 months and that prognosis was given 15 months ago. If you have someone in your area that has a hyperbaric chamber, you can speak with them about treating
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
What all do I need to give my KD dog? She is on Azodyl and I am cooking her meals.
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I'm sorry to hear Lily is having kidney disease issues. Without seeing her or her labwork, it is difficult to give specific recommendations, but in general diet is a huge part of kidney disease treatment. If you are cooking for her, have you consulted with a veterinary nutritionist or online company (such as balanceit.com) to discuss what specifically her diet should be based on her stage of kidney disease? If not, I would strongly recommend it if you aren't going to use a pre-formulated prescription food. As the disease progresses, sometimes these dogs benefit from fluids under the skin at home, or an omega fatty acid supplement. I would recommend discussing specific options based on her labwork and disease process with her regular veterinarian as well. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
my dog has been diagnosed with Protein losing kidney disease. 6 years old. he's now on Benazepril 5 mg. 1.5 tablets twice daily and on NF purina kibble and wet food. HIs creatinine is 1.9, albumin 2.7, BUN 32, UPC ratio 2.6. Anything else i can do
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco! This is a little bit of a complex question that you ask. The challenging thing with these cases is determining whether the pet has excessive protein loss through the kidney (protein losing nephropathy or PLN) because of some sort of disease process going on in the body (of which many diseases can cause this) or if the pet has kidney disease that is involving the part of the kidney that helps keep protein out of the urine (glomerulus). Prolonged excessive protein loss in the urine can also lead to damage to the kidneys causing chronic kidney disease. I'm assuming that your kid had a urinalysis to evaluate that creatinine level. It is minimally elevated so it is important to know if the urine is well concentrated in order to know how to interpret this mild elevation. The hard thing is there are also other diseases that can cause protein in the urine that can cause the specific gravity to be low, so a low specific gravity is not specific for
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog got diagnosed with kidney disease. His BUN levels are normal but his creatinine levels were elevated and so were his SDMA. It seems like it has been caught early on. They want him on a low sodium diet. What can he eat and not eat? He's very fo
I'm so sorry to hear of your dog's diagnosis of kidney disease at such a young age! If they haven't been run already, I would suggest additional testing to look for other underlying causes of kidney disease that are potentially treatable - urinalysis, urine culture, leptospirosis PCR (if in your area), ultrasound, etc. I would also recommend a urine protein:creatinine ratio, and a blood pressure measurement. If it's truly primary kidney disease, there are pet food companies that make kidney-specific diets that are low in protein and phosphorus (these are the two main ingredients to limit with kidney disease) - Royal Canin makes a Renal diet, Hill's makes k/d, Purina makes NF. Talk to your veterinarian about starting a kidney diet now while he's feeling good. As far as activities, he can do every activity that he enjoys!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was just diagnosed with kidney failure, what can I do to prolong her life?
There is a distinction between acute and chronic renal failure. Acute renal failure often occurs as the result of a toxin or infection while chronic renal failure is seen more in older pets that have had a slow decline in their kidneys over time. There are four stages of chronic kidney failure with multiple sub-stages. It may be helpful to use our consultation option as we will be able to ask questions and review bloodwork to give you more specific information. Management of acute vs chronic renal failure is different. In either case, a kidney specific prescription diet is probably the number one best thing that can be done to help with kidney disease in the long-term, though hospitalization with IV fluids is often vital in cases of acute kidney injury. Other potential treatments are aimed at the potential side effects of kidney disease including protein loss in the urine, high blood pressure and imbalances of certain nutrients such as Calcium, phosphorous and potassium. I encoura
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
What should i do to make my dog drink more water?he wont drink any broth, only milk. But milk is very dangerous for him because he got kidney disease. if he exercise, he'll get tremor. He's a mini pomeranian 6 years old. His health is all good and ea
Hello. With kidney disease, it is important to try to increase fluid intake. If he is not on a canned diet, I would try to transition him to one. Even better, would be a canned kidney diet such as Hill's k/d. Once he is eating the canned food, adding a little water will help, but you do not want to add so much water as to decrease the nutritional density of the food. Rather than broth, you can also try Pedialyte. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
The vet told me today that my dog has elevated kidney levels from a blood test. They want him to go on a prescription diet. Is there a food you can recommend that's not prescription?
The best management option for a dog with kidney failure is prescription kidney diet, which us proven to extend quality and length of life. The higher proportion of these specialist diets, preferably wet food and increased fluid intake the vest chance of stabilisation. Diets formulated for senior pets and additional supplementation depending upon abnormal blood values can be helpful but a full assessment of regular blood tests is needed to guide this approach effectively
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My 13 yr old female Papillon has been diagnosed with kidney failure and vet has prescribed banazecare half tablet daily and Renal Support food. Can I also give her Kidney Support Gold as well as I have read reviews and it seems to work. My vet has
I do not know much about Kidney Support Gold but what I typically use in my renal failure cases is the following: 1. Prescription renal support food such as Hills K/D 2. Azodyl capsules 3. Rehmannia 8 liquid supplement 4. Renal K+ if potassium is low 5. ACE inhibitor such as the Benazecare that you are giving 6. Standard Process Renal Support for dogs 7. Subcutaneous fluids several times per week to help with hydration 8. Hyperbaric chamber therapy My last case of renal failure (also had cancer) lived 20 months past the expected prognosis of 6 months. This dog also was undergoing chemotherapy but I do believe all of the above helped improve his prognosis significantly. I would discuss these options with your veterinarian as well. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I've recently found out that my dog who was diagnosed with DCM around 1.5 years ago is also suffering from kidney disease. The vet has said that he needs a low phosphorus diet but he has been on a raw diet for over 6 years now and will not touch kibb
Chico is certainly lucky to have such a dedicated owner. I have a couple suggestions for you. I would recommend having a veterinarian who is board certified in nutrition help you create a diet for Chico. One of the largest companies that will do that for you is called Balance It. https://secure.balanceit.com/ Another options would be Just Food for Dogs which has kidney diets that are made of whole foods (https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/renal-support-low-protein) or can help you create a custom diet for Chico. https://www.justfoodfordogs.com Those would be my top choices to help you find the right diet for Chico. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi. I am looking for some low phosphorus recipes I can make for my dog who has gone into kidney failure.
I'm sorry to hear that Memi has kidney failure. Finding a food that he will eat and enjoys is very important and I applaud you for being willing to make his food. My best recommendation to make sure that the recipe is balanced is to have a board certified veterinary nutritionist create a recipe for Memi. One service that I frequently use is Balance It. https://secure.balanceit.com/ Your veterinarian may also have a recommendation for a nutritionist that they like. It is important to make sure that a recipe is balanced (not just low in phosphorus) to prevent any other problems with the diet. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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