Fighting Kidney Disease
My friend was grief stricken. Her body heaved with sobs, and in between she kept repeating: “He was so young. I never thought I’d lose him so soon.” No, she hadn’t lost a son or brother, but she had lost a friend. “It’s like losing a member of your family,” she cried. She was referring to the death of Jack, her beloved Golden Retriever puppy, who had contracted a condition known as Juvenile Renal Disease.
Regrettably, this and other kidney conditions are common threats to your dog’s health, and as we’ve seen, the effects can be devastating. The good news, however, is that with the correct type of dog care, much can be done to prevent and even cure kidney disease.
So what exactly do the kidneys do, and what causes them to become infected?
First things first!
The job of the kidneys is two-fold: they balance a whole variety of chemicals in your dog’s blood AND they filter out waste material through the urine.
When there are just too many toxic substances in the body, the dog’s kidneys can become infected. (We can define a toxin as a substance which is in the wrong place, or which is performing the wrong function.)
Common symptoms of kidney infection are drinking copious amounts of water, and frequent passing of dilute urine (that is, clear urine with no smell). This can lead to vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss and a wasting of the muscles.
Many toxic substances are to be found in the plastics that dogs love to chew on, in unclean water and even in certain chemicals that are used in the processing of dog food. The resulting kidney disease can be debilitating at best and fatal at worst.Conventional treatments don’t always work, and in any case they tend to be hugely expensive. Wouldn’t it be better to avoid the onset of these conditions, and even to help your dog combat them (under a vet’s supervision, of course) if they do strike?
So what can I do?
The safest bet is to go down the path of natural dog care.
Make sure that all the toys you allow your dog to play with are toxin free and chew -proof. There are many stores and certain online retailers who can help you choose the safest products.
Train your dog not to chew on litter and other discarded materials when you are out and about.
Give your dog only pure water to drink. Puddles, canals and lakes can be devastating! These days you just don’t know what toxins are lurking therein.
In some areas even the tap water is suspect. So-called ’softened water’ can be harmful and some areas have a high sodium
content in their drinking water. Better to make it easier on your dog’s kidneys by filtering all water before filling his bowl.
Many vets tell us that exercise is a key ingredient in the fight against kidney infection. Most people seem to be under the impression (as I was!) that exercise is only to keep a dog fit and to combat weight gain.. Apparently it also has a crucial role in helping stimulate the kidneys to do their job.
Finally, there is nothing to beat natural dog food, not only in the fight against kidney infections, but also against a whole host of other ailments.
Many pre-packaged dog foods contain less than nutritious ingredients as well as a range of preservatives and other chemicals - many of which are toxic.
Natural dog food stores and certain online retailers will help you make the right choice here. You can even buy ingredients and herbs that are good for your dog and cook them yourself, but if that is too daunting a prospect there are a range of suitable alternatives. These will contain the nutrients, amino acids and vitamins your dog needs. Kidney disease, then, need not be the fatal condition it once was. We now know so much more about its causes and how to prevent it, and even how to boost a dog’s immune system so that she herself can shake off any infection.
Let’s hope you and I and our dogs never have to suffer the same tragic experience as my friend and her dog!
April 8th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
your forgot to mention that kidney disease can also be treadted by giving a dog a low protein diet. The predominant effect of the low protein diet is to minimize production of uremic toxins so that the patient feels better. Phosphorus is more important in extending the life and well being of a dog with renal disease, since high phosphorus accelerates renal failure, and restricted phosphorus slows it down. Prescription diets for dogs with renal failure are low in phosphorus, so they remain a good foods for dogs in this condition. Low phosphorus diets allow management of secondary hyperparathyroidism by restricting phosphorus intake and reducing phosphorus absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.