Hey! Im so sorry to hear this! I have herding breeds myself called Lapponian Herders. 15 years old is amazing! For your Sheltie with kidney disease, don't stress out so much about the diet, but make sure she is eating and getting calories. At a certain point it is going to be about quality of life. You want her to eat anything to keep weight on. You can feed her boiled rice and turkey (lower in protein) and see if she will eat that. Or try other prescription Kidney diets that are from Blue Buffalo and try Wet food which is more enticing. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! I am very sorry, Lyme disease in the end stages is bad and most people do elect humane euthanasia in regards to their pets quality of life. There is no medicine other than supportive care and hospitalization that can help him live longer. I am so sorry! Feed him whatever he will eat. ~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! I don't think you particularly need grain free diet? But If you do I don't have a particular kidney diet that is grain free. Grains are safe for dogs to eat, so I would not get caught up only looking for grain free. Grain free also can cause heart disease? So please consider a safe regular diet for kidney disease that is lower in protein for the kidneys. PetMeds sells Blue Buffalo Natural KS kidney support diet. Ill put the link below to shop online to get it shipped to your door. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer https://www.1800petmeds.com/blue+natural+veterinary+diet+ks+kidney+support+dry+dog+food-prod61203.html

Here is a direct link to our article about treating kidney disease, with many treatment options, both over-the-counter and prescription and a section about supplements: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/kidney-disease-treatment-dog-cat-31.html

Since cats have a higher protein requirement, their food is higher in protein, so no, it's probably not ideal, but consult your veterinarian, who has access to her bloodwork and entire history for the best advice.

It's not really ideal because it is too low in protein for a totally normal dog.

Here is a link to our article about treating kidney disease with discussions about many treatment options, both over-the-counter and prescription: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/kidney-disease-treatment-dog-cat-31.html

Honestly, your veterinarian (who has access to all of his bloodwork, medication(s), history, x-rays, etc.) is the best one to consult about this.

Honestly it really depends on the severity of the kidney disease so consult your veterinarian for the best advice about this.

Consult your veterinarian (who has access to all of his/her records and bloodwork) for the best advice because it will depend on many things (low potassium?, anemic?, high phosphorus?, etc.) but Epakitin is a supplement that seems to help some cats. Here is a link if you would like to read about it: https://www.1800petmeds.com/epakitin+powder-prod11134.html

I can't tell what your question is by how you phrased that: are you trying to prevent kidney disease in your normal cat or does your cat have kidney disease like your mom's cat? Either way, here is a link to our article about kidney disease with lots of recommendations under teh treatment tab: https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/kidney-disease-dog-cat-31.html

Be sure about the Enalapril then: it is for heart problems and can CAUSE kidney (renal) problems. Here is a good Omega 3 supplement though: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Welactin+Omega+3+Canine-prod11837.html

I'm so sorry you are going through this - I know it's hard. You did the right thing. Subcutaneous fluids and a KD diet only help them feel a little better by lowering their BUN temporarily - there is no actual treatment for the kidney failure. So I usually feel like I start fluids and KD more for the owner than the cat. The fluids can be painful (large bore needle) and the food is low in protein so they don't like it, so sometimes I feel like I'm making the cat miserable for their last few days for no real good reason. I hope this helps you feel a little better about your decision.

Honestly, I wouldn't advise trying to do that with kidney disease unless you work directly with a board certified veterinary nutritionist, often found at your local veterinary school.

It is VERY hard to correctly balance their diets with people food, so I'm supposed to discourage you from trying it - especially if she has kidney disease. The nutritional experts recommend working directly with a board certified veterinary nutritionist, often found at your local veterinary school. If that isn't an option, the best site to use to balance her diet is balanceit.com. It will have you enter a bunch of information about her and exact ingredients you want to use, etc. and then it will tell you what you need to supplement.