Kidney disease is very common in older dogs. As dogs age their kidneys stop doing all the jobs they were meant to do such as filtering the blood to remove waste, saving the good salts (electrolytes), saving protein in the blood and producing factors that make red blood cells. When this happens your dog may go into kidney insufficiency or early kidney failure.

At this point your pet may or may not be showing clinical signs. Some of the early signs may be increased drinking and urination, weight loss and lethargy. As the kidney disease progresses, then there may be loss of appetite, vomiting, and seizures. Many dogs when they first start with kidney problems do not show any clinical signs, but the problem is discovered with routine blood or urine tests. By the time the blood tests show anything at least 2/3 of the kidney has been affected, so early urine screening is key.

Conventional treatment for this is fluids, medication and maybe a special diet. Some conventional medications include Renal Advanced Powder, vitamins, and low protein diets. Beyond that your traditional veterinarian cannot help you.

Holistic medicine offers many other options which are effective combined with traditional medications and on their own. Holistic nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and supplements like Omega 3 fatty acids and B vitamins can help to prolong your pet’s life and improve his appetite and energy level. Natural supplements like Tripsy can be a life saver for these pets. Chinese herbs like Rehmannia have been used for thousands of years for kidney problems in humans. For this condition holistic medicine has a lot to offer.