Vetri-Science Renal Essentials Canine, 60 Bite-Sized Chews

My oldest husky was diagnosed with kidney failure (likely tied to her diabetes diagnosis at about the same time). During our daily pee testing, we were seeing protein at the two highest markers on an intermittent basis early in the spring. Six months later, between these, which my girl comes looking for when she hears the bag crinkle, and two other kidney support formulae, her daily protein results are at 1. So the fact that she enjoys the treat-style chew and we're seeing long-term results make this an easy one for me to recommend.

Don't waste your money. This might be a great supplement, but it doesn’t taste good to dogs, so they refuse to eat it.

These were recommended by our vet for our paralyzed dachsie (now 14; and she’s such a happy pupper!), as a precaution a few years ago, as she did have a bladder infection. Our little girl LOVES them (I break one into three pieces and use it each day as a treat at the end of her exercises (a set of exercises takes about three minutes [add in four to five bladder expressions a day—squeezing to drain her bladder—and it all takes less than 15 minutes of care a day; sorry, but I had to put in a plug for the ease of caring for a paralyzed dachsie because she is such a joy to have in our family!]). The only downside to this VetriScience product is that it is so hard to find; I just nabbed the very last one available on Amazon. I have to admit they are pricey, but they are effective.

I have two dogs. One will eat this smelly thing and the other one won't. Luckily, for me, the one who does is the one who needs this. So, there, I did a test for fur owners who have finicky pets. With that said, this product did significantly increase my dog's liver points on his test, which is great. Once, I stopped using this product, the numbers dropped. So, it seems as if you have to give this regularly for a dog, who is teetering on the wrong side of the liver test. I would say 2 to 3 times a week, once you got the numbers going in the right direction.

Not what is advertised. Not chicken liver flavor, but straight up chicken. Huge bone-shaped chews, not the small triangles shown. Yes, you can break them up, but for this much money, the only reason you have to is because the package is also for dogs. My cat like the chew at first but trying to get it down hurt his mouth & now he's avoiding them. When your pet has CKD, it's a struggle to find food they'll eat, to keep them hydrated (hydracare helps but that is now a syringe-administered item), and it's deeply disappointing and discouraging to try such a highly rated product from a reputable company and feel once more that nothing is effective if you can't get your pet to eat it.