I will never forget how vulnerable I felt when my vet told me that Riley had compromised kidney function. Riley had been dropped off at my vet for an oral mass removal, which was scary enough. While my vet was running standard pre-anesthetic labs it was shown that her kidney function was off. My vet promptly called to ask if it was okay to have her on IV fluids while she was under and coming out of anesthesia to help support her kidneys. At that point I didn’t think a lot about it, I was more preoccupied with getting the call that Riley made it out of surgery and was on the road to recovery.

Fast forward a few hours, I had received the call that she was in recovery and I could pick her up that afternoon. I was so excited to see her and get her home. I went to pick her up, ready to hear how the surgery went, if there were good margins on the mass, and what I needed to do to ensure healthy healing. Much of her discharge appointment was spent reviewing her labs, and how and why she could have comprised kidneys. It was also recommended that I start her on a prescription kidney diet. I was loaded up with samples of wet and dry prescription food, and I felt so confused and conflicted.

At that point in time, I didn’t feed 100% fresh. I fed a high quality kibble diet, and incorporated a lot of fresh elements into all of their diets. I would give them fruit and veggies, meat scraps, yogurt, fresh goat milk and fish stock routinely. Feeding a super processed kidney food seemed like I would be taking a step backwards in her diet. I immediately came home and started doing research on how I could best support her knowing that she had compromised kidneys.

Riley’s New Kidney Diet

I am so lucky to have an amazing local store, Give A Dog A Bone. I went in a couple days after her appointment knowing there had to be a better way to feed her that wasn’t processed kibble with no good nutrients or moisture left. The amazing team at Give A Dog A Bone spent at least an hour or more giving me resources to check into, and walked me through many different ways I could feed her and support her kidney function. I am so appreciative for the time and love they gave me that day, and the time they spent explaining different ways to feed that were at varying levels of cost and varying levels of prep time.

Ultimately, I decided to go with Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health, and Dr. Harvey’s Kidney Health supplement. What really steered me to Dr. Harvey’s was how easy it was to control her protein levels, and prepare her dinner, and how Dr. Harvey’s has a specific kidney diet protocol. Many diets I looked into didn’t have a whole lot of substance, and Riley is quite the eater. I knew if she didn’t have a hearty amount of food that she wouldn’t do well, Riley is very much food motivated and thoroughly enjoys dinner time.

The first time I made her dinner I was very nervous. I just thought I would screw something up and wouldn’t do it right. To my surprise, it was so easy to scoop out her food, add warm water, and measure out her protein and oils. Not going to lie, it looked pretty delicious too.

Seeing that first meal in front of me made me realize how important moisture and fresh real food is for our dogs. Looking at her ready made bowl of Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health , I could see the moisture and food that was full of color and healthy herbs and veggies. It looked so delicious; how could she not like this food?

Another reason I chose Dr. Harvey’s is due to the moisture content of the food. In preparing the food yourself with warm water, there is no denying the difference in a fresh diet versus kibble. Moisture plays such an important role in overall health, but most importantly for Riley, she needed moisture for her kidneys. Kidney comprimise and failure means that the kidneys are not properly getting rid of toxins. By adding more moisture into Riley’s diet, it gave her the water she needed to help her kidneys flush out excess metabolic waste, such as Creatine, Phosphorus, and and Nitrogen.

Looking back, the last couple years had been rough for her. She was very overweight a couple years prior, so we stared caloric restriction. During the same point in time is when I think her kidneys got out of whack, she lost the weight she needed and some. So when she went into her appointment for her mass removal, she has lost a little too much weight. So many things were there that should have been signs that something was out of whack. But, she was doing well, at least for what I had for comparison.

How Is Riley Today?

Fast forward to today, and Riley is thriving. She is back at a healthy normal weight, and is full of energy. We actually had her kidney labs redrawn today, and her levels are back to normal and within normal limits! My vet was so happy with where she is now, and told us to keep doing what we are with her diet.

Without finding Dr. Harvey’s she wouldn’t be where she is today! Dr. Harvey’s has an amazing product that provided Riley with everything she needed to support her kidney health. I feel very comforted in knowing her kidneys are well supported by her diet.

After seeing the amazing results Riley has had, it has shown me that there is hope for dogs diagnosed with kidney disease. Kidney disease is one of the scariest things you can hear, but with proper diet there is hope. Thank you to Dr. Harvey’s for making an amazing product and supplying endless to support to myself and other pet parents like me out there.

You are not alone!

Disclaimer: After reaching out to Dr. Harvey’s about the tremendous health benefits my dogs have seen since using Dr. Harvey’s products and supplements, they have since given me free food, treats, supplements and grooming products for my honest feedback and opinion. I am thrilled about this opportunity, as I used Dr. Harvey’s products prior to our partnership. This blog post and/or social media content may not express the opinion of Dr. Harvey’s. This blog post/social media content in no way is meant to diagnose or treat your animals health. Please consult your veterinarian for all medical conditions and health ailments of your pet.