Need Help w/kidney disease for 6 yo Bulldog

[BullyBoston]

Hello folks,
I hope everyone and their bully's are doing great! I've come here looking for any advice and information. My 6 yo English bulldog was born with a heart murmur (grade 5-6) and inoperable VSD. He was on a heart med by the name of spirolactin I believe until around 2 years ago bc he seems to be developing kidney disease. These meds do affect the kidneys after long term use which our doctor was aware of and advised us about it. He was checked out today for his heart and had an echocardiogram and nothing has changed since he was a puppy which is terrific news. However his kidneys levels seem to be increasing and he is scheduled for an abdominal u/s, a urinalysis with urin culture, and kidney panel on May 7th. The vet is also referring us to a nutritionist bc they want to change his diet. They have recommended a prescribed kidney disease dog food and now we are ready to explore his options with this food. Pardon for all of this info but I guess I would like to know if anyone has experienced kidney disease with their bulldog's and what advice and information can you share as far as management of it (food, medications, supplements, etc.). We have taken care of him so well and want to help prolong his life as much as possible as long as we are able to. He will be 7 at the end of July. We were told he would not live past the age of 1 so we are so happy to love on him and treat him with great care and to see he is still here with us. Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[2BullyMama]

Sorry for the delay in responses…. Raw food would most likly be best but you vet will tell you to use royal canin or hills… stay ways from those they are all fillers and chemicals.

@RiiSi @ddnene @Manydogs …do either of you remember the member that had the kidney issues?

 

[ddnene]

I honestly don't... sorry!

 

[Bulldog2001]

Hello folks,
I hope everyone and their bully's are doing great! I've come here looking for any advice and information. My 6 yo English bulldog was born with a heart murmur (grade 5-6) and inoperable VSD. He was on a heart med by the name of spirolactin I believe until around 2 years ago bc he seems to be developing kidney disease. These meds do affect the kidneys after long term use which our doctor was aware of and advised us about it. He was checked out today for his heart and had an echocardiogram and nothing has changed since he was a puppy which is terrific news. However his kidneys levels seem to be increasing and he is scheduled for an abdominal u/s, a urinalysis with urin culture, and kidney panel on May 7th. The vet is also referring us to a nutritionist bc they want to change his diet. They have recommended a prescribed kidney disease dog food and now we are ready to explore his options with this food. Pardon for all of this info but I guess I would like to know if anyone has experienced kidney disease with their bulldog's and what advice and information can you share as far as management of it (food, medications, supplements, etc.). We have taken care of him so well and want to help prolong his life as much as possible as long as we are able to. He will be 7 at the end of July. We were told he would not live past the age of 1 so we are so happy to love on him and treat him with great care and to see he is still here with us. Thank you in advance for any help.

Sorry to hear about your bulldog kidney disease! I have 3 dogs, 2 of them have kidney disease as a result of the kibble food they were fed as pups.

I just got their bloodwork back and it’s all normal, the vet gave my dogs 6 months to live and they are both 13 months and still doing good! The prescription kibble for kidney disease didn’t help at all for the kidneys and it caused more health issues.

Dehydration is a huge cause of kidney disease(kibble dehydrates them because of the low moisture and then even if they drink 3 cups of water with the food, the water gets pulled from the kidneys which stresses them and they are in constant dehydration).

I have my dogs on a low phosphorus and low sodium raw diet. The raw diet is around 70% moisture and gives them all that they need.
If your in Canada, the food I’m feeding is:
Carnivora -Goat diet
Carnivora-rabbit diet
Carnivora- beef dinner

And also Artisan Hypoallergenic formula(beef and salmon)

All of those are low in sodium and phosphorus, raw green tripe is also good too.

I also give them a supplement called:
Pet Wellbeing(that’s the brand)-Kidney Support Gold is what the product is called, it’s vet formulated by holistic vet and it’s natural.

Omega 3 also are great for the kidneys, probiotics are also good too(I am giving them goats milk).

The protein options I listed for you in those specific brands(some brands can have higher phosphorus amounts even if it’s the same meat used)- I rotate thru all those formulas for my dogs to give them variety.

The omega 3 herring oil I am not giving currently as they are getting the omega 3 from the salmon formula.

My advice to you though is to get her on a raw diet that’s low in sodium and phosphorus(those options I listed that I do feed my dogs) are great and so is the pet wellbeing- kidney support gold supplement. Their kidney numbers are ALL in the normal range now.

I highly recommend staying away from kibble all together(especially the prescription kibble as it’s all fillers and still dehydrates them Causing more work for the kidneys).
My vets are amazed and said keep doing whatever your doing cause it’s working!

I work at a holistic pet store and have had many people come in with kidney disease dogs and they buy the same formulas I mentioned above that I feed my dogs, and they also use the kidney supplement I mentioned above as well, and they all have said the bloodwork came back amazing and the dogs are lasting longer than the vet thought.

If your not in Canada, let me know and I can find something in your area to calculate the phosphorus and sodium percentages to help you out.

Keep the dogs teeth clean too(tartar works their kidneys too).

Another good thing for kidney and liver health is greens(I use Green Rover from Four Leaf River for my other dog), but for now I would focus on getting her on low phosphorus and low sodium raw diet and the pet wellbeing kidney support supplement.

I don’t think this requires a referral to a nutritionist as most are against raw and will just recommend the prescription kibbles. I would just put her on low phosphorus and low sodium raw diet like the ones I listed and then the kidney support gold supplement, and she should be improving. We waited until 3 months of being on raw before we did bloodwork as it can take up to 12 weeks to get the old food out of her system!


If you need help with anything or have any other questions regarding diet or supplements let me know!

I’m happy to help!


Keep us updated!

 

[Bulldog2001]

Hello folks,
I hope everyone and their bully's are doing great! I've come here looking for any advice and information. My 6 yo English bulldog was born with a heart murmur (grade 5-6) and inoperable VSD. He was on a heart med by the name of spirolactin I believe until around 2 years ago bc he seems to be developing kidney disease. These meds do affect the kidneys after long term use which our doctor was aware of and advised us about it. He was checked out today for his heart and had an echocardiogram and nothing has changed since he was a puppy which is terrific news. However his kidneys levels seem to be increasing and he is scheduled for an abdominal u/s, a urinalysis with urin culture, and kidney panel on May 7th. The vet is also referring us to a nutritionist bc they want to change his diet. They have recommended a prescribed kidney disease dog food and now we are ready to explore his options with this food. Pardon for all of this info but I guess I would like to know if anyone has experienced kidney disease with their bulldog's and what advice and information can you share as far as management of it (food, medications, supplements, etc.). We have taken care of him so well and want to help prolong his life as much as possible as long as we are able to. He will be 7 at the end of July. We were told he would not live past the age of 1 so we are so happy to love on him and treat him with great care and to see he is still here with us. Thank you in advance for any help.

Sorry to hear about your bulldog kidney disease! I have 3 dogs, 2 of them have kidney disease as a result of the kibble food they were fed as pups.

I just got their bloodwork back and it’s all normal, the vet gave my dogs 6 months to live and they are both 13 months and still doing good! The prescription kibble for kidney disease didn’t help at all for the kidneys and it caused more health issues.

Dehydration is a huge cause of kidney disease(kibble dehydrates them because of the low moisture and then even if they drink 3 cups of water with the food, the water gets pulled from the kidneys which stresses them and they are in constant dehydration).

I have my dogs on a low phosphorus and low sodium raw diet. The raw diet is around 70% moisture and gives them all that they need.
If your in Canada, the food I’m feeding is:
Carnivora -Goat diet
Carnivora-rabbit diet
Carnivora- beef dinner

And also Artisan Hypoallergenic formula(beef and salmon)

All of those are low in sodium and phosphorus, raw green tripe is also good too.

I also give them a supplement called:
Pet Wellbeing(that’s the brand)-Kidney Support Gold is what the product is called, it’s vet formulated by holistic vet and it’s natural.

Omega 3 also are great for the kidneys, probiotics are also good too(I am giving them goats milk).

The protein options I listed for you in those specific brands(some brands can have higher phosphorus amounts even if it’s the same meat used)- I rotate thru all those formulas for my dogs to give them variety.

The omega 3 herring oil I am not giving currently as they are getting the omega 3 from the salmon formula.

My advice to you though is to get her on a raw diet that’s low in sodium and phosphorus(those options I listed that I do feed my dogs) are great and so is the pet wellbeing- kidney support gold supplement. Their kidney numbers are ALL in the normal range now.

I highly recommend staying away from kibble all together(especially the prescription kibble as it’s all fillers and still dehydrates them Causing more work for the kidneys).
My vets are amazed and said keep doing whatever your doing cause it’s working!

I work at a holistic pet store and have had many people come in with kidney disease dogs and they buy the same formulas I mentioned above that I feed my dogs, and they also use the kidney supplement I mentioned above as well, and they all have said the bloodwork came back amazing and the dogs are lasting longer than the vet thought.

If your not in Canada, let me know and I can find something in your area to calculate the phosphorus and sodium percentages to help you out.

Keep the dogs teeth clean too(tartar works their kidneys too).

Another good thing for kidney and liver health is greens(I use Green Rover from Four Leaf River for my other dog), but for now I would focus on getting her on low phosphorus and low sodium raw diet and the pet wellbeing kidney support supplement.

I don’t think this requires a referral to a nutritionist as most are against raw and will just recommend the prescription kibbles. I would just put her on low phosphorus and low sodium raw diet like the ones I listed and then the kidney support gold supplement, and she should be improving. We waited until 3 months of being on raw before we did bloodwork as it can take up to 12 weeks to get the old food out of her system!


If you need help with anything or have any other questions regarding diet or supplements let me know!

I’m happy to help!


Keep us updated!

 

[1Chumly]

I have heard Milk Thistle is very good for kidney problems but have no personal experience. I found the following website but please check with your vet first before using.

The Many Uses of Milk Thistle For Cats and Dogs - You Won't Believe It!

Dr. Cook, describes the benefits of Milk Thistle for supporting your pet's health and lists the many uses of Milk Thistle for cats and dogs

nhvpethealth.com