When a dog's kidneys aren't functioning as expected, it's known as kidney or renal failure. A carefully managed diet is a cornerstone of treatment. Nutrition plays a big role in the management of dogs with kidney disease. Many dogs with kidney disease live happily for quite a long time, particularly if they get the right kind of nutrition.
Understanding Kidney Failure in Dogs
Kidney failure, also called renal failure, arises from various internal medical issues affecting the kidneys and related organs. When healthy, kidneys eliminate toxins, regulate hydration, maintain electrolyte balance, and produce hormones for red blood cell production. Kidney failure impairs these functions.
There are two main types of kidney failure:
- Acute Renal Failure: This involves a sudden decline in kidney function, occurring over hours or days. It's often triggered by infections or toxins. Acute renal failure is likely reversible if diagnosed early and treated intensively.
- Chronic Renal Failure: This refers to a gradual loss of kidney function over weeks, months, or years, typically due to age-related degeneration. Chronic kidney failure can only be managed.
Any disease affecting the kidneys can lead to kidney failure, including:
- Congenital diseases: Underlying illnesses and hereditary conditions such as agenesis (being born without one or both kidneys) or cysts.
- Bacterial Infections: Infections like leptospirosis, contracted from contaminated water, can inflame the kidneys and kill renal cells.
- Toxicosis: Kidney damage can occur from ingesting drugs or poisons, including toxic foods.
- Dental Disease: Bacteria from dental disease can enter the bloodstream and harm organs, including the kidneys.
- Geriatric Degeneration: Age-related cell breakdown can affect the kidneys.
Common symptoms of kidney failure include:
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- Significant weight loss
- Vomiting
- Pale gums
- Uncoordinated movement
- Chemical-smelling breath
- Decreased appetite
- Increased or decreased thirst and urination
- Mouth ulcers
- Blood in urine
- Lethargy
- Intestinal seizures
The type and progression of kidney failure, along with the underlying cause, influence whether kidney problems or other conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, are responsible for the symptoms.
Treatment of Kidney Disease in Dogs
The success of kidney disease treatment depends on the dog's age, health, and the advancement of the condition. Treatment typically combines medication and dietary adjustments.
If a dog has kidney failure, a specific diet may help slow the condition’s progression. This will help reduce your kidney's workload, while medications aim to reduce the disease's effects on the kidneys.
The Importance of a Renal Diet
If your dog has been diagnosed with kidney disease or kidney failure, your veterinarian may recommend a renal diet or kidney support diet to help manage their condition. A renal diet for dogs, also known as a dog kidney failure diet, is a type of therapeutic diet designed specifically for dogs with kidney disease or renal failure.
After a dog has been diagnosed with kidney disease and their condition is stabilized, veterinarians typically recommend switching over to a prescription kidney diet.
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One study showed that on average, dogs who were fed a kidney diet lived 13 months longer than those who ate regular dog food.
Key Objectives of a Renal Diet
One of the primary goals of a canine kidney disease diet is to reduce the workload on the kidneys by limiting the amount of protein, phosphorus, and sodium in the food.
A canine kidney disease diet is specifically designed to be easier on the kidneys while still providing essential nutrients. The protein content is typically lower and comes from high-quality, easily digestible sources, such as egg whites or low-purine animal proteins.
Kidney diets for dogs have to tick a lot of boxes. Kidney diets for dogs are significantly different from regular dog foods. The most important characteristic of a kidney diet for dogs can be the hardest to achieve: It has to be delicious! To counteract this effect, kidney diets need to smell and taste great. After all, a kidney diet that isn’t eaten isn’t going to do a dog any good.
Key Components of an Ideal Renal Diet
Reduced Protein: Reducing the amount of protein in your dog's diet remains controversial. There are two goals behind this choice for your vet. Since their kidneys are responsible for filtering their body's waste when they process protein. The first goal of reducing protein is to help lower the amount of waste your dog's body produces, and the second is to reduce the amount of protein entering the kidneys' filtration systems. This means that feeding your dog a diet with reduced levels of protein may help reduce the workload placed on its kidneys, preserving kidney function.
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When assessing the protein content of a diet, it is important to remember that animals require amino acids rather than protein. Feeding high-quality protein sources with well-balanced ratios of essential amino acids can lower overall dietary protein content while preventing protein malnutrition. Lean meats like chicken breast, turkey, and eggs are best for dogs with kidney disease due to their high-quality protein and low phosphorus levels. Avoid organ meats or red meat. The egg itself is a complete protein, meaning it has all 9 amino acids the body needs from food and is low in phosphorus.
Reduced Phosphorus: As your pup's kidneys fail, the phosphorus concentration in their blood becomes elevated. Elevated phosphorus concentrations have been linked to several negative side effects, such as vitamin D deficiency and reduced ability of your dog's body to metabolize calcium. Normalizing blood phosphorus concentrations through the diet may help slow the disease's progression in dogs with chronic kidney disease.
One very important thing to remember is that the phosphorus levels in your dog's food are directly related to the amount of protein in the food. Restricting phosphorus levels in your dog's diet also requires restricting their protein intake. It is also essential to know that normalizing your dog's phosphorus levels in their blood through a diet is usually only successful if their kidney disease is diagnosed and treated early. If your dog is experiencing advanced kidney disease they may require the use of medications to help manage their condition.
Reduced Sodium: Reducing your dog's sodium intake can also benefit its health. Reducing sodium can lower the workload on your pet's kidneys and help to maintain healthier blood pressure. If your dog is on a diet with reduced sodium, make sure you don't forget to check the contents of their treats. Most treats that dogs love, including cheese or jerky, have a high sodium content.
Increased Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids slow the progression of chronic kidney disease by reducing inflammatory compounds that place stress on your dog's kidneys to process. Many foods with increased levels of omega-3 contain fish, such as salmon, which dogs enjoy. Your pup's diet may also be supplemented with fish or flaxseed oil.
Increased Water Content: Kidney diets should also contain a lot of water. Dogs with kidney disease struggle to maintain their hydration. Wet foods are almost always a better option for dogs with kidney disease than dry foods. Hydrate your dog’s food with chicken bone broth (no sodium) as a nutritious and enticing way to add moisture and flavor. Hydrate your dog’s food with kefir, which contains probiotics, beneficial enzymes, and vitamins B & K. It is extremely recommended that you add some kind of moisture to your pet’s meal, whether that be from warm water, bone broth, or kefir. Moisture aids overall digestion and helps move any harmful substances out of the body.
Foods to Consider
Dogs with kidney disease can safely eat small portions of vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, cabbage, and green beans. Avoid high-phosphorus veggies such as spinach and beet greens.
Dogs with kidney disease can eat human foods like boiled eggs, white rice, apple slices (without seeds), and unsalted pumpkin purée. Avoid processed, salty, or high-phosphorus foods.
For vegetables, try pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, green peas, carrot, zucchini, squash, spinach, kale, turnips, parsnips, watercress, Asian greens, mushrooms, tomato, capsicum or cabbage. Both fresh and frozen vegetables are fine. We recommend steaming or microwaving for most vegetables, however baking can also work well sometimes.
For fruit, try strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apple, pear, banana, mango, peach, plum, kiwifruit, guava, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, rockmelon or honeydew melon. Please be very careful to remove any pits or stones, and avoid toxic fruit like grapes, raisins or currants.
Important note: Some dogs with more advanced kidney disease can develop high potassium in their blood (hyperkalaemia). If your dog has hyperkalaemia, feeding a diet with lots of potassium-rich vegetables may not be suitable.
Ingredients and Supplements
While a carefully formulated renal dog food should provide the essential nutrients your dog needs, supplements can help provide additional support and potentially slow the progression of kidney disease. It's important to note that not all supplements are appropriate for dogs with kidney issues, and some may even be contraindicated.
Comes from the outer skeleton of shellfish like lobster, crab, and shrimp. It binds to phosphorus, which gets eliminated. It’s a natural way to manage phosphorus levels. Calcium carbonate helps manage phosphorus levels by binding to phosphorus in the gut, reducing its absorption into the bloodstream.
Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Vitamin B12, Pyridoxine, and Folic Acid are incredibly fragile B vitamins. They help a variety of enzymes do their jobs, so food more easily turns into energy in the body.
Brimming with nutrients including marine proteins, essential fatty acids, and a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin, the combination is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Naturally high in antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s a natural form of iodine. Part of the vitamin E family (akin to vegetable oil) & often used as a natural preservative to maintain freshness.
Used as an electrolyte replenisher to ensure adequate potassium levels.
Transitioning to a Renal Diet
Pay special attention to how you make the transition. Do not change your dog’s food while they are still nauseated or feeling bad. Once your dog has a good appetite, start making the switch very slowly. Give them lots of time to get used to the new flavors, textures, and ingredients. Don’t give up if you initially have trouble switching your dog to a kidney diet. Call your veterinarian if your dog won’t eat the recommended food. Recommending an appropriate food topper to make the food more appealing.
Following our transitioning guide can also help pets gradually adapt to their new food before fully feeding Medicus.
Monitoring and Adjustments
Managing a renal diet for dogs is not just about following a fixed formula-it’s about creating a tailored plan that evolves with your pet’s condition. Regular testing helps your vet tweak the phosphorus, protein, or calorie levels as needed.
The creatinine level is one of the most fundamental markers in your dog's kidney function test. Your vet will interpret those values with a dog creatinine level chart that helps categorize the stage of your pet's kidney disease, from mild to advanced.
As kidney disease progresses or needs change, diet adjustments may be required.
Prescription vs. Homemade Diets
After a dog has been diagnosed with kidney disease and their condition is stabilized, veterinarians typically recommend switching over to a prescription kidney diet.
Yes. Per FDA guidelines for therapeutic pet food, you need a prescription for Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets. Non therapeutic diets, supplements and treats do not require approval for purchase.
One big benefit of homemade kidney diets, however, is taste. If your dog simply won’t eat anything else, a homemade kidney diet is worth considering. Select renal-specific dog food: Choose a prescription or vet-recommended diet designed for kidney health.
In cases where home-prepared meals are necessary, they must be vet-formulated.
A study published in 2012 showed how hard it is to find nutritionally complete and balanced kidney diet recipes in books and online.