Homemade Dog Food Recipe for Dogs with Kidney Disease

As a pet owner, the first thing that comes to mind whenever we come across the term senior dog is an aged or older dog. There are a lot of definitions for this term but the most descriptive is a dog that has lived almost 75% of his or her life expectancy should be called a senior¹. Now every dog of course is slightly different and there are many dogs that live much longer than others, but we can accept this as a general truth.

With age, different systems along with associated organ’s functionality start to reduce or we can say the optimum functionality falls. These conditions lead to different types of problems in senior dogs. In this blog, we will first take a look at kidney disease in senior dogs and then we will review a homemade dog food recipe suitable for dogs with kidney problems.

What Are Kidney Problems in Dogs

Kidney problems in dogs are typically categorized as acute or chronic. Chronic is the condition most related to senior dogs². Prevalence³ of chronic kidney disease in senior dogs is about 7%. The major cause of chronic kidney disease is aging which leads to poor efficiency of the kidney to perform its functions. The main function of kidneys is the filtration of blood (toxins, minerals, proteins) and the production of urine.

The most common signs of kidney failure are off-feed (loss of appetite), laziness, dehydration, frequent urination, vomiting, and diarrhea but all these signs can be confused with other problems. The appropriate method to diagnose the kidney problem is through testing. The urine test checks the specific gravity and viscosity, and the blood test checks the appropriate filtration of the kidneys. A blood test⁴ is the most effective one because it clearly indicates the improper filtration of kidneys which can be picked with high levels of blood urea nitrogen, and creatine. There is a rule of thumb to cure kidney disease, which is the stage of diagnosis. Earlier diagnosis leads to earlier recovery.

In the case of chronic renal problems in senior dogs, it cannot be cured but with proper management the dog can survive⁵ for a longer time without any further complications. Different treatment protocols are applied as per the cause of kidney disease like supportive therapy (fluid therapy), medication, and nutritional amendments. In this blog, we will focus on nutritional modification to treat or control kidney problems in senior dogs.

Homemade Dog Food Recipe for Senior Dogs with Kidney Disease

The key points⁶ to consider while feeding senior dogs having kidney problems is to check⁷ the protein, phosphorus, sodium, phosphorus and calcium ratio. To support the health of dogs antioxidants, vitamins, omega-3 and soluble fiber contents are increased⁷.

The recipe given in the lower section is made for a 30 kg senior Golden Retriever. You can add and subtract 35 grams for each kg of body weight for dogs having lower or higher body weight.

Recipe

Nutritional Profile: (% in 100 grams of dry matter)

Crude protein =           15.5%

Energy =                      430 Kcal

Calcium =                   0.70 gram

Phosphorus =              0.24 gram

Cooking Protocol

• Cook food on a stove in a steel pot.
• Cook rice and cornstarch with 360 ml or an equal amount of water (most of the water will be evaporated during cooking) for 10-12 minutes.
• Add chicken breast meat, eggshells and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
• Then add cabbage, and pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes.
• Turn off the stove while it is hot, add sunflower oil, and mix.
• After cooling store in the refrigerator until feeding.

Food Transitioning

• To help your dog adjust to a change in their food a gradual transition is recommended. For example on day 1 give 15% of the new food with 85% of the old food. Then 30:70 (day 2), 45:55 (day 3.4), 60:40 (day 5), 75:25 (day 6), 90:10 (day 7). After a week of use, the new food can be offered 100 %.

Recommendation

In addition to following a kidney-friendly diet, we advise asking your veterinarian to recommend a multivitamin and mineral supplements for your senior dog, specially formulated for kidney issues. Ensure they have no or less Ca, Phosphorus, and Na. You can use human-side tablets available for kidney issues for your dog but only with guidance from your veterinarian who knows your dog's specific health status.

References:

1. Kate E. Creevy, Jesse Grady, Susan E. Little, George E. Moore, Beth Groetzinger Strickler, Steve Thompson, Jinelle A. Webb; 2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines. J Am  Anim  Hosp  Assoc 1  November  2019;  55  (6):  267–290. doi: https://doi.org/10.5326/JAAHA-MS-6999
2. Polzin, J. (2011). Chronic kidney disease in small animals. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 41(1), 15-30.
3. O'neill, G., Elliott, J., Church, D. B., McGreevy, P. D., Thomson, P. C., & Brodbelt,
   821. C. (2013). Chronic kidney disease in dogs in UK veterinary practices: prevalence, risk factors, and survival. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 27(4), 814-821.
4. Dunaevich A, Chen H, Musseri D, Kuzi S, Mazaki-Tovi M, Aroch I, Segev G. Acute on chronic kidney disease in dogs: Etiology, clinical and clinicopathologic findings, prognostic markers, and survival. J Vet Intern Med. 2020 Nov;34(6):2507-2515. doi: 1111/jvim.
5. Jacob F, Polzin DJ, Osborne CA, et al. Clinical evaluation of dietary modification for treatment of spontaneous chronic renal failure in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002; 220(8): 1163– 1170.
6. Churchill, A. (2001). The influence of dietary protein, lipid, phosphorus and sodium on renal structure and function in geriatric dogs. University of Minnesota.
7. Polzin, D. J. (2013). Evidence‐based step‐wise approach to managing chronic kidney disease in dogs and Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care, 23(2), 205- 215.