In September 2015, at 11 years old, Kaya was diagnosed with Renal Failure. We are treating her with a natural home made Kidney diet and supplements, as an alternative to commercial dog foods prescribed by most veterinarians (Hill’s Science Diet Prescription Kidney Care k/d, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Kidney Function Formula, or Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Renal Support A).
Kaya is now 14 years old and still doing great, so we’d like to share what has worked to keep her going strong. We hope that other dogs who have been diagnosed with Renal Failure will be inspired to try a natural approach to treatment, after reading her story.
KAYA IS AN EXCEPTIONAL ATHLETE.
Kaya is a Border Collie x Rat Terrier mix that we adopted from a Rat Terrier rescue group in Nebraska when she was 2 months old, in February 2004. Since then, she has become the only dog in the world to become a Finalist & World Champion in four different athletic sports. Her major accomplishments are:
- 2006 USDAA / Cynosports World Games: Dog Agility Steeplechase, Finalist
- 2008 Cynosports World Games: NAFA Flyball, Bronze Medalist
- 2009 CanAm Championships; NAFA Flyball Multibreed, 5th Place
- 2010 NAFA Flyball HOBBES 100,000 points (still is in the top-10 Flyball dogs of all time)
- 2014 Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship: Microdog Distance, World Champion
- 2015 AKC National Championships: NADD Dock Diving, National Champion
Just 2 months AFTER she was diagnosed with Renal Failure, at the AKC National Championships, she WON the dock diving Championships and became the 2015 National Champion. At almost 12 years old, what a girl!
RAISED GRAIN-FREE & OCCASIONAL RAW.
Kaya has always been fed a grain-free diet. Normally she was fed a high quality kibble, such as Orijen, Acana, Fromm, Petcurean, and Earthborn. She also occasionally was fed raw, we bought frozen pre-mixes which include the veggies, and she was given raw knuckle bones, chicken drumsticks and wings, necks, etc. Supplements throughout her life were salmon oil, chondroitin, glucosamine, probiotics and raw goats milk.
THE IDEAL KIDNEY DISEASE DIET:
After diagnosis, and several days scouring Google for information, Kaya’s diet has been modified to the following. We’ve been following this diet for over 2 years, it’s based on low phosphorus foods with liquids and supplements for kidney health.
LIQUIDS (GET THEM TO DRINK OFTEN!)
- Fresh water available at all times (filtered or bottled water preferred)
- BJs Raw - Raw Goats Milk (use coupon code CanineStars10 for 10% discount!)
- Solutions Fermented Additions – Fermented Fish Stock (Jiggles)
PROTEINS (ROTATE)
- Raw Eggs, with shell (Organic pasture raised preferred)
(BJs Raw makes a Goats Milk that includes free-range raw eggs in it) - Green Tripe (Frozen from BJs Raw, or freeze dried)
- Sardines, occasional (BJs Raw or Trader Joes Wild Caught Unsalted Sardines in Spring Water)
- Bone Broth, daily (Organic free-range chicken or beef)
CARBS (DAILY)
- Honest Kitchen Grain Free Veggie Base Mix (Carrots, Flax, Peas, Celery, Coconut, Kelp)
(OR best to grind these up fresh yourself!) - low phosphorus raw veggies & fruits are: Apple, Cucumber, Cabbage, Celery
MEDICATIONS (DAILY)
- Azodyl – Renal support w/ Probiotics, Prebiotic, Magnesium and Psyllium husk for detox.
- Benazepril – Prescribed for her Heart Murmur, but it’s als0 an ACE Inhibitor proven to aid in renal (kidney) repair.
SUPPLEMENTS (DAILY)
- Garden of Life Primal Defense HSO Probiotic
- Ground Eggshells (A Phosphorus Binder, you can also buy as a pill: “Eggshell Calcium”)
These are important for all our dogs…not Kidney specific:
- Omega 3s (Krill Oil is the best, with Astaxanthin)
- InClover Connectin Joint supplement (Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Hyaluronic Acid, Yucca & more)
- Cetyl-M (arthritis preventative with Cetyl Myristoleate, Resveratrol and Blue Green Algae)
- Spirulina, Chlorella
- Vitamin C (preferably Ester-C)
BLOODWORK & CHEMISTRY LAB REPORTS
Some of Kaya’s bloodwork numbers may be of interest to some of you, to compare against your own dog’s values. The main numbers that are important to note in Renal Failure is the BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) and CREA (Blood Creatinine Level), and the ratio of the two. This chart shows her numbers from 2013 through 2016, we only had her tested when she was feeling "off."
Twice she has been treated with a day at the vet on IV fluids including electrolytes and Vitamin B, both times reduced her BUN and CREA levels. We do have emergency fluids on hand in case Kaya is ever having a bad day and needs them, but so far we have not had to administer them.
UPDATE: As of February 2018 she’s 14 years old and still doing great!
UPDATE: As of July 2018, at almost 15 years old, we let Kaya go.
We were on a trip in Canada and ran out of her Benazepril medication, and we started seeing a difference in her health (could be a coincidence?) so we took her to a Canadian vet who prescribed her a different medication. She went downhill steeply after that. She was refusing to eat all foods and we tried EVERYTHING...she decided it was time.
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Kaizer "Mini-Me" Powers, 11/18/2003-7/24/2018
Life's greatest gifts come to you unexpected, unplanned, inexpensively, and exactly when you need them.
What to look for when you're rescuing a puppy? This tiny tot grew up to become a 4 sport super star:
* World Champion in distance disc (Skyhoundz)
* National Champion in dock diving (AKC/NADD)
* Finalist at flyball National Championships (NAFA)
* Finalist in Steeplechase at agility World Championships (USDAA Cynosports)
Kaya Powers was adopted off Petfinder.com from a Rat Terrier rescue group in Nebraska, suspected to be a Border Collie x Rat Terrier. The owner of the accidental litter could not find homes for all the puppies so she turned the last few into the rescue group to adopt out. I went with a friend to help her pick out which puppy she should adopt - there were 2 left. Jess picked her puppy. And then the rescue said I could have the last puppy - for free.
She was priceless.
She brought me more opportunities and experiences then I could have ever imagined. My life would not be the same without her. Thank you, Kaya.
In memory of Kaya, I donated one of my kidneys to save a friend's life. Someday I hope we can do kidney transplants to save dog's lives.
