My cat has kidney disease and high phosphorus. Can aluminum hydroxide help?

Hello. Yes, there are studies done to indicate that phosphorous binders added to non-renal diets will be effective. Many cats will not touch the kidney diets, so adding the binders is the next best way to go. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A phosphorus binder is used when the phosphorus is high not when just the creatinine is elevated. I would have your Vet get a urine sample and a blood pressure. This will help stage Ike's renal disease. Prescription renal diets are highly recommend to slow progression of disease. Blood pressure medications should be used if high. I wish you the best!

In general, foods low in sodium and phosphorus are good choices for patients with kidney disease. The best fatty acid supplement you can provide in my opinion to your kitty is this: https://www.chewy.com/nutramax-welactin-feline-omega-3-cat/dp/101463?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Nutramax&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KEQjwv_fKBRCG8a3ao-OQuZ8BEiQAvpHp6BoPUzdXnGydlce04vEekIBtBBc1AgMnoFoND3oiRtgaAupp8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds It is easy to dose and generally considered palatable by most cats. I think it is a perfectly fine idea to use them in your kitty.

There are many options, the one change which is proven to extend life expectancy and quality is to convert to a specialist kidney diet, preferably wet kidney food. These are enriched with antioxidants and b vitamins, contain highly digestible protein to reduce the amount of work the kidneys need to do and are high in antiinflammatory omega fatty acids. A kidney tonic such as pronefra can also help. Regular blood and urine testing to track progress is important as additional measures to treat high phosphorous, urine protein loss and high blood pressure may need to be added over time

Are IV fluids able to be performed? If they are I would recommend doing that over subcutaneous fluids. I would also talk to your veterinarian about starting an antacid with Mimi. When cats are in kidney failure they have a build up of acid in their stomach which make them not want to eat. Otherwise when cats are in kidney failure an aggressive treatment for at least 3 days and it is not helping, they typically at that point don't see any reversal in the kidney failure.

I'm sorry to hear about your dogs diagnosis! Phosphorus is something we try to avoid with renal failure because the kidneys have lost the ability to excrete it properly. Because milk is high in phosphorus I would avoid giving it. A prescription renal diet like you are using is the best food to avoid giving too much phosphorus. If your dog's phosphorus levels are already high you can ask your veterinarian about giving medications like aluminum hydroxide. As far as additional things you can do at home for your dog, subcutaneous fluids may be worthwhile. Your veterinarian can teach you how to administer these fluids. Medications like Azodyl may also be helpful. As an integrative veterinarian I also manage my patients with kidney disease with acupuncture and herbal medicine. It may be worth looking into integrative veterinarians in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to you and your dog!

It sounds like you and you vet have a good plan for your kitty. Depending on any symptoms other than weight loss and his most recent blood work, adding on a phosphate binder and antacid may help. The antacid would be helpful if his appetite is low. If he has high blood pressure, then medications for that may be needed, especially if your vet suspects it could be leading to protein loss in the urine (a cause for weight loss in cats with CKD).