What do you feed cats with kidney disease?

Hello,

I've seen the document listing low carb foods at 200 or less phosphorus, but the foods I've checked on the list seem quite expensive. I fed Mr. Big Eyes Hi Tor Neo for about a week before the vet insisted on switching him back to K/D. I switched him back to Hi Tor Neo yesterday since it is low carb and he seems to like it (at least so far.)

I have to order it from Amazon or Chewy's and before ordering more, I wondered if others are using food for CKD diabetic cats that cost less than $28 for 24 5.5 oz cans. (This whole adventure is getting very expensive.)

BTW, I chose Hi Tor Neo from Tanya's CKD website http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm

Thanks!

Kathy & Mr. Big Eyes

 

Bff is low carb and low phosphorus...

The food chart is really your best resource.

 

Djamila had this list, made by another member: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/112NvvzgxEBOtkb42rA0XR8GeShw9xXs9kccf9-olK7I/pubhtml
You can also try Dr. Lisa Pierson's Sortable Food Chart

 

Hi, I've had 2 CKD kitties and the most important thing is that they eat. Mine weren't complicated by diabetes though so hugs as I know that is going to make it so much harder. I fed my CKD kitty the Royal Canin Renal and she did really well on it - don't know how it compares to the K/D in terms of carbs but I think RC is generally a higher quality food. When she didn't want to eat (and she lost her appetite a lot) the best thing was high quality beef like Porterhouse (I think it may be called New York Sirloin in the states?) I found that if I force fed her a bit then she would eat a bit more. Raw chicken breast too - and they would be OK for a diabetic kitty I think too. Yes, it cost me a fortune but she lived for almost 5 years from her initial diagnosis. Have you been given any meds? Mine was on Fortekor from our original vet - the vet I switched to half way through her illness wasn't convinced it did anything but we left her on it just in case.

 

Hi i feed sheba pate. Its low carb and still within range on dr piersons new food charts. Its an affordable food that meets both diabetic and ckd requirements. It is close to 1% for phosphorus so likely not a good choice for ckd kitties in later stages however.

 

I'm so glad your kitty lived nearly 5 years from the initial diagnosis. You took very good care! I agree that RC is better food. It's higher in carbs than suggested for diabetic kitties, but much less that K/D. The vet didn't suggest meds for the CKD because he was at very early stage when diagnosed two years ago. I've given him herbal drops for the CKD--Kidney Support Gold--and was feeding a low phosphorus dry non-prescription food which was unfortunately high in carbs. I'm learning a lot now about how I should have been feeding my cats all along.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I ordered some Drs. Smith and Foster today that is less expensive than what I've been feeding and only 204 mg. of phosphorus on the chart. Reviews said cats like it, so I hope he will, too.

I think Mr. Big Eyes is in stage 2 for CKD, so it would probably be fine to feed some Sheba pate, too, and is something I can purchase locally.

 

Kathy, you should add the CKD to your Signature information when you have a moment

 

Thanks! I just did that. I appreciate all the help getting started using this board

 

Hi Kathy
Have you thought of feeding a home prepared diet for Mr Big Eyes?
Sheba was a diabetic cat who had early CRD and I put her on a home prepared diet and her kidney numbers stayed stable for about 2 1/2 years...she died of an unrelated disease.
Here is a link to how I prepared the food and also a discussion on the topic. I found it cheaper to feed a home prepared diet than buy canned food. I used raw and cooked meat, only because Sheba didn't seem to be able to handle raw chicken, but raw chicken is fine to give to cats. One of the most important things to do is to make sure they get plenty of fluids so if you can add some water to their food that is good. Dry food is bad for CRD cats....well all cats really!
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/home-prepared-diet-of-crd-cats.150441/

 

I hadn't thought of making food myself, but have bookmarked the page to study and think about. Thanks!

 

@Kathy and Mr. B.E. Rosa had both diabetes and CKD, although her diabetes was in remission just before her CKD was diagnosed. In the early stages at least, I would stick with diabetic-friendly food as others have suggested, although keeping the phosphorus level down is beneficial (assuming of course that Mr Big Eyes' phosphorus level is trending a little high - some cats, especially in the early stages never have a raised phosphorus level). If you find that he doesn't like the lower phosphorus foods, there is always the option of feeding what he does like and adding a phosphorus binder to his food. There can be benefits to the kidney prescription foods in the late stages, or if a cat is very proteinuric, but even then the pros and cons of the different food options for the two different conditions do need to be weighed carefully as unregulated diabetes can make the CKD progress faster.

 

Thanks, that is all very helpful information! I didn't realize unregulated diabetes could make the CKD progress faster, so I believe I was right to switch from the vet-recommended K/D (high in carbs) to Hi Tor Neo, a 4% carb food intended for CKD, although a bit higher in phosphorus than K/D. The vet only sells and recommends Hills foods, so I think is prejudiced against anything else and still believes early stage CKD should have low protein.

I also started feeding Drs Foster & Smith adult chicken yesterday which is 8% carb and moderately low phosphorus at 204 mg phosphorus/100 kcal. I'm also going to try some Young Again zero carb dry to leave out when I'm gone which is low in phosophorus, too.

 

Hi Tor Neo is actually one of very few that fall within the same range as a prescription kidney diet but without the higher carbs. The phosphorus is a little higher than K/D, but definitely within the target range for CKD cats. It's a good choice provided Mr Big Eyes will eat it (our cats hated it). I think you're doing the right thing keeping his carb content down - the prescription kidney diets are just awful for diabetic control. Again, the Foster & Smith chicken was one I tried because the phosphorus is nice and low, but ours didn't like it...we have very picky cats apparently. The Young Again Zero Mature is the best one for a CKD and diabetic cat and has incredibly low phosphorus - that one I think is about the same as the prescription kidney diets while still having minimal carbs.

 

I'm sorry your cats didn't like Hi Tor Neo or Drs Foster & Smith...Mr. Big Eyes never would touch canned food until a few months ago. I'm so fortunate he will eat it now and has loved every one I've tried-- especially since I've had to purchase the foods online and hold my breath ordering a case and hoping he'll eat it! Mr. B.E. isn't a finicky eater. He once weighed over 20 pounds because he liked to eat so well. I did restrict food for a couple years and he lost about 3 pounds dieting, but another 4 way too quickly from the diabetes recently.

 

We found other foods that were fairly low in phosphorus and I used a binder. And the Young Again was a real hit, especially with Rosa who had been denied all dry food for over a year because of her diabetes. They do lose weight very fast before diagnosis in a lot of cases. Rosa had been a little bit overweight for her structure at about 11 lb, but she dropped to 8 lb in a matter of a couple of weeks before she was first diagnosed.

 

I thought the cut off for phos was 250. I am feeding under 250 but over 200. One is 236 and one is 140. I was luck to fined both of these at my local Kroger (USA, Ohio)
I am feeding Sheba Perfect Portion Pate. It is 42 Protien/56 Fat/ 3 Carb/ 236 Phos/ and 42 calories per portion (it comes in a break apart pact with 2 small portions.
I also use I and Love and You Wholly Cow 34 Protien/63 Fat/3 carb/140 phos 95 calories in the 3 ounce can

 

It is 250 in the early stages, but needs to reduce as the CKD progresses according to Dr. Peterson http://www.animalendocrine.com/wp-c...thyroidism-Concurrent-Renal-Disease-Final.pdf

The ideal is to stay under 100 mg/100 kcal, but that is impossible without feeding a renal prescription diet. So, ultimately we do the best we can and add a phosphorus binder if necessary.

 

Thanks! I'll check for the I and Love and You Wholly Cow at my Dillons (Kroger). It sounds like a good option.

 

Hi, I've been reading all the posts they have very interesting and important information, does anyone knows at what point should one start giving a cat with CKD less protein? or is this a misunderstanding on my part (and my vet, not an expert on nutrition by the way) that high protein also affects CKD?

 

That, unfortunately, is still debatable depending on what vet you talk to. Some like to go low protein immediately on diagnosis. Some don't really recommend low protein at all. A reasonable compromise seems to be to not go low protein in the early stages because reducing the protein increases the risk of muscle wasting in our obligate carnivore kitties. But in the late stages (late Stage 3/Stage 4) there may be some benefit to reducing protein. The other situation where low protein may be recommended is if a cat is proteinuric. However, although the prescription food companies will often tell you otherwise, the CKD support groups all recommend that for a diabetic cat with CKD, it is most important to control the diabetes because unregulated diabetes will also worsen the kidney issues.

 

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