Kidney Issues

Cheryl just now catching up with this thread. I am so SORRY to hear about Miko!!! He was such a cutie-pie gentleman when we met him.

I know first hand how hard this is. Our first sheltie, Skye fought this battle at age 14. We were able to give her some quality of life for 6 months or so. Not as many medical options that we were aware of 8 years ago.

One thing my vet said, keep their gums/teeth healthy with cleaning/brushing. We had her in for a dental when the kidney problem was found. Her numbers went back down after the cleaning and stayed down for a while. Otherwise the bacteria circulating from gum disease can affect kidneys and heart.

Sounds like folks have gotten some good info to you. Good luck. Just remember to try to live in the present as much as you can. Don't project the future too much because in my experience, it's never going to go the way you think.

You and your hubby and Miko are in my thoughts and prayers. Sending you hugs.
 
Miko hates his food

I'm not sure what to do. Do you think I should try adding some canned? We're pretty sure he hates his food. He won't even eat it all, it's that bad. I say "pretty sure" because when we were still mixing it with the Acana, the power that we put on it didn't stop him from eating it all up. He hates power stuff so I've been adding water to make a nice mush. Yuck.

Do you think I should add canned? Do you think the vet would refund me for the food so I can buy something else (other brands)? Thoughts?

Poor Miko. He's always been a slow eater, but now it takes 15 mins to eat and I think he only eats it all when he's REALLY hungry. We've already cut back from 1/2 cup down to about 3/8 cup (per feeding) since he wouldn't finish his food.

Thoughts? I'm probably going to call the vet later, but I can't right now. lol. Darn work is getting in the way. Thanks!
 
k9kreationz said:
I'm not sure what to do. Do you think I should try adding some canned? We're pretty sure he hates his food. He won't even eat it all, it's that bad. I say "pretty sure" because when we were still mixing it with the Acana, the power that we put on it didn't stop him from eating it all up. He hates power stuff so I've been adding water to make a nice mush. Yuck.

Do you think I should add canned? Do you think the vet would refund me for the food so I can buy something else (other brands)? Thoughts?

Poor Miko. He's always been a slow eater, but now it takes 15 mins to eat and I think he only eats it all when he's REALLY hungry. We've already cut back from 1/2 cup down to about 3/8 cup (per feeding) since he wouldn't finish his food.

Thoughts? I'm probably going to call the vet later, but I can't right now. lol. Darn work is getting in the way. Thanks!
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Vet should refund you, hills has a good return policy(or at least they used to) if the dogs won't it eat. Frankly , a lot of dogs won't eat it. That one ,just one, of the reasons I am not a fan. Try another brand(Royal Canin or Purina) or you may need to start cooking for him. You could try adding canned.
 
Justicemom said:
Vet should refund you, hills has a good return policy(or at least they used to) if the dogs won't it eat. Frankly , a lot of dogs won't eat it. That one ,just one, of the reasons I am not a fan. Try another brand(Royal Canin or Purina) or you may need to start cooking for him. You could try adding canned.
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Thanks for the quick reply. I have a break coming soon, so I can give them a call. I feel bad for poor Miko. I mean, going from Acana to this stuff? It's like us going from high quality restaurant food to a very bland boring diet.

I called the vet. The food is still very returnable (is that a word?). So that's good to hear. The vet who's been working with me is out until Thursday, but the vet tech suggested using canned (added to dry) for now. That usually gets them eating. So, I'll do that. And thankfully, the pet food store near me carries Rx food if needed (with prescription of course). That way I don't have to go about 20-30 mins out of my way for food, or if they don't carry all the brands.
 
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Thanks Sharon. I'm grateful Miko is still his happy self. I mean, he's still initiating play with Koji, so I think that's a great sign. Thanks for the tip about the teeth. I try to keep up with them as much as possible. Guess it's time to make time for both of them.
 
Vibrant Pets

For those that were curious.....since I was. I finally called Lee at VP to find out if it could have added to keeping Miko's numbers down. He said there's not clinical data but there are a few things in it that would have helped. Not to mention that it seems to do wonders for dogs in general. It was on my list of things to purchase since Koji eats it too.......but.....now the question is.....

what do I do? Do I keep Miko on this k/d diet? Do I give him better, normal food and hope VP keeps his numbers down? I'm not sure what a vet would say, so......not sure what to do. Sigh.
 
If it were me and Gypsy would eat the VP, I would add it to her diet but I wouldn't depend on that to keep her Kidney issues under control. I have sent you a few pm's in the last week not sure if you are getting them.
 
Justicemom said:
Vet should refund you, hills has a good return policy(or at least they used to) if the dogs won't it eat. Frankly , a lot of dogs won't eat it. That one ,just one, of the reasons I am not a fan. Try another brand(Royal Canin or Purina) or you may need to start cooking for him. You could try adding canned.
Click to expand...

I know I'm not a vet like Justicemom, but I had a really good experience with the Royal Canin/Medical (same company) vet food, just so you know.

Sadie was on Royal Canin/Medical Hypoallergenic HP when she was having severe digestive upset that was unknown. All testing was inconclusive but this food got her back on track and she LOVED it. If you can get this brand from you're vet I recommend it too.

Your vet may also be able to suggest a suitable wet food that you can give with the dry food to make it more palatable.

Hang in there, as others pointed out, with the proper diet, many animals (people too) can live long lives with only a small portion of their kidneys functioning.
 
Miko

We are on team Miko!!! You are a good Mom Cheryl, you are doing all the best things for your little gentleman.


Best,
Kate and her mob, Seamus and Harper Lee
 
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