Kidney/diabetes?

[kudzu]

Lowering the phosphorus might be more logical than the protein. (Personal opinion is that TOTW fish flavor is not high protein, however, it might be high in phos. Seems some fish varieties tend to be.) Protein is not what damages the kidneys so it alone is not something I worry about unless a pup has elevated, or consistently rising, phos &/or BUN levels. However, in large part protein & phosphorus go hand in hand. You may want to ask your vet for guidance on adequate but not unnecessary levels of phosphorus.

[3greytjoys]

Hi and welcome to GT!

 

I would like to offer a caution about walking a Greyhound in 90 degree heat. I don't know your circumstance, whether you live in house with a fenced yard or an apartment requiring leashed dog business walks; however, I would only take hounds out for a very short potty/business break in that heat. I only walk hounds during cooler times during early morning or later in the evening. Greyhounds are prone to over heating, and their paws can burn on hot cement/pavement.

 

At a minimum, please read the original post in this link: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/256783-heat-exhaustion-and-heat-stroke-can-kill-your-dog-and-you/

 

Good luck with the other medical issues. Others are giving you a lot of information about that.

[Batmom]

Lowering the phosphorus might be more logical than the protein. (Personal opinion is that TOTW fish flavor is not high protein, however, it might be high in phos. Seems some fish varieties tend to be.) Protein is not what damages the kidneys so it alone is not something I worry about unless a pup has elevated, or consistently rising, phos &/or BUN levels. However, in large part protein & phosphorus go hand in hand. You may want to ask your vet for guidance on adequate but not unnecessary levels of phosphorus.

 

Unfortunately, there aren't any truly low phosphorus nonprescription dog foods. Some are a bit lower than others, but on a per-calorie basis the lowest of them work out to be way higher than what a dog with renal issues should have.

 

That said, unless BUN is elevated, dog probably doesn't have kidney issues and doesn't need a low phosphorus food.

 

I will say, though, that TOTW brand food made one of my dogs drink like a fish -- I was refilling water bowls sometimes twice a day. So it might be worth trying to find a different food that meets the dog's other digestive needs.

[gracegirl]

To lower phosphorus levels you can also add a phosphorus binder like calcium to their diet.

 

Fenway does not have elevated BUN nor does he show any numbers outside of range on his bloodwork. It was the ultrasound that revealed kidney damage. Just thought I'd mention it as a tell tale way to see if there is anything going on with his kidneys. Typically kidney damage/failure won't show in bloodwork until 75% or more of the kidney function is compromised.

[Guest Timo]

I just looked at the TOTW ingredients, and salt was pretty high up there, even more weight than tomatoes! Now I am in search of a grain-free fish diet without added salt.

 

Gracegirl- that's good to know about the ultrasound. I'll ask the vet. Thanks! His BUN was normal, but I believe on the higher end of normal.

[Batmom]

"No salt added" won't necessarily be lower in salt. And, any manufacturer who claims AAFCO compliance for their food would have to follow the AAFCO guidelines, which you can see here: http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/ucm047120.htm . Most commercial dry dog foods have 0.3 -0.4 % sodium minimum; a few have a bit less but *usually* those are lower calorie foods -- you have to feed more of them, so the dog isn't getting appreciably less salt on a daily basis. That said, a different food is worth a try. FWIW, I had similar trouble with a Natural Balance food.

[Guest Timo]

That's good to know. Well, we went to petsmart earlier and started reading labels. We decided to try this one: Simply Nourish Sweet Potato & Salmon It was a little pricier than TOTW, at 45.99 for 24 pounds. And, I know the first ingredient is sweet potato rather than fish, but the vet said to try lower protein and that we could add sweet potato and less kibble. So, we thought it would be okay. Anyway, this one seemed to have overall limited ingredients. We do add fish oil and forti-flora to his meals... And pepcid and chlor-trimeton.

[Batmom]

How long has he been getting the chlortrimeton? That could have an effect on thirst and urination.

[Guest Timo]

For a long time now, almost a year? We tried to wean him off of it completely over a month ago but noticed that he was a little itchier. We use to give it to him twice a day because of his allergies, but now only once a day, and it seems to do the trick. Benadryl doesn't work for him...Seems to make him lose his appetite and have nausea.

[Guest Timo]

Hi and welcome to GT!

 

I would like to offer a caution about walking a Greyhound in 90 degree heat. I don't know your circumstance, whether you live in house with a fenced yard or an apartment requiring leashed dog business walks; however, I would only take hounds out for a very short potty/business break in that heat. I only walk hounds during cooler times during early morning or later in the evening. Greyhounds are prone to over heating, and their paws can burn on hot cement/pavement.

 

At a minimum, please read the original post in this link: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/256783-heat-exhaustion-and-heat-stroke-can-kill-your-dog-and-you/

 

Good luck with the other medical issues. Others are giving you a lot of information about that.

 

Yes, we do know about the heat issue. We live in south florida, and it's really hot in the summer. We try to limit his time outside during the hottest months. It does take him a little walking time before he will go poop. We live in an apartment complex, so we have to walk him twice a day to poop. We normally do that after breakfast and after dinner, when it's not during the heat of the day. Unfortunately, it's still hot. For quick pees, we'e only outside for a minute.

[Guest LindsaySF]

He wants 2 liters all at once and none the rest of the time.

A friend of mine has a Greyhound that takes 2 long drinks twice a day. That's it. She's always been healthy, that's just the way she is. Weird for sure, but she doesn't have any issues with it. The only time she'll drink more water than that is on a walk or something. (My girl Honey won't even drink on a walk, so I bring a spray bottle of water and spray some into her cheek).

 

I had a foster dog that would rarely drink water, and it worried me. He would drink a lot after eating, and he'd visit the bowl maybe two other times during the day. He never had an accident though, and his urine was normal. My other dogs are frequent sippers, visiting the water bowl frequently throughout the day. All dogs are different.

 

You also have to keep in mind that sometimes retired racing Greys are conditioned to act this way around water. At the racing kennel there are water buckets in the turnout pen, but most kennels don't keep individual bowls in the crates with the dogs. The dogs are used to tanking up on water when it's available (at turnout time), then going without the rest of the time. It's usually not a problem unless they puke it back up, or start having accidents.

 

When do his accidents usually occur? If he tends to drink more water once you get home, can you give him a few extra potty breaks in the evening, to make sure he's empty? I wouldn't wait for him to tell you he has to go out, I'd just take him. That might solve some of the accidents in the evening. My dogs go outside much more often in the evening when everyone is home. Not only do they drink more, but they are also more active, which gets things 'moving' in the urine and stool department. If he is having accidents during the day, can you add an extra potty break before you leave for work? How many hours are you gone during the day?

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

[Guest Timo]

He hasn't had an accident in a couple of months. Usually, the accidents are at night when we are gone, meaning he tanked up on water, we took him out for a walk, and then we go out. His body processes the water while we're gone, and he can't hold it. At these times, the pee smells like water, not urine at all, but it is a ton! Most of these times, we'll only be gone an hour or two. When we're home, he lets us know that he has to go, and we take him. No accidents then. In the past, when we didn't know his signs and we didn't take him, he would have an accident. He was very subtle. Now, we pretty much know that when he follows us around the house and looks at the door, he has to go. Otherwise, he usually just ignores us and naps all day long. Lol.

 

Anyway, now that we are doing the 1 cup every 30 minutes while we are home, he doesn't seem to go crazy over the water. And, he's not gulping as much. Yesterday, he only drank a total of 5.5 cups, including the water we add to his kibble. Maybe the new food is less salty, so he's not as thirsty. The day before, he had 9 cups of water.

 

We have learned that we need to pick up the regular water bowl about one hour before we leave at night, and take him out right before we leave. He still has his water bowl in the crate. Like I said before, he doesn't want to drink out of it unless he is dying of thirst. Strange, huh?