How to Prevent Dog Kidney Failure

A lot of people are under the impression that dog kidney failure is fatal. It is not exactly true. While it is certainly a very serious problem, it is not something that can kill your dog immediately. With the right kind of diet and medications, you can prolong your dog's life by a few years.

Dog kidney failure, according to pet health experts, is a condition wherein the capacity of the dog's kidneys is reduced drastically. More often than not, they tend to function at less than 25% of their normal capacity. If your dog is in such a condition, you need to understand that you should act immediately to save its life. If its kidney function falls below 5%, it can be fatal.

Kidney failure in dogs is caused by a number of factors. Bacterial infections and bladder stones, if left untreated for a long time, could damage the kidneys badly. If your dog gets hit in the kidney area, it could damage its kidneys as well. Poisonous substances like rat poison, pesticides, turpentine, and antifreeze could damage its kidneys. Certain antibiotic medications and immunosuppressive drugs tend to damage your dog's kidneys as well.

First and foremost, you should be aware of the most common dog kidney failure symptoms like vomiting, depression, loss of appetite, weight loss, and diarrhea. If your dog shows these symptoms, you should take it to a vet immediately and get it checked thoroughly. Once the vet confirms that your dog's kidneys are damaged badly, you should do the following things.

2. Only feed your dog a high quality dog food that is AAFCO certified. This certification means that a food contains the 40 components needed by a dog. Unlike people, dogs only eat one food, so it needs to be well balanced. While a home diet is a good substitute, it needs to be put together by a veterinary nutritionist that can ensure the right combination of components.

3. Consider homeopathic supplements to strengthen the urogenital system, maintain a healthy urine flow, keep the urine pH at the right level, and boost its immune system.

While a special diet or a regular dose of homeopathic supplements cannot make your dog's kidneys function at their normal capacity, they can certainly alleviate some of the dog kidney failure symptoms and improve your dog's health to a considerable extent. This is the best way to increase its lifespan by a few more years and spare the pain and suffering that is usually associated with these types of problems.