My dog has kidney disease and fatty liver. Why won't he eat?

Poor Emma. If she is suffering from kidney problems and potential kidney failure. She may be painful, nauseous, or not feeling well from toxins that are building up in her body due to poorly regulated kidneys. I would recommend discussing with your vet about doing some fluid therapy on her and potential pain management as well to get her feeling better. If she does have advanced kidney disease, then starting fluids (either IV or subcutaneously) could potentially help her condition tremendously. Also offering her a liquid diet like Hill's Rebound liquid can really help keep her nutrition up. You can also try slightly warmed cans of baby food OR appetite stimulants (i.e. Mirtazapine) prescribed by your veterinarian. I hope your fur baby feels better soon!

I hate to hear that Lily is having an issue eating her food. I would advise too try several renal diets. Royal Canin makes three different formulas. Purina and Science diet also make their own version. The best medicine would be for her to eat only a renal diet but sometimes pets have other ideas. If you cannot find a food that she likes and will readily eat, try mixing in about 25% of the renal diet in with 75% of her normal kibble. Every few days gradually increase the renal food. Even if she never goes on the renal diet fully, it's still better than not eating it at all. Try the canned renal diets as well (once again, all the brands carry this formula). If you want to try making her food at home, you will need to work with a veterinary nutritionist. Renal diets need carefully controlled protein, phosphorus and potassium levels. You can go online and find several who offer both phone and online consultations. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

Poor Baby! I would make sure you have him on a liver supplement and make sure you have consulted with your vet about medications that he needs to be on for his liver issues. I am okay with him eating chicken because eating something is better than nothing at all. I would consider adding in a multi-vitamin to help supplement the other nutrients he isn't getting. If his appetite is continuing to decrease, I would talk to your vet about rechecking his bloodwork to see if he needs any fluids or change in his medications and also getting him on an appetite stimulant. I hope this helps and he starts to feel better soon!

Hello, sorry to hear about Tobey. It could be that he is allergic to the protein in his new food and this may need to be addressed by your veterinarian. There are other diets low in protein used in patients with kidney disease that you and your veterinarian could explore for Tobey. Alternatively, you may consult with a nutritionist to develop a balanced diet for him. In the interim, it would be fine to continue his old diet if he tolerates that better while you arrange to try a different diet for Tobey. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I am sorry to hear that Lio is suffering from liver and kidney disease at such a young age. The most helpful treatment Lio could receive right now would be IV fluids for hydration. This will also help diurese him to flush out any potential toxins from his blood. With his age I would be concerned that the cause is a toxicity from him eating something possibly. Denamarin is a good liver supplemw t and getting him to eat a critical care formula food such as Hills A/D is good. If an abdominal ultrasound has not yet been performed, I would consider having that done for more information. I hope this helps and that Lio improves soon. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Sorry to hear that. Azalea needs to eat as soon as possible. I recommend food especially formulated for kidney problems with low protein; it would be the best choice and you can find a big variety in tastes, different brands, both dry and wet. If Azalea is still refusing food even if you tempt her with home made lamb, she might need to be hospitalized and receive intravenous fluidotherapy and the correct medications. For example anti sickness treatment, as patients with kidney disease, frequently suffer of nausea and sometime won't eat for that reason. Please post again on the forum or request a consultation if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.

If she is still not eating then you should take her back to the vet for IV fluid therapy. And more diagnostics. Make sure they did bloodwork to check her kidneys. An abdominal X-Ray or ultrasound may help to diagnose the issue as well. If her kidney enzymes are elevated, that can make her nauseous and not want to eat. IV fluids will help to flush the kidneys. There are also special foods that can help with kidney issues like hills K/D food. If the kidney issue is for sure due to an infection, then hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon. Sometimes it’s good to give cephalexin with another antibiotic like Baytril if it is a severe infection.