It is hard for any owner that loves their dog or cat to become comfortable with the fact that these pets age so much more rapidly than we do.  This accelerated aging is even more obvious in the larger breeds of dogs that begin to become geriatric as early as 6 years of age.   A pet’s kidneys are often the weakest link in the aging process and all too frequently the cause of old age death.   Things that pet owners can do to support their pet’s ailing kidneys are as follows:

Feed a high quality,  low protein diet prescription kidney diet available from all veterinarians– Or — feed a home made kidney diet by following a receipe that we  make available. The diet will decrease the formation of waste protein toxins, discourage obesity and reduce the work load of the kidney.

 Encourage your dog or cat to drink more by providing lots of fresh water throughout the day or by adding more water directly to the pet’s food.   Doing this will encourage better hydration while at the same time flush the kidneys and reduce accumulating protein waste toxins.    Because pets in kidney failure have kidneys that can not concentrate urine they will eventually become dehydrated unless they drink much more water than normal .    If a pet becomes dehydrated he or she will need to be given subcutaneous or intravenous fluids.   These fluids can be given in the veterinary hospital or the owner can be taught to do this at home.

 Make sure your dog or cat receives a regular dental prophylaxis to reduce oral bacteria  which are injurious to the animal’s kidneys, liver, and heart.  Home dental care is probably more important for dogs and cats than  for their caregivers because pets build tartar much faster and receive much less professional dental care.    Supplement your dog’s or cat’s diet with  veterinary recommended anti-oxidant enzymes, vitamins, minerals,  and glandulars to reduce tissue injury from free radicals and to stimulate natural immunity.  Omega 3 fatty acids are also important supplements that promotes kidney health.    Coenzyme Q10, resveratrol, and  lipoic acid are three  other important nutrients that support kidney function

 Have your veterinarian perform semi annual blood and urine testing to monitor your dog’s or cat’s kidney function and to provide an early warning system for the development of other degenerative disease.  Recently a new urine test, the ERD micro albuminuria test, has become available.  The ERD test requires only a small amount of urine and can detect kidney disease much earlier than blood tests.  Any dog or cat over the age of 6 years old should be routinely tested with an ERD test because not only does it detect kidney disease but  also is a screen for inflammatory disease of  other organs.   Any dog or cat that is found to be drinking or urinating more than normal should have a blood screen and urinalysis performed              

Woodside Animal Clinic  sees pets from all over the greater Detroit Michigan area including Royal Oak, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Detroit, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Warren, Centerline, Clawson,  Troy, Sterling Heights, Southfield, Birmingham, Bingham Farms, Franklin, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Novi, Wixom, Brighton, Livonia, Plymouth, Commerce, Ann Arbor, Ortonville, Waterford, Union Lake,  Rochester,  Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Utica,   Romeo,  Windsor, White lake and Toledo

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