Prescription Diet For Dogs With Kidney Disease

Dogs with decreased kidney function may experience loss of appetite and their food intake might decline which may lead to loss of muscle mass.

Prescription diet for dogs with kidney disease.

Hypokalemia is a well recognized consequence of renal disease in dogs and most prescription renal diets have moderately high levels of potassium. Once your dog s fasted blood phosphorus levels rise above 5 0 you will need a prescription kidney diet as the amount of phosphorus you should feed to your dog. Low protein diets tend to be less flavorful and more expensive than. Select a low protein commercial diet.

Although it is more common in cases of acute kidney injury some dogs with ckd can become hyperkalemic and may need a potassium restricted homemade kidney diet formulated by a board certified. In fact the nutrition of k d is. Kidney diets usually have about 1 3 to 1 2 less protein than normal dog diets. Hill s nutritionists and veterinarians developed prescription diet k d clinical nutrition to support your dog s kidney function and help sustain muscle mass.

Renal disease for dog explained if your dog has recently been diagnosed with renal kidney disease you will be anxious to know what steps you can take to minimise your dog s suffering. Feeding less protein will keep the kidneys from working so hard. The food your dog eats plays an important role in his overall health and well being. Providing an appropriate diet designed specifically for renal disease sufferers is arguably the simplest way for you as an owner to positively impact on your dog s quality of life.

If your dog is diagnosed with kidney or renal disease modifying his food can help manage the disease by reducing the amounts of protein phosphorus and salt in this food. There are dog food brands on store shelves that are formulated for dogs with kidney disease and dog brands that are available by prescription so you don t have to set up a corner of your kitchen for food prep where you ll be making special doggie meals. You can do that of course but you and your veterinarian may decide that you don t need to. A proper dog kidney disease diet is the most effective treatment for dogs with kidney failure.

Restricting protein is key to feeding an older dog with kidney disease. How nutrition can help in treatment. As kidney disease progresses you might be able to combine the lower phosphorus commercial foods listed below with a prescription kidney diet to improve the overall quality of the diet. Look for diets that have a high quality protein source such as chicken.