Tag Archives: diet

Cats, Diseases of cats, Internal Diseases of Cats

Kidney disease diets

Switching to a kidney diet

Why should I feed my cat with kidney disease special food?

  • Specially formulated kidney diets are proven to improve the quality of life of cats with kidney disease. They also extend their life expectancy.
  • Cats on kidney diets end up in hospital on a drip much less often than those on regular foods.

What is so special about kidney diets?

  • Potassium is added to kidney diets because cats with kidney disease often have low levels of potassium. Low potassium blunts cats’ appetites and make them feel unwell.
  • Phosphorous builds up in the blood of cats with kidney disease. High phosphorous levels put them off their food and eventually weaken their bones. Cats in untreated advanced kidney failure develop “rubber jaw” –  the high phosphorous levels drain the calcium out of their jaw bones.
  • Cats’ systems become more acidic in kidney failure. Kidney diets help buffer the acidity and improve the cats’  well-being.

When should I start feeding my cat a special kidney diet?

We recommend starting a special kidney diet when your cat is in stage 2 kidney (also known as renal) disease. This means that the blood creatinine levels are over 140 and/or the urine concentrating ability, the urine specific gravity (USG) is less than 1.036.

Cats in stage 2 kidney disease usually still have good appetites and are more likely to accept a new food.

How do I convince my cat to eat the new food?

  • Switch to the new food gradually. Most cats need at least a week to make the transition and many take a month or so.
  • Only try one brand of food at a time. Offer one brand for at least a week before trying another.
  • Try mixing a little of the new food with the old and gradually increasing the proportion of new food.
  • Alternatively provide both foods side by side and let the cat get used to the new scent and taste without being forced to consume it.
  • Don’t be discouraged! Keep putting the new food out. If it is rejected take it away for the moment and put it down again at the next meal time.
  • Serve food on a flat food dish like a saucer rather than a bowl. Some cats reject a food if their whiskers rub the side of the food dish.
  • Serve food at room temperature or warmer.
  • Some cats prefer food from a newly opened container every time.
  • Other cats like their food stored in a plastic container rather than its original can.
  • Offer foods with different textures – minced, pate, chunks –  or different formulations – dry or moist. Many cats change their preferences when they develop kidney disease so don’t be afraid to offer something that they didn’t like before.
  • Add flavour enhancers like low sodium chicken broth, tuna juice, oregano, brewer’s yeast, or a small amount of favourite food.
  • Feed more moist food to increase fluid intake. Cats with kidney disease need to consume a lot more water per day than healthy cats.
  • Make sure water is always available. Place water dishes near your cat’s favourite resting places. Cats who like to lap from dripping taps or shower recesses often like water fountains like the Drinkwell water fountain. 
Cats, Diseases of cats, Internal Diseases of Cats, Today's News

Kidney failure in cats

Mittens getting the right balance

What do kidneys do?

 

The kidneys remove waste products from the blood stream, regulate fluid and electrolyte balance, maintain the acid-base balance of the body and remove toxins and drugs. They also help maintain blood pressure and stimulate blood cell production.

What happens when my cat’s kidneys fail?

Signs of kidney failure don’t appear until at least 70% of kidney function is lost. Chronic kidney failure is known as renal failure.

Kidney damage accumulates for years before we see any signs. Even then the early signs of kidney failure – increased thirst and urine production – are not easily recognised in our feline friends.

You may notice an increasingly wet litter tray if your cat is only indoors. However if you have other cats you may not pick up increased urine production in a single cat.

Cats often drink from multiple water sources making it difficult to recognise increased consumption.

Other signs of kidney failure such as weight loss and poor coat quality are often put down to normal ageing.

Often the first thing we see is a cat off her food, vomiting, depressed and dehydrated. The kidneys are already badly affected by this stage.

How do we diagnose kidney failure?

We diagnose and stage kidney failure with blood tests for the two waste products, urea and creatinine and a urine analysis to measure the kidneys ability to concentrate urine. We also  check the urine for protein loss or a urinary tract infection.

Tests for other substances like potassium, phosphorus and calcium as well as blood cell counts help us decide on the best course of treatment.

Could it have been diagnosed earlier?

Because signs of kidney failure and rises in blood urea and creatinine are not evident until significant loss of kidney function has occurred early diagnosis is difficult. However, we strongly recommend at least annual blood and urine tests, as well as regular body weight checks. If urine concentrating ability is deteriorating or the creatinine is trending up we are able to slow down the progression of the disease with a special kidney protective diet. Any weight loss in a cat should be fully investigated.

What treatments are available?

After initial hospitalisation to treat dehydration and electrolyte disturbances, most cats are managed with a diet change and one or two other medications.

  • Low protein and phosphorus diets lower the level of waste products in the bloodstream.  Try a few of the ready made kidney diets like Royal Canin renal or Hills k/d to find one your cat likes. Once your cat accepts the diet it must be her sole source of nutrition. Although if renal failure is advanced and your cat’s appetite is poor, any diet that the cat enjoys is acceptable.
  • If blood phosphorus levels remain above normal after a few weeks on the special diet we add phosphate binders like Ipakitine to the food. Reducing blood phosphorus makes your cat feel better and slows progression of the disease.
  • Urinary tract infections are common in kidney failure and are treated with antibiotics.
  • Cats with renal failure lose potassium in the urine leading to muscle weakness, stiffness, a poor coat and exacerbation of the kidney failure. The special kidney diets contain extra potassium but sometimes we have to add more.
  • Severely affected cats need extra fluids. We can teach you to administer      subcutaneous fluids at home to reduce dehydration in advanced cases.

FRESH WATER MUST BE AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES

How long can I expect my cat to live?

Unfortunately aged kidneys do not recover. However, we can slow the progress of the disease and improve your cat’s well being with treatment and regular checkups. We check  phosphorous and potassium levels to see if your cat requires supplements and check for urinary tract infections at least every 3 months. This should give your cat a good stretch of high quality, active life.

 

 

Diseases of dogs, Dogs, Internal diseases of Dogs

Inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic disease of the gut, or gastrointestinal tract. Most affected dogs have a history of recurrent or chronic vomiting and/or diarrhoea. They may lose weight but are otherwise normal. Most eat well or have an increased appetite, and appear normal.

Cause

Inflammatory cells invade the lining of the bowel causing thickening of the bowel. This interferes with digestion and absorption of nutrients and with normal movement of the bowel.

When the cells invade the stomach walls or upper small intestine vomiting develops. Infiltration of the small intestine causes watery diarrhoea and weight loss. Infiltration of the large intestine causes diarrhoea coated with mucus and fresh blood. The entire gastrointestinal tract is sometimes affected.

Something in the diet triggers the disease in some dogs. Bacterial proteins are involved in other cases. In most cases we cannot find any underlying cause.

Diagnosis

IBD is diagnosed by ruling out other diseases. Blood tests rule out liver or kidney disease, pancreatic insufficiency and diabetes. Faecal tests rule out parasites like whipworms or giardia.

X-rays or ultrasound rule out some tumours or cancers in the abdomen.

If these tests are all clear we trial special low allergy, low residue or high fibre diets, depending on the part of the bowel most involved.  If bacterial overgrowth is present we trial various antibiotics until we see improvement.

If there is no improvement we biopsy the bowel and a pathologist identifies the type of cells involved, assesses the severity of the inflammation and checks for cancer cells.

Treatment

If any diet has improved the condition we continue it.

Medication controls (not cures) the problem. We trial drugs like metronidazole, prednisolone and azathioprine until we find what suppresses the signs best. Most dogs stay on the appropriate drugs and diet for life.

Caring for your Dog, Diseases of dogs, Dogs, general

Doggy dementia

Dementia affects old dogs in the same way it affects some older people with declining brain function.

Signs of dementia:

  • Disorientation: staring into space, getting lost in the house or yard, getting stuck in corners or under furniture, standing at the wrong door to go out
  • Reduced interaction with human family members: not greeting owners or seeking attention, following people around the house or losing interest in household events
  • Loss of house-training: urinating or defecating in the house, not using the doggie door or not asking to go out to toilet
  • Erratic sleeping behaviour: waking, pacing or vocalizing at night, sleeping less at night and more during the day
  • Loss of learned behaviours
  • Slow and cautious gait

An aged dog exhibiting at least one of these signs more than once a week for at least a month has dementia.

Dogs showing any signs are often severely affected within 12-18 months.

Treatment

  • Diet:

Anti-oxidants delay and treat dementia. Antioxidants include Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Alpha-lipoic acid, L-carnitine and beta-carotene. Fruits and vegetables contain many of these.

Omega 3 fatty acids as found in fish oil or food supplements such as Nutricoat also help.

Hills b/d (brain diet) is a prescription diet that contains these nutrients.

  • Physical therapy:

Stimulate brain function and delay the onset of dementia with basic obedience training, scent discrimination tasks, safety-modified obstacle courses and hide and seek games.

Gentle walks or swimming delay loss of brain function as well as improve muscle function.

  • Environmental enrichment

Petting, brushing and massage stimulate the nerves and brains of old dogs. New toys, blinking lights, walks in new areas with new smells, and meeting new animals and people boost an old dog’s brain function and enjoyment of life.