My dog has kidney disease and is weak. What safe protein can she eat?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry about your little girl. Any food is better than no food, so if you can get any food into her, keep going. Low protein diets are best, so see if you can increase the rice portion, and also try to get some fibre (pumpkin/squash) into her. You can talk to your vet about prescription diets, as these are often designed to be yummy, so trial that out. Best of luck with your little girl, I hope she feels better soon!

Plain boiled chicken with no fat and no seasonings is safe to add to her diet to encourage her appetite. You can also use very lean ground beef with no salt or seasonings that is drained of grease and fat.

I would be concerned that his diet is lacking in the micro nutrients, minerals and fatty acids. Lean meat, veggies and rice do not contain significant amounts of calcium, fatty acids...etc. This could contribute to his low weight. Dogs who have kidney disease will also commonly lose body condition as well. I would recommend to reach out to a veterinary nutritionist who can formulate a complete and balanced diet for Bingo that will meet his body calorie needs as well as address the vitamins/mineral/other nutrients. The diet will also address his pancreatitis and kidney disease. The kidney disease needs to be controlled by having low Phosphorus and low protein so this can be tricky. You veterinarian may have a recommendation for a nutritionist or you can look online. May nutritionist offer online consultations or phone consultations making the process easy. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. With a creatinine of 1.7, Chica is classified in early Stage 2 chronic kidney disease according to the International Renal Interest Society ( https://www.iris.com ). We really need more information to proceed with any treatment recommendations. Your veterinarian needs to obtain an SDMA value, a urine protein creatinine (UPC ) ratio & obtain a good blood pressure measurement. If the SDMA, UPC ratio are in the normal range & blood pressures are fine, then I would not recommend making changes to her diet. It would not hurt to start a kidney diet, like one made by Hill's, Royal Canin or Purina, but do not worry about fat levels ( unless Chica is obese ) & low protein ( especially if there is no protein in the urine ). We do not want to restrict protein too early in the disease because we do not want these patients to start losing weight from loss of protein. Once you have all the information, it will be much easier to follow Chica's condition & recommend dietary & other therapeutic remedies. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I hate to hear that Lily is having an issue eating her food. I would advise too try several renal diets. Royal Canin makes three different formulas. Purina and Science diet also make their own version. The best medicine would be for her to eat only a renal diet but sometimes pets have other ideas. If you cannot find a food that she likes and will readily eat, try mixing in about 25% of the renal diet in with 75% of her normal kibble. Every few days gradually increase the renal food. Even if she never goes on the renal diet fully, it's still better than not eating it at all. Try the canned renal diets as well (once again, all the brands carry this formula). If you want to try making her food at home, you will need to work with a veterinary nutritionist. Renal diets need carefully controlled protein, phosphorus and potassium levels. You can go online and find several who offer both phone and online consultations. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Chico. Chicken broth is typically a very low protein source. I think it's a good idea to add this to try to entice Chico's appetite. Serving the food warmed up may help bring out the aroma and flavor also. There is a new kidney supplement for dogs in kidney failure but I can't think of the name of it. It starts with Nef..... I believe. Might be worth asking your veterinarian about. Good luck with Chico. Another thing you can try is a different carbohydrate such as pasta to entice Chico.

HE should be on a low protein diet, preferably a prescription diet for kidneys (such as Renal from Royal Canine). you won't find an over the counter food that is suitable for this condition. homemade diet is also an option, you can find some ideas here: http://eatswritesshoots.com/2014/06/16/recipe-for-low-phosphorus-dog-food-caring-for-a-dog-with-chronic-renal-failure/