What's the best food for my rescue dog with one kidney and bad breath?

He may have eaten something bad or sometimes they can have stick stuck in between there teeth or on the top of their mouth. There may be an infection or an ulcer from eating something and getting a wound at some point. Kidney disease can be secondary from a infection such lepto or a toxin. However, they often feel bad. They can drink more than normal, vomit and have a poor appetite to go along with it. I would have your vet check the blood work or urine sample and examine the mouth for any wounds or infection to see if antibiotics are needed.

Hi there. Often, pups this age may have bad breath because they are in the process of teething - so there are traces of blood on their gums, and some inflammation due to eruption of the adult teeth. If this is the problem, it should improve on its own over the next month or two once all of the adult teeth are in. A pup this age should not have any significant tartar or periodontal disease, so this is unlikely to be the cause of the bad breath. :) You can try other types of treats designed to help with stinky breath such as Greenies or VeggieDent chews, to see if these may work better in the meantime. If the problem continues, I would recommend having him examined by a vet to make sure there is no other reason for his breath to be unusually bad, such as a GI problem or a wound or foreign body in his mouth.

Royal canin is one of the most effective prescription diets for lver conditions and if he is doing well I would be slow to change away from it unless you knew the underlying condition had been resolved. Hills l/d is a similar diet which you could also look at. If dental health is an issue despite regular brushing then a full dental exam and cleaning would be recommended as well as an assessment for any complicating factors such as retained puppy teeth or poor dental alignment

Congratulations! I recommend sticking with foods from companies that have a veterinary nutritionist on staff and quality control measures in place. This includes Hill's Purina and Royal Canin. The bad breath could be diet related, or she may have dental disease or another oral problem. If you have not yet established care with a veterinarian I would recommend taking Lola in for a physical exam. They can examine her mouth during that visit. Sneezing can be related to mild nasal irritation or allergies, but if she also has nasal discharge there could be more concern and I would recommend mentioning the sneezing to your veterinarian as well.

Kidney disease is best managed with a prescription diet as well as medications to help manage the side effects including antacids, calcitriol and sometimes blood pressure medications. All of these things would require a prescription from a veterinarian. If you feel she has conjunctivitis you can try keeping her eyes clean with a warm wet washcloth and potentially using a saline eye wash to rinse them out. If you feel her eyes are painful or if the condition is worsening she should be seen by a veterinarian.

If Sooky has chronic kidney disease a prescription kidney diet might be recommended by your vet. These diets can help slow the progression of kidney disease and usually have different ratios of essential fatty acids. They also help keep electrolytes balanced and phosphorous low. They are not ideal for animals that have normal kidney function so you should check with your vet and see what diet is recommended for Sooky in particular.

If Tehya's teeth are fine, I would recommend getting blood work on her to make sure her kidneys are ok. Sometimes with kidney disease they can have a bad smell from their mouth. I would also discuss with your vet about potentially performing a dental procedure with x-rays to confirm there is no abscess we can see. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.