How can nutrition support dogs with kidney disease ?
The kidneys play a vital role in your pets health by removing unwanted byproducts from the blood.
Old age or disease can cause kidney damage and although that can not be reversed proper nutritional managment can help slow the progression of the disease and help keep your dog active.
What the kidneys do
The main function of the kidneys is to clean the blood, removing unwanted byproducts. The kidneys take these byproducts and add them to water to produce urine.
The kidneys also manage water levels in the body. If there is too much water in the body they add more to the urine, too little water and they add less, giving a more concentrated urine.
The kidneys also manage the amounts of salts (such as sodium and potassium) in the body by moving smaller or larger amounts into the urine.
What causes kidney disease
Generally kidney disease progresses slowly, as the body has far more kidney tissue than it needs. This means it can take some time before the signs of disease become obvious and often the original cause of the problem has long gone before the problem is noticed.
Kidney disease in cats and dogs can develop for many reasons.
Age related wear and tear is one of the more common causes of kidney disease but other specific health problems can cause kidney disease in younger pets.
As well as old age kidney disease can be caused by
- Infections
- Toxins (like certain plants, antifreeze, or human medications)
- Reduced blood flow to the kidneys from dehydration or heart issues.
Sometimes it may result from underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, dental disease, or certain genetic disorders.
Over time, these factors can damage kidney tissue, making it harder for the kidneys to filter waste and keep the body in balance.
Signs of kidney disease
Common signs of kidney disease in cats and dogs can be subtle at first but often include increased thirst and urination, weight loss, decreased appetite, and lethargy. You may also notice vomiting, bad breath with a chemical odour, or a dull, unkempt coat. In more advanced stages, pets might show weakness, dehydration, or even mouth ulcers. Because these symptoms are not necessarily a sign of kidney disease and can be caused by other illnesses too, any changes in your pet’s drinking habits, energy, or appetite should be checked by a veterinarian promptly.
How can nutrition help with kidney disease
Kidney disease can’t usually be cured but proper treatment can slow progression of the disease and improve the quality of life
Treatments include
- Special diets
- Medications to control blood pressure, balance electrolytes, or treat underlying causes.
- Fluid therapy (either at the vet clinic or at home under the skin) to prevent dehydration.
- Regular monitoring through blood tests and urinalysis to adjust care as needed.
There are a number of ways in which nutrtion can help
Protein restrictionadd
Protein restrictionaddReduced protein levels but high quality protein.
The quality and quantity of protein is key for cats and dogs with kidney disease. Kidneys remove waste products from digested protein so by reducing the amount of protein eaten the kidneys have less work to do.
It is also important to minimise the level of undigested protein in the gut as these lead to the production of harmful uremic toxins which cause further kidney damage.
This means that the protein they get must be of very high quality and highly digestible.
They will be getting less protein but still need the amino acids found in protein - so the protein they get must contain the right balance of amino acids and be highly digestible so they can get at those amino acids
Hydrolysed proteins are a good option. Hydrolysed proteins have been broken down into smaller pieces using a process called hydrolysis. Think of it like pre-digested into smaller blocks of amino acids.
By using these high quality proteins your pet will get more of the essential amino acids in proteins to help maintain muscle mass, especially in cats.
EPA & DHA Omega 3add
EPA & DHA Omega 3addOmega-3 from fish
High levels of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are known to support to kidney health and studies show that cats fed diets rich in EPA and DHA live longer.
These fatty acids help by reducing inflammation & oxidative stress, lowering blood pressure and proteinuria, slowing kidney damage and fibrosis and supporting gut health and immunity.
The source of the omega-3 is important. It is the EPA and DHA form of omega-3, found in fish, that helps rather than the ALA form of omega-3 from plant sources
Phosphorus & sodium add
Phosphorus & sodium addReducing phosphorus & sodium
Patients with kidney disease are less able to excrete phosphorus and then too much phosphorus causes further kidney damage. Kidney diets will have restricted phosphorous content
Cats and dogs with kidney disease can’t regulate salt and fluid balance as well as they should so kidney diets need to have carefully reduced sodium levels that still provide enough for normal body function, but not so much that it stresses the kidneys or cardiovascular system.
By using these high quality proteins your pet will get more of the essential amino acids in proteins to help maintain muscle mass, especially in cats.
Microbiome support
The Gut Kidney Axis
It is becoming clear that there is a connection between gut health and kidney disease the “gut-kidney axis.”
Kidney disease can cause changes to the gut microbiota – dysbiosis - with reduced levels of good bacteria and increased the level of bad bacteria.
This then leads to the gut producing uremic toxins that cause further damage to the kidneys that in turn causes causing further disruption of the microbiota.
"Leaky Gut"
In a healthy dog or cat, the cells that form the lining of the gut are closely connected by means of ‘tight junctions’ that allow water and nutrients to pass through, while blocking harmful substances.
However gut dysbiosis can lead to inflammation that can damage these tight junctions making the gut barrier permeable – so called “leaky gut”. When this happens bacteria, allergens and toxins can pass into the bloodstream causing the development and progression of other diseases including kidney disease.
Nutritional support for a healthy microbiome
Both the levels and quality of protein is important to support the gut-kidney axis, especially as renal patients need to eat a reduced protein diet for life, at the same time as having a reduced ability to digest protein.
Highly digestible proteins can help to reduce the amount of undigested protein in the gut, helping reduce the production of uremic toxins.
High digestible proteins also ensure that they get the nutrients they need for general health, even with reduced level of protein.
Hydrolysed proteins can be an excellent protein source for renal diets. Hydrolysation cuts proteins into smaller peptides, making them ‘pre-digested’, which enables a more complete absorption leading to less undigested protein in the gut and maximum nutrient absorption.
Increased intake of prebiotics, including fibres and postbiotics can also help restore a balanced and healthy microbiome.
SPECIFIC revolutionary kidney support diets for canine friends
SPECIFIC’s NEW 6-in-1 formula was designed to be different. By introducing highly digestible hydrolysed proteins for optimal absorption, fermentable fibres and AuraGuard for gut barrier integrity, it helps to protect kidney function by supporting the gut-kidney axis, strengthening the gut microbiome and supporting muscle mass.
It’s the daily dose of vitality they deserve.
Controlled levels of protein, phosphorus and sodium
Uniquely high levels of the Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA from fish oil and krill
Hydrolysed protein diets - highly digestible and hypoallergenic (CKD-HY, CKW-HY)
AuraGuard - Natural polyphenols – supports gut barrier integrity
Beneficial fibres – beet pulp and fructo-oligo-saccharides - supports a healthy microbiome and decrease the risk of dysbiosis
Zeolite – can bind ammonium in the gut, helping reduce urea build up
In patients with kidney disease, uremic toxins accumulate in the blood because of decreased excretion in the kidneys and play a key role in the progression of kidney disease.
Nutritional management helps to decrease these levels through reduced protein levels and highly digestible protein, use of pre-, pro- or postbiotics, and enrichment with antioxidants.
There are also adsorbents that can bind uremic toxins and precursors in the gut that can be helpful.
Porus One from Dechra is an adsorber composed of Renaltec, a new compound with micropores that binds to uremic toxin precursors and prevents them from being absorbed into the blood.
Also, lanthanum carbonate (Catney One from Dechra for cats) used as a phosphate binder indirectly can help reduce uremic toxin levels while minimising the risk of hypercalcaemia.
The new SPECIFIC Kidney Support diets can safely be combined with both Catney One and Porus One for a triple effect to support renal function in cats with CKD.
The kidneys play a vital role in your pets health