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Old July 30th, 2008, 12:39 AM
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growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lm9012 View Post
Growler:

As a fellow CRF sufferer parent I want to commend you on what a great job you are doing and the tireless research, time and energy you have put in to help Duffy.

My dog was diagnosed April of last year (around the huge pet food recall in the states, not the cause though). I was terrified..two vets told me to prepare for him to die, one yelled at me for not doing something sooner. I spent a $1000 before I even knew WHAT he had. Started with vet rx food, kidney values kept crawling up, moved to sub-q's and more wet rx food, numbers still crawling up, he became more lethargic..just sick..not himself..in November I found the yahoo K9Kidney boards and got to work.

Since November Albert has been on a home diet (mix of raw, cooked)..raw meats, eggs, squash, cream of wheat, butter, cream cheese. He drinks filtered water, gets sub-q fluids once a week, he's on supplements too (omega 3's, vit e & b, coQ10, glucosamine) and he has made a 180 degree turn on improvement! I FINALLY found a great vet (after 4 losers)..almost went holistic but tried one last time. Luckily he follows some holistic beliefs anyway...including treat the dog, not just the numbers. You couldn't tell Al had crf by looking at him..he's as active and silly as ever!

It is scary how little info some vets have, how counterproductive some of the rx foods are, I don't know what i'd done if it hadn't been for the internet! Scary that I paid all this money and in the end I had to figure it all out myself!!

I'm a huge believer that CRF can be managed, and that a healthy diet, supplements, even massages, can make a world of difference. btw...what is this 'Zoom Groom'??? I'd like to try it. I give Al 'wet heat therapy' with a heating pad.

Duffy is one lucky baby! I know how hard it can be to see your furkid deteriorate and no one is around to help you. How empowering once you do figure it out though right!? Makes you just want to

I know cats and dogs have different needs, Albert has flourished on a low phosphorous, high protein diet. His blood work (which we check every 3 months) looks better and better everytime we check. He gets no commercial treats, no bones, but I think he eats better than I do at times!!

More than once I have caught myself skipping lunch because I needed cash to pick up Albert's groceries!!
Thank you lm9012 I'm sorry to hear about Al .

Al & Duffy were affected the same time & started home cooked/raw respectively the same time. Duffy was affected by the Royal Canin food recall & she started raw in November.

It is very sad how some vets just don't put in enough effort to find treatments. I've been lucky though, the great conventional vet she was seeing referred me to a wonderful homeopath vet when I asked about non-traditional treatments & Duffy has been with homeopathy since - I won't go back to conventional unless in an ER situtation.

It is great to be able to find something that improves the condition of your baby & especially when the vet agrees & mentions they will recommend it to other clients.

The Zoom Groom page doesn't link directly so: Click on the link, goto "Products", "Dog", "Other", "Grooming"
Kong Zoom Groom is a massaging medium rubber brush it comes in a cat version & a dog version. It has worked great to relieve tension around her kidneys . Recommended by her vet & he was so impressed with how well she did using between the first & second appointments, he said she didn't need the recommended acupuncture.

Please tell me more about the "wet heat therapy" with the heating pad.

Yeah I know how the food situations goes, I buy her food before my own, & hers takes up more of my freezer than mine does


Quote:
Originally Posted by lm9012 View Post
You have done an amazing job Growler...now all we can do is pass what we've learned to others so hopefully they don't need to go through the scariness in the beginning that we went through! I wish you and Duffy the best!!! I'm glad you haven't 'needed' sub-q's yet..but can I just say that they are so GOOD for crf patients!! they kickstart the kidneys and I find Albert is more vibrant after! Sometimes i give them twice a week. I buy the fluids in bulk..saves tons of money. I got over the squeamishness of the needles quickly when it came to saving his life. I truly feel it helps. It certainly can't hurt..worth a shot!
Thank you I try to educate where I can & support all. We'll see what her numbers look like after the next tests in early Aug & I'll decide w/my vet whether I want to start the subq as a precaution/early helper. Of course I did read something about starting too early was not healthy for the kidneys cuz it overworks them .

As for all my reading/research....my vet told me "You don't need to read another thing about CRF for a whole year"

Quote:
Originally Posted by lm9012 View Post
btw..have you tried giving Duffy spaghetti squash?? it's SUPER low in phosphorous..Albert gets it everyday, next lowest is butternut squash but can be hard to find off season..spaghetti squash i find year round. I stay away from pumpkin for the most part.
I've never heard of spaghetti squash - I'll look that up Thanks! Right now she is getting the butternut squash from Heinz Organics Babyfood
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