Slinky Update / Food Dilemma
 

Hello,
For those who read my posts about my 13yr old Slinky who had her spleen & 11lb hematoma removed, I thought I would give an update.

Its been 4 weeks now & besides a bit of a slump the past couple days she has been doing pretty great.

I think I made a mistake in that I switched her food shortly after surgery to Orijen Senior. Though I still think this is a GREAT food I think its too much for her.

For the first 2-3 weeks she was doing great but the last few days I noticed her drinking/peeing a lot. She had her first accident last night since before the surgery. When I was cleaning up the pee I noticed it did not leave any color on the paper-towel. That concerned me obviously (referring to the post by Dr. Lee regarding increase water consumption).

I have not decided to run blood tests yet but I may consider it, just out of curiousity as her kidneys showed to be functioning properly from her bloodtests 3 weeks ago.

She has pretty much fluctuated between 2-4 star dog foods (6 being the best) throughout her life & though I really think Orijen is a great food, I dont think its for her, especially at this point in life. (I just really wanted to give her the best.)

I understand that a high protein diet should not affect the kidneys as one suspects unless there is an under lying issue with the kidneys itself. (correct me if im wrong.)

Anyway I will monitor her closely the next few days & have since switched her food. I thought I would give Chicken Soup for the Senior Soul a try (3 star).

Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you have any recommendation for food. Should I not even be concerned about her being on a "Senior" diet & maybe just supplement her with the glucosamine etc.?

Hi. I remember your posts about Slinky. Obviously you should listen to your vet over my comments. My vet did not recommend senior foods. Instead he said to just feed a little less of the normal diet. Seniors have decreased activity levels and don't need as large a food portion.

It is great you've read Dr. Lee's post about increased drinking/urination. Great (and I mean great) information in that post. Without her spleen, Slinky may be more prone to infection. If the increased drinking/urination continues you may want to consider having her urine tested. After my dog lost her spleen she got urinary tract infections. The spleen works with the lymph system and is a part of the immune system. Good luck.

A urine test can also look for proteins in the urine (seen with kidney issues), bacteria/blood (seen with UTIs), and sugar (diabetes). It will also check the concentration of the urine. If something is amiss from this test, you may wish to do more bloodwork. I know it is hard to put a dog through constant blood draws every few weeks.

If she needs to take any antibiotics, you will want to consider a probiotic supplement. Your vet can recommend a glucosamine supplement appropriate for Slinky. My older dogs took the supplements and never had typical old-age joint issues. Is there a reason she can't eat her old food? If she liked it, I would consider offering that (a mix of course, not a sudden change). Also, older dogs will go off their foods since they don't smell as strongly. I found adding a few spoons a wet food to the kibble helped tremendously when I had my old guys. Warming the food slightly also increases the aromas. Even my geriatric dog who went off his food (due to liver cancer--undiagnosed at the time) would be tempted to eat the Merrick canned foods.

I had a problem with my senior dog's kidney values shooting up after a month on Orijen. It took a few months for them to get back to normal, but they have stayed normal for almost 2 years now and there is no indication of any sort of kidney issue at all. We are pretty certain now that the food was the cause. I've since heard a few similar stories. I still think it's a great food, but it may not be good for all seniors.

Ya I guess I was just gung-ho on doing the best for her, to kind of give her quality of life but I think I will just go back to a 3 star food. she did just fine. She is not a picky eater (my any means LOL) so she will really eat any kibble i put in front of her.

I will definately monitor her drinking/urinating. Its snowing here now so I can definately tell when theres colour to her urine.

I reallly think the protein was just a bit too much for her.

Thank you both for your reply, very good information.

Satchelp- Shes about 1 month into eating the Orijen before so Im curious how her kidneys are doing.

I will keep you updated & post some pics up of her !!!