Hello and thankyou!

[ladybeaujangles]

I just wanted to say hello to everyone and to thankyou for setting up this forum. My whippet Beau was diagnosed with CKD last weekend and I am devastated. Having read many of your articles and discussions I now feel there are more options available for me to try to make our little family member more comfortable. She goes to the vet tomorrow for a check up on bloods / urine and I am praying she has stabilised. I have had dogs all my life and have never encountered this before and felt pretty helpless until now. Thankyou all so much.

[DogBlog]

Hi:

Hoping Beau is doing well.  My one piece of advice is that you might have to switch up food frequently.  My Sammie used to eat very well then all of a sudden stop eating.  I would change her food a little and that would work.  The last 9 months of her life, I cooked for all her meals.  

Don't get discouraged.  There are a lot of options.

Regards,
Charlene

[tonyb286]

Hi. That's great. Fingers crossed for continued success. Keep me posted.

Tony

[ladybeaujangles]

Yes it's definitely helpful, it has given me a better understanding of the disease and what to expect. I have tried honey on her food and she seems to like it, will have a go with the coconut oil tomorrow as I use it for cooking. I have ordered pure salmon oil as a supplement, the vet agreed it would help. I am trying to source green tripe locally and have been in touch with a couple of raw food companies. We thought it might be a good idea to have some in the freezer to mix in with the prescription food if she continues to refuse to eat it! I have to say she is looking so much better considering we nearly lost her last weekend and hope she can continue to strengthen. Thanks Tony.

[tonyb286]

Hi. Yes, renal diet food tends to be quite unpallatable, which is why I suggest in my article adding some useful (but tasty) supplements like all-natural honey or even better a little virgin coconut oil. Sometimes different renal diets are more to a particular dogs taste than others, so it's always worth having a few varieties in stock.

Did you get chance to read the article? If so, did you find it helpful?

Tony

[ladybeaujangles]

Thankyou Tony! Beau had a good visit with the vet and she has sent more blood/urine samples to the lab for testing. She was pleased with her blood pressure and hydration levels. We are due for another visit next Monday for another check up and to see if Beau can hopefully gain more weight. Being a whippet she doesn't have much in reserve as it is and has quickly become very thin. Although she is keen to eat I'm afraid the prescription diet isn't to her taste, so we are going to try her on a different brand. Thankyou again for the link, any information is gratefully received!!
Janet

[tonyb286]

Hi again. I am delighted to say my article in question is now available online (just published a few minutes ago). Please click the link below to access it:

http://www.infobarrel.com/My_10-Point_Plan_for_Dogs_with_Kidney_Failure

Tony

[tonyb286]

Hi and welcome to our family of friends here. I have an article that I am sure you will find invaluable prior to your vet visit, but it hasn't been published yet, so I can't give you a link for it. Please private message me and let me have your email address and I'll forward a copy to you straight away. I am the administrator for this group, which I set up 3 years ago almost after my own dog passed away with CKD, so I empathise with how you must be feeling.

I'm sure you'll gain a huge amount from this forum and the wonderful people on it.

Regards

Tony