Cat has kidney disease. Will high sodium food raise blood pressure?

There is no medication that specifically treats chronic kidney disease. Changing to a therapeutic diet and increasing water consumption can help, and treatment is focused mainly on alleviating clinical signs like nausea or decreased appetite. High blood pressure can occur secondary to kidney disease and if Percy had high blood pressure then a medication might be prescribed. Urinary tract infections are also pretty common in cats with kidney disease so your vet may want to check Percy’s urine periodically.

The challenge with chronic kidney disease is that it's often necessary to limit protein intake, but they can be a bit nauseous if their kidney values (BUN and creatinine) are high. Some cats also require supplements of potassium to help keep their electrolytes under control. I don't know specifically what you have available in Brazil with respect to prescription diets, but I usually prescribe either Hill's Science Diet k/d, Purina NF, or Royal Canin renal support. I would start by asking your vet if you could try one of those diets for Sophia - possibly mixed with the A/D to help make it more palatable to her. Ultimately, when it comes to managing cats with kidney disease, it's more important to get them to eat something - anything - over nothing. If you try all of the renal diets and Sophia rejects them all, I would next try any other canned commercial cat food. If she also rejects those, you'll just have to give in and go with the higher protein fish option, such as cooked fresh tuna or salmon. It's not ideal, but what in life is? I hope that everything goes well for Sophia!

Unfortunately all prescription diets for kidney failure in cats are more or less priced the same, removing her from a prescription diet can potentially accelerate the disease. the alternative is home made recipes such as these ones: https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/2-homemade-recipes-for-cats-suffering-from-kidney-disorders.html

Wow, 23 is very old. You must take very good care of him. I am sorry to hear about his diagnosis. Renal disease as you probably already know is a chronic condition. Dietary change can be a major factor in extending the length and quality of cat's live who have it. However, in a 23 year old cat I would usually recommend just feeding whatever makes him happy. Nutritional intake in general is very important right now, so having to fight with him to get him to eat will end up being quite stressful and maybe counterproductive. If you are dedicated to a kidney friendly diet and the commercial stuff isn't working, you can certainly start thinking about home made diets. This is a link to a website that will guide you into making diets that are good for patients with kidney disease. I believe it is free for the first 14 days. Most of the diets they suggest do require supplementation with certain vitamins and minerals, however, and without them other problems may arise. Hope this helps and best of luck with PJ.

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.

There is a lot of misconception when it comes to pet food. Grains are not bad for pets as long as they are the right kind, high-quality and easy to digest. They provide many essential amino acids that are not found in animal products. Royal Canin and Science Diet are both high quality brands with lots of research, data and good quality control. Switching to the recommended diet is the best thing you can do for Mercy. The diet contains controlled protein, controlled phosphorus, controlled potassium and additional omega three fatty acid supplements as well as antioxidants. You can certainly supplement her as it is not likely to hurt but the main control for kidney disease will be found with the protein and phosphorus. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

From what the blood results are showing your cat is not having any important renal issue at this stage. Hyperthyroidism is well controlled as well. It will be good anyway to keep monitoring renal parameters (Urea and Crea) but adding also the so called SDMA which can indicate early stage renal failure (more sensitive than the other two). I think is a good idea to increase anyway the amount of wet food he is having, and if he likes sardines, of course that is a good option. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.