kidney
disease
Special needs diets – Don't
kid around with kidney disease
by
Audi Donamor
 Tyrone
was king of house and neighborhood. One
day, the Persian-tabby cross thought it
would be cool to jump from the balcony
railing to a window ledge. He missed and
fell to the patio below. He survived,
but the fall damaged his kidneys, and
as he grew older, chronic renal failure
set in. By the time he was 14, he was
in real trouble. Even without injuries,
kidney problems are common in both cats
and dogs, especially as they get older.
With the proper care, however, your companion
can live comfortably for months or even
years.
The most common sign of renal failure
is increased water consumption and urination.
Dilute urine, urine that lacks color or
odor, or blood tinged urine, are also
telltale signs of a kidney problem. Further
symptoms are loss of appetite, weight
loss, and even discolored teeth. Your
animal’s breath may have a chemical
odor, he may have sores in his mouth or
light-colored gums, which are an indicator
of anemia, and even episodes of vomiting
and diarrhea. If he is repeatedly licking
his nose, chances are he is nauseated,
which is another possible indicator of
kidney disease, along with muscle weakness
and exercise intolerance. Any of these
symptoms warrant a visit to the vet.
Complete blood work, a urinalysis, and
a urine culture are important, because
only these tests will let you know if
you are dealing with an acute or short-term
kidney problem, or a chronic, ongoing
one. Once a diagnosis has been made and
a treatment plan put in place, it is important
to feed your animal a diet that will help
support his kidney function.
First, make sure that fresh filtered or
spring water is always available, and
encourage your animal to drink at regular
intervals. Water consumption is very important,
because keeping the kidneys and bladder
flushed helps prevent the formation of
crystals and stones. Add extra broth to
your animal’s daily meals.
Feeding
the kidney compromised animal
Dogs
In a perfect world, we would be able to
offer dogs with kidney problems high quality
proteins that closely match the proper
mix of amino acids they need. Animal proteins,
such as meat, milk, and eggs, are of a
higher quality than plant source proteins.
Consider high fat and moderate amounts
of high quality proteins when feeding
your dog, and use low phosphorus carbohydrates
to fill in the gap. Beef, lamb, pork,
turkey, dark chicken with skin, beef heart,green
tripe, white rice, sweet potatoes, and
winter squash can be combined in a variety
of ways to provide your dog with a nutritious
and delicious meal that meets his special
needs. Dogs with kidney problems often
do better when fed smaller meals through
the day, rather than one or two large
meals.
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Published
in the October/November 2005 issue of
Animal Wellness
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