kidney failure

[blackdirt beagles]

i think some of the troubles may even have to do with things like environment and surroundings. look at humans... when my grandparents were young, there wasnt near as much cancer problems and heart problems like there are today. i bet everyone here knows quite a few people that have had cancer troubles in theri immediate families or heart disease. i know that we live longer now and therefore the older you get, the more chance for those things to develope but there are a lot of people in their 30's and 40's with these problems. just something to think about i guess.

[Valpoguy]

Most kidney problems with hunting dogs are related to too much protein in the diet and dehydration. A lot of hunters assume that more protein and diet suppliments are needed for working dogs. Not true. A Good brand of maintenance dog food with plenty of water is best. Adding about 10% more in the winter months or if truly ran hard will be healthier. Very few dogs are run long and hard enough to need the diet that say a racing greyhound or sled dog needs.

[Bunny Runner]

Valpoguy,
Previously it was thought that a high protein content in food was causing renal failure, but current research has disproven this theory. Although, dogs with chronic renal failure (CRF) can show improvement when placed on a diet with 18% protein.
As far as diet goes, it is now being discovered that a food high in ash (mineral) content IS causing urinary stones (both stuvite and calcium oxalate) in dogs. This condition was/is a very large problem with cats and is known as FLUTD. It comes for high consumption of ash (minerals) and lower consumption of water (as cats don't drink as much as dogs). Basically what happens is, mineral deposits build up in the kidneys (much like kidney stones in humans) and depending on the composisition of the stones (either low pH or high pH) the urine can either be highly acid OR alkaline. Once the kidneys have suffered damage from the stones and the acid/base balance it can be difficult to recover. Acute renal failure is not always a death sentence when caught early (depending on the cause, of course).
These special urinary diets that the vet prescribe will usually have ingredients that will raise or lower the pH based on the types of stones.
Many of the "cheaper" foods have a very high ash content, with little to no urinary health ingredients such as cranberry, to assist the animal in ridding it's system of the "poisons".

http://www.vetinfo.com/dkidney.html

[show dog]

Possibly the kidney failure is eating the same refined food day in and day out full of preservatives etc. It is like a human eating McDonalds or Swiss Chalet every day with no variety. Guess some research needs to be done but dog food companies would probably not want to in case it points out that commercial food is the problem. Carolyn

[NorWester]

Possibly the kidney failure is eating the same refined food day in and day out full of preservatives etc. It is like a human eating McDonalds or Swiss Chalet every day with no variety. Guess some research needs to be done but dog food companies would probably not want to in case it points out that commercial food is the problem. Carolyn

You can almost bet that commercial dogfood IS the problem. Trouble is that there is no regulating per say in the dog food industry, we have to take them at their word that it is all good stuff, and we all know how good their word is at this point.

[gus]

I heard Dr. Dean Edell say once that longevity in humans is 10% diet and exercise and 90% genetics. That is about the only credible advice he ever gave, IMO. I suspect it is the same in dogs as well.

[windy hollow]

The lack of water will cause Kidney problems so will wormer medications if not used properly. Steroids are the main problem in most cases.