Does Dry Food Cause Kidney Failure In Cats
If you have been feeding your cat with cat food for a long time, this may increase the chances of urinary tract issues and chronic kidney disease. This can be worse in the case of adult cats.
Further, other complications may also include the formation of urinary crystals or stones in cats. Some common symptoms can include excess urination, constipation, drinking a lot of water, dry coat, losing weight.
Does Dry Cat Food Cause Kidney Failure In Cats
You may discover your cat prefers one type of food over the other, whether they look forward to wet food from a pouch or their favorite dry kibble.
If youre a well-read kitty parent, you may have read varying advice in pet publications or commiserated with other cat owners about their four-legged friends diets and come away with information that dry food can impact kidney health or be bad for your cats teeth or urinary tract.
However, the nutritional content of cat food is much more critical than whether its dry or wet.
Fats, Proteins & Carbohydrates…Oh My!
Cats are carnivores by nature, which means fatty acids and meaty proteins are essential to their diet. Too many carbohydrates can cause diabetes and obesity. While your kitty will need a small amount of carbohydrates, a diet packed with too many of these can cause health issues.
That said, many dry foods contain rice, cornmeal and grains to help your cat process the kibble, which adds up to more carbohydrates . Youll even find vegetable protein rather than meat in some cat foods, which is not ideal for your meat-lover cat.
Our feline friends need food thats high in animal proteins and fats, and low in carbohydrates. While the amount of carbohydrates in some dry food is acceptable , these often have especially labels.
Just like you do when you shop for yourself, read the ingredients list on your cats food and leave the items with ingredients such as peas, beans, corn, potatoes or rice on the shelf.
Is Cooked Chicken Good For Cats With Kidney Disease
Since cats with kidney issues dont prefer to eat heavily, thats why its your responsibility to feed a protein-rich diet with enough moisture. For this purpose, cooked chicken is good. It has enough moisture and high-quality protein that will satiate his nutritional needs without offering a tremendous amount of wet cat food that your cat wont prefer.
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Blue Natural Veterinary Diet K+m Kidney + Mobility Support Dry Cat Food
- Made with chicken flavor
- 7 lbs of dry cat food
Supplements for cats with kidney disease are a major concern, and this food gives such exact proteins in a good ratio. In addition, Blue Buffalos food keeps cats at home healthy with a good immune system. Blue Buffalo urinary cat food arrives in a pack of 7 lbs and serves us for a long time. If at all your pet love the flavor of food, do not miss getting this big bag as it will not go to waste. Basic flavor which we observed on its label is chicken. This, as we have noticed, is the most suitable taste for all cats, generally. While choosing a kidney diet for cats, one should take utmost care as kidneys should function properly to keep a cat active and healthy throughout the day.
Levels of phosphorus and sodium present in Blue Buffalos diet in a controlled manner will give good renal health for all furry mates. Taste included in the pack will indeed grab the attention of all felines, making them lick their lips, eager to consume it anytime and anywhere. Eagerness all felines showed in eating this food proved to us that they love its flavor and taste. We also found that the diet included is wholesome and natural, much to our delight. Besides, customers are happy to express their content as their pussies mobility increased with sufficient levels of energy to roam around their houses.
Hills Prescription Diet K/d Kidney Care Canned Cat Food
Our Top Pick for the Most Popular Cat Food for Kidney Disease: If youre looking for a prescription diet for kidney health, this Hills Prescription Diet k/d Kidney Care Canned Cat Food is a decent option. Though it does contain soy protein isolate, there are no harmful additives or low-quality grains as is the case for many prescription diets. This formula features a low-to-moderate concentration of protein and controlled levels of phosphorus and sodium for kidney support. It features chicken as the main ingredient with supplemental protein from pork and chicken livers as well as soy protein. It also contains beneficial supplements to ensure complete and balanced nutrition.
- Pros: Specifically designed for kidney support, low concentration of protein, controlled phosphorus and sodium levels, complete and nutritionally balanced
- Cons: Contains some soy ingredients, expensive to feed as a staple diet, unnamed fat source
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What Is Chronic Renal Failure
The kidneys have a large amount of spare capacity to perform their various functions so at least 66% of both kidneys need to be dysfunctional before clinical signs are seen. In many cases this means that the damage to the kidneys has been occurring over a number of months or years before failure is evident. Chronic renal failure is most commonly seen in older cats . Early signs of disease such as weight loss and poor coat quality are often dismissed as normal aging changes. Other signs such as drinking and urinating a lot mislead owners into believing that their cats must be well hydrated and their kidneys must be working. In fact, it is the complete opposite. In CRF, no matter how much water the cat drinks, the cat does not make up the difference. The losses are bigger and leaves the cat in a constant state of dehydration. This is what drives your cats excessive thirst. In the initial stages of kidney disease, the kidneys cope with their inability to concentrate waste products by excreting them at a lower concentration, over a larger volume. This is known as compensated renal failure. After approximately 66% of the kidney tissues are destroyed, there is a rapid rise in waste products in the bloodstream and a gradual onset of disease.
How To Treat A Cat With Kidney Disease
The bitter truth is chronic kidney disease is irreversible and theres no cure for chronic kidney disease. But by offering healthy wet canned foods to your feline friend, you can help your cat to stay hydrated. To slow the progression of kidney disease, offer your feline friend a sodium-deficit and phosphorous-deficit diet that contains at least 85% moisture. A protein-deficit wet food will minimize the level of toxic waste products namely urea and creatinine in the bloodstream, thereby control blood pressure, and put a stop to dehydration issues.
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What Are The Causes Of Crf
A large number of different disease processes can eventually lead to CRF, including:
CRF is the end stage of a number of different disease processes rather than a specific condition in its own right. It is also the most common geriatric disease we see in our feline companions.
What Is Chronic Kidney Disease
Inside your cats kidneys are thousands of tiny filters called nephrons that work to remove toxins from the bloodstream and recycle beneficial substances like amino acids and minerals. CKD is triggered by a loss of nephron function, possibly due to a disease, an injury, or an inherited condition. Without sufficient nephron function, important substances are lost and toxins and wastes that are normally eliminated begin to accumulate in the bloodstream, which can damage kidney tissue, cause clinical signs and create progressive injury to the kidney.
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Daves Pet Food Restricted Diet Protein & Phosphorus Chicken Formula
Our Top Pick for the Best Grain-Free Cat Food for Kidney Disease: If you want your cat to have the benefit of low phosphorus cat food for kidney disease but you dont want to deal with the hassle of refilling a prescription, Daves Pet Food Restricted Diet Protein & Phosphorus Chicken Formula is a great option. This recipe features controlled levels of protein, phosphorus, and sodium to provide optimal kidney support without the use of by-products and additives. This recipe contains fresh chicken as the first ingredient, and it is completely free from grains and gluten. It is highly digestible and contains beneficial supplements like vitamins and chelated minerals to ensure optimal nutrient absorption. All in all, it is a great choice for kidney support.
- Pros: Controlled levels of protein and phosphorus, real chicken as main ingredient, grain-free carbohydrates, beneficial supplements like chelated minerals, nutritionally balanced
- Cons: Somewhat expensive compared to other recipes, contains plant protein
What Treatments Are Available
Depending on the results of blood tests, your veterinarian may be faced with several problems that require different treatments. Dont worry if the list below seems so long that you will never be able to administer all of the medications. The majority of cats can be effectively managed with diet change, including supplementation and one or two other treatments.
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What To Look For
Now that you know what kidney disease is, the food you select should be aimed at reducing the problem. Here is a demonstration of how to narrow down to the perfect option for your cat.
Go For Food With Restricted Or High-Quality Proteins
During digestion, the proteins are broken down from long complex chains into simple amino acids that your cat can absorb and use in its body, a process that generates some waste.
Your cats kidneys help to filter out the waste from the bloodstream and release it as urine. When a cats kidneys are compromised, they are unable or find it difficult to remove all the wastes from the bloodstream. To address the problem, you should consider using food with restricted proteins.
Restricted proteins mean reducing the overall protein intake so that protein-related wastes go down, reducing the overall work that the kidney needs to do to clear it from the blood.
However, some nutritionists feel that cutting proteins by about 20% may result in deprivation, which is true because cats are obligate carnivores.
Instead, they recommend going for cat food with highly-digestible, yet low-waste proteins from animal sources, such as fish, pork, beef, lamb, turkey, and chicken.
Foods with high-quality and low-waste animal proteins are very effective in countering kidney disease, especially if it has not advanced to acute levels.
Look For Food With Low Sulfur Levels
Only Buy Cat Food With Low Sodium Content
Select Food With Ample Omega Fatty Acids
Reduce Inflammation With Omega
Many cats with kidney disease develop nephritis, which is inflammation of the kidneys. Along with other anti-inflammatory supplements, consider omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA. These fatty acids have a well-documented ability to reduce inflammation, helping your cat to feel better.
Although humans and other animals can benefit from omega-3 fatty acids derived from plant sources like flaxseed oil, cats can only utilize those found in animal fat. Good sources include various types of fish oillike salmon oil, menhaden fish oil, and sardine oilas well as krill oil. You can also consider green-lipped mussels. In addition to being a good source of other omega-3s, theyre the oceans most concentrated source of the fatty acid ETA.
Although many foods contain sources of these beneficial fatty acids, you may also want to supplement your cats diet with a good omega-3 supplement.
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Is Kidney Disease Common In Cats
Yes, generally around 10% of cats who have enjoyed the 10 years of spring or over 1/3 of cats who have exceeded 15 years of age are prone to kidney disease. However, cats below 10 years may also experience kidney issues if you are offering a cat food that is not free from toxins, artificial color, additives, or preservatives.
Keep It Low In Phosphorus And Sodium
As your cat’s kidney workload begins to decline, phosphorus is one of the substances which won’t be easily filtered out from the bloodstream. If this substance is allowed to build up over time, it can cause a range of negative side effects for your cat, causing them to feel ill and worsening kidney function.
The best way to counteract the effects of phosphorus in the bloodstream is to reduce the amount you give your cat in their diet. Usually, the best prescription cat foods will come with lower levels of phosphorus and sodium. Sodium is important to minimize because it can increase blood pressure and make kidney damage worse.
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Best Cat Food For Kidney Disease Reviews
Heres a detailed look at my recoomended cat foods for kidney disease. You will need authorization from your vet before purchasing, but this is a good thing.
While you can buy prescription diets from the vet theyre usually more expensive. However, its always good to get advice on the type of food most suited to your cats needs.
The Best Cat Food For Kidney Disease
Our final pick is the Royal Canin morsels in gravy canned food. This formula is easy to digest and provides your feline companion with a boost of energy without harming his kidneys. Serving your chronically ill pet a diet with low phosphorus reduces the stress on his renal system. It also helps prevent other diseases such as hyperparathyroidism from befalling chronically ill felines. Low levels of protein contribute to less uremic production as well. Uremic is a toxin that accumulates in body fluids of animals who suffer from chronic kidney disease. The Royal Canin premium morsels are designed to attract the taste buds of your cat, so both their smell and texture are appealing. This formula helps aging cats regain their energy and encourages them to consume more calories as well.
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Choose Foods That Are Low In Phosphorus
As kidney function declines, phosphorus is one of the things that doesnt get filtered out. As phosphorus builds up in the bloodstream, your cat will start to feel ill and kidney function declines even more quickly.
The best way to counteract this effect is to reduce the amount of phosphorus in your cats diet. The ideal diet for a cat with CKD contains less than 0.5% phosphorus on a dry matter basis.
Raw Food Rules For Cats
There are two main rules for feeding cats. When you follow these, youre working with the cats natural nutritional patterns.
After seeing so much success with switching our cat Bob to a raw food diet for kidney disease, friends and family and readers have been asking me about a recipe for kittens and healthy cats.
The only change to the Feline Kidney Care Raw Food recipe is that I used bone-in chicken in place of the beef, as it contains the healthy fats from the skin as well as bone bone that cats need to grow and maintain bone health. Cats with kidney disease need to limit their phospherous, but cats without kidney disease should NOT limit phosphorous and should include bones in the diet.
Is this recipe enough taurine? I wasnt sure, since taurine in the chicken heart may degrade when its frozen, and my chicken hearts come frozen. Since taurine is so essential to cats, I sprinkle powdered taurine, 1 pinch, on each container of his food .
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The Potential Of Using Fish Oils
The use of omega oils as a supplement for cats with CKD has promising results. Eicosapentaenoic Acid is a beneficial omega oil found in marine sources such as fish and is a proven anti-inflammatory. This anti-inflammatory response is believed to aid kidney health and may be beneficial to cats diagnosed with CKD.
Liquid fish oil supplements may also be used to add palatability to food, especially if your cat is not accepting a new diet. Plant-based omega oils should not be used, as the omega oil Alpha-Linoleic Acid can cause an inflammatory response that could be detrimental to your cat. This is especially important if their kidneys are already inflamed. Ingredients such as flaxseed oil and linseed oil contain high levels of ALA, and your cats body is unable to convert this omega oil into the beneficial EPA. Therefore, we would not recommend foods with these ingredients if your cat has CKD.