Our vet says: Adding salt to a dog's food or feeding a salty diet is not really an ideal thing to do, but it is unlikely that you actually caused your dog's kidney failure by doing so.

You do not say how much salt you have been adding or which salty diet you have been feeding. It may be best to investigate diets which are specially formulated for dogs with renal failure now. ( I am sure your vet will be able to advise you).

Salt poisoning generally only results when high salt diets are fed and access to water is restricted. The signs are serious and involve neurological problems, so you would have noticed that your dog was really unwell if this had been the case.

So why do we worry about salt?

Basically if the diet is too salty the kidneys must work harder to maintain the fluid balance of the body which is one of their main jobs.

The kidneys are remarkable organs and have several functions including maintaining the balance of the water in the body together with electrolytes and they also help to eliminate toxins. Part of their function includes maintaining fluid balance and salt can make this work harder to do because it tends to "hold water".

The kidneys have a great deal of reserve capacity so we only see signs of failure when around 75% of their function has been lost.

Nephrons or kidney cells are lost over time as part of the natural aging process. You do not say how old your dog is, but if she is middle aged to older then it is likely that the kidney failure is more due to the aging process than anything else.

Of course infections and toxins can also cause renal failure too but the kidneys can often overcome many problems simply because they have such a large reserve capacity.

Although a salty diet means that the kidneys have to work harder it is unlikely that this alone would cause renal failure unless you were feeding large amounts over a long period of time.

It can be difficult not to feel guilty when your pet is unwell, but do not blame yourself. It is very unlikely that you caused any real harm. It may be best to consider feeding your dog(s) a good quality dog food suitable for their life stages, breed and state of health from now on.

Answers to Your Pet Healthcare Questions

Showing similar questions and answers in this category

Heart problems

Species: dog | Category: medical-surgical | Submitted: 15-Mar-10 10:01PM | viewed 4749 times

Paula asks:

Hi, I recently took my dog to the vets for her yearly checkup. I have a 7 year old doberman who is very active and who has shown absolutely no symptoms of there being anything wrong with her whatsoever. However, upon examining her, the vet discovered that she had a heart murmur and irregular heart beat. He attached her to a machine which printed off this graph showing the beats, normal ones going up and the irregular one going down. Obviously this did not mean much to me. I don't wish to question the professionalism of my vet or sound that I don't care about my pet but he does have a bit of a reputation for finding out if you are insured and then stinging you for things you don't necessarily need. I guess the question I'm asking is, if my dog has a heart problem wouldn't I at least suspect something wrong, i.e. shortness of breath, coughing. He's put her on Vetmedin which he now says she will need for the rest of her life.

Our vet says: Think of the heart as a pump. If a pump has, let's say, a slightly leaky valve or pumps just slightly in the wrong way, you might not notice the problem immediately. However as the water in the pump goes slightly in the wrong direction, further damage is done until more and more water flows abnormally and eventually the pump fails..... and you are swimming in lots of water which should not be there!

The heart is really a pump which the body uses to distribute blood around the body. Unlike a mechanical pump, it has some reserve capacity so that when things start to go wrong, mechanisms are in place to compensate for the problem and get the blood flowing to where it needs to go. This means that by the time you notice a problem, things have gone past the point of compensation and the pump is really in trouble.

The signs you mention of coughing and shortness of breath are signs of fluid accumulation in the lungs, so the fluid is not moving where it should go at all, and the heart is having to work REALLY hard by this stage.

As veterinary medicine progresses we are able to detect problems BEFORE the clinical signs become apparent. If treated early we know we can prolong the life-span and also the quality of life too! This is great but can lead to problems when pets appear perfectly well as yours does.

I understand that you do not wish to treat your pet unnecessarily, but if treated early the outcome for pets with heart disease is much improved. If I were you I would be reassured due to the fact that an ECG ( which I assume the graph was) has been taken.

It can be very difficult for vets sometimes! Preventative treatment and early care of disease (before signs are necessarily apparent to owners) is the best practice of medicine and represents the very best of care for animals. In the end it is most likely to work out cheaper than letting animals develop serious signs and having to pay for expensive hospital treatment and life saving procedures later on. However this type of medicine can be seen as unnecessary by many clients since their pet is "well". I would say ignore what other people say about your vet's "reputation" and be thankful that he is sensible enough to offer the very best of care available. Remember that it is a vet's job to offer the best of care available, but you always have a choice in what is done for your pet.

I hope all goes well for your dog, I know you must care very much for your pet and it sounds as if you have a very good vet!

Skin tags

Species: dog | Category: medical-surgical | Submitted: 06-Jul-09 09:19PM | viewed 90153 times

John asks:

Hello, my eight month old cocker spaniel appears to have what looks like bubbles near her eyes and on her face near her mouth. They are attached to her body and I suppose resemble skin tags. They do not irritate her at all. She has had them before on her head and back of her neck but they disappeared. They are tiny and just look like little bubbles. Have you any ideas please? Thank you.

Our vet says: Without seeing your dog it is impossible to say exactly what these could be, but I would suggest that it is worth finding out from your vet if these are ticks. Since ticks can carry disease it is always worth trying to prevent the problem by treating your dog for them regularly. Do not try to remove ticks yourself since this can cause problems if it is done incorrectly.

Upset stomach in dog

Species: dog | Category: medical-surgical | Submitted: 03-Jul-09 03:06PM | viewed 92901 times

Sue asks:

My 14 year old Yorkie is having loose motions with blood and hard motions. He is straining when they are hard. He also passes foul smelling wind. Can you advise me please?

Our vet says: At 14 years of age any problem such as this should be taken seriously. You should ask your vet to check your dog for you since he must be quite uncomfortable!

Pus oozing from eyes

Species: dog | Category: medical-surgical | Submitted: 13-May-09 10:49PM | viewed 148474 times

Mohit asks:

My dog has a swollen face near the left eye. The swelling is now a hard lump and has been there for almost a month. Twice he bled from his nose and eyes. Today pus is oozing from his eyes. Please advise what could be the cause and how it should be treated.

Our vet says: This sounds serious and could possibly be a tumour but without seeing your dog it is impossible to say for sure. Take him to your vet, this cannot be diagnosed or treated over the internet. Sorry we cannot help further.

Fits

Species: dog | Category: medical-surgical | Submitted: 12-May-09 02:36PM | viewed 145562 times

Claire asks about Jesse (dog - Collie x, M) :

I came to home to find my dog in the middle of a fit. He had extremely fast breathing and was soiling himself. He is now 12 years old and has had no previous problems. He does suffer from separation anxiety so that might have got him upset.

Our vet says: He looks like a lovely dog from your photo! It would be good to take him to your local vet for a check up, even if he seems fine now. You could try using DAP to help with his separation anxiety.


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