Newbie needing help

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newbie needing help

hi

i didnt urine test Riles either. i thought testing and monitoring his blood glucose 3 x a day was enough to catch any highs or lows.

i would think if Maxs bg was going high a few days, then you could test for ketones now that you bought them.

he never had pancreatitis either

[MomtoMax]

Re: Newbie needing help

So I had to go out of state to have surgery done early this week and flew in later than I planned as there were so many delays (no shock there), but to my horror, we missed Max’s evening mealtime by almost three hours!! He was taken good care of by my husband, but as he’s such a mommy’s boy and missed me, then not staying on his schedule scared me a bit, but there was nothing to worry about. His normal low was about 130 while his normal high was at 225, just as he’s been for some time…
Trust me, I wouldn’t do that big of a gap if I didn’t have to, but knowing it didn’t flip him up completely made me feel better! Driving me home from the airport, my husband was begging me to stop and grab some fast food for us and I was like, no way! We have to feed Max first! LOL
I think this means we’ve reached some sort of stability with him and I hope I’m not cursing myself by saying so…
Donna and Max the Corgi

[jesse girl]

Re: Newbie needing help

I remember when the craziness ended trying to manage Jessie's diabeties . She got to have some treats that really had no impact on blood sugar . It was such a happy time and you appreciate the stability for you and your pup but mostly for your buddy . They will survive if the routine gets disrupted from time to time

[MomtoMax]

Re: Newbie needing help

Just wanted to wish my boy a happy birthday! He’s 12 today! He came into my life as a year-old little brat full of piss and vinegar 11 years ago and he forever changed my life! While he’s slowed down significantly, he’s still a brat and I love him to pieces…

His diabetes is pretty much under control, but in the last month or so, he’s been spiking on occasion for no apparent reason. While collecting urine one day, I noticed it was quite concentrated, so I brought a sample to the vet for a urinalysis thinking it may be a UTI, but it was not. What they did find was signs of kidney disease according to the lab. I have not yet spoken with the vet, but I can predict that her answer to that will be to put him on a prescription kidney friendly diet. While not a fan of the ingredients of prescription diets, I do realize they have their place. It took me so many food trials to get Max’s diabetes under control, I’m afraid to take him off The Honest Kitchen. I’ve reduced the amount of protein I’m adding and I already add Omega-3 to his diet and have for 11 years.

Thoughts anyone? You’ve all been so helpful to me in understanding and treating Max’s diabetes.

Donna

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newbie needing help

i found this for you on honest kitchen site. looks like you dont have to change foods.
but lets not put the cart before the horse.

Does Honest Kitchen have dog diet for kidneys?

which is less sodium and low phosphorous, moderate protein.
example:

Whole Grain Turkey:

Protein - 22%

Phosphorus - 1.1%

Sodium - 0.13%

happy 12thbirthday Max

[MomtoMax]

Re: Newbie needing help

They do not have a kidney friendly diet, although their ingredients are.
I add my own protein, which is currently boneless skinless chicken breast. I've read lean beef may be better, and I'm willing to try that protein! Thankfully, Max doesn't have any protein intolerances!

Donna

[bgdavis]

Re: Newbie needing help

Happy belated birthday, Max.
Years and years ago, I had a dog with kidney disease. I cooked for him using either roasted chicken or boiled ground beef with plain white rice. I added some powdered minerals and a supplement I got from a feed store, but no longer have the recipe.

Bonnie and Angel Crissy Ann

[Pippi's Mama]

Re: Newbie needing help

My Phoenix began having high creatinine levels due to kidney problems in 2019 and we couldn't figure out why. Took her to the vet more than several times over the summer and fall and he kept running tests and putting her on antibiotics. He put her on a low protein prescription diet for kidneys, but she didn't like it. Then she started getting finicky to other things I tried. Finally toward the end of November, the vet found an abscessed tooth way in the back of her mouth that was causing the problem. Her kidneys were already bad when she went into surgery to remove the tooth. The anesthesia almost did her in and her creatinine levels went up to over 5. He said she wouldn't make it to Thanksgiving, which was 2 weeks away.



After trying several kinds of food, I found she really liked the PetFresh roll with chicken, peas, and carrots. And that is what she ate when she was at the vet, too. The vet had me start her on 300 ml subcutaneous fluids with electrolytes daily. Miraculously, her creatinine levels started to come down. They finally came down to 2.3, which is still a little high, and I had to continue the daily fluid subcutaneous fluids for the rest of her life or the levels would go back up, but no one would ever know anything was wrong with her if they hadn't seen me giving her the fluids. She acted like her normal self. The vet couldn't believe it because he never saw a dog come back from creatinine levels over 5 before. He said she could possibly live a year more with the levels where they were.



She did live for another 11 months that I'm very grateful for and I continued to feed her the Petfresh chicken, green peas, and carrots, which she loved. She just wouldn't have the prescription stuff at all. And when I gave her treats, I made sure they were low in protein. Protein is hard on the kidneys.



Phoenix was not a diabetic, but my Pippi was. It was a little hard in the food department because Phoenix needed low protein and Pippi needed higher protein. But we worked it out. The thing about the PetFresh is it is a little high in fat, which isn't ideal for a diabetic dog, but you could try it and watch his blood glucose levels, adjust insulin if needed and see if that works.



You might want to ask your vet if subcutaneous fluids might be an option. If he just has mild kidney disease, it still might not hurt to give him some here and there. It is a lot less expensive if you learn to do it yourself instead of having the vet do it.

[MomtoMax]

Re: Newbie needing help

Thanks everyone for the kidney help and the birthday wishes!

I finally talked to the vet the other day (it only took her a week to call me after the results came in) and she’s calling it mild kidney disease, but wants to retest him in a few months. Other than that, she offered me little advice on it…

I’ve reduced the amount of protein he gets per day and have also added more water into his dehydrated base food. Thankfully, in true Corgi fashion, he’ll eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I put in front of him, so that’s good. While he’s not a big water drinker, he does love his ice cubes, so he’s getting plenty of them! Also, the few treats he does get are made from just veggies, so we all set there. I guess we just keep plugging along…

When I have him retested, I’ll ask them to show me how to administer fluids. Good idea!

Donna and Max the Corgi

[MomtoMax]

Re: Newbie needing help

So I finally had my holistic vet appointment on Thursday and she was scratching her head as to why my regular, local vet would think that he was in kidney failure. She drew blood for a CBC (which my regular vet didn’t even suggest) and called me on Saturday with the wonderful news that Max’s kidney values (and everything else) was just fine! Phew!!! I guess my regular vet is now pretty much out of the picture as I don’t trust her expertise, or lack thereof, anymore… I just wish it didn’t take two months to get into this holistic practice!
Donna and Max the Corgi

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newbie needing help

yup, fired, sent golfing or back to school

yu Rock Max

good job Donna

[jesse girl]

Re: Newbie needing help

That's positive news and great to get some clarity .

[MomtoMax]

Re: Newbie needing help

Yeah, what she told me was almost criminal IMHO… I’ve been going to this practice for 40 years. It was started by his father, then taken over by his son. I think he held onto it hoping his daughter would take it over, but after she graduated from vet school, she decided to go into research rather than business, so when Covid hit, it was sold to some corporation and the staff all retired at the same time. The corporation then pulled this woman out of retirement and brought in two new arrogant graduates and as they say, it’s been rolling downhill since… I’m still getting my insulin there as it’s close, but there is no way I’m bringing any of my pets back there. I think the sentiment is the same for many as while it once was a thriving practice, it’s a shell of what it was…
Donna and Max the Corgi

[MomtoMax]

Re: Newbie needing help

For those in the US, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

I haven’t been here in a while as all was going so good (and still is for the most part). I haven’t spent much time testing Max as he’s been pretty steady. I’ve been feeding him The Honest Kitchen Base mix and baking boneless-skinless chicken breast as his protein. My holistic vet approved this diet, but wanted me to change proteins out every month or so, and while I tried boneless pork chops, I found that it made his stool a bit odd. It was well formed, but more undigested food was in it. His BG numbers remained the same as with the chicken though. I just decided to stick with the chicken. I’m of the belief if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

Then, along came Thanksgiving and tons of leftover Turkey… I decided to try it with Max and while his stool was great, I decided to test his BGs and was shocked to find it about 100 points up from where it normally is!?!? Can a protein change really do that? Knowing that I was planning on feeding most of it to him, I didn’t season it, so that’s not the culprit. I actually just cooked a small bird for leftovers and the real feast was a different bird, cooked by my brother and seasoned to perfection! LOL But Max didn’t get any of that. To counterbalance this, I’ve upped his insulin by .5 units and it’s working, but does a change in protein usually much with a dog’s BG? BTW, Max only gets the breast for less fat content and my other dog gets the dark meat.

Donna and Max the Corgi

[jesse girl]

Re: Newbie needing help

My Jesse would have some digestive issues with Thanksgiving turkey and most of that maybe just having a bit to much . As you said bird breast is relatively the same . Maybe he found some additional things in sneak mode .

I think changing types of foods even if similar types for me is not a plan that can be problematic . Not sure why but some dogs have sensitive bellys and diabetic dogs with possible compromised pancreas can be at a higher risk to digestive issues. I like staying consistent as long as the pup enjoys what's in the bowl

Most things work themselves out and return back to normal . There will always be some ups and downs . A 100 points higher is no big deal