14yo cat with the VERY BEGINNINGS of kidney problems -- want to stop it in its tracks

[JoZ]

Routine check-up for my 14yo kitty Terigo yesterday. At least routine from the perspective of his internal/digestive systems – he does have a sneezing problem which luckily is not serious.

Did a blood panel due to his age, and vet sees the start of kidney issues, though the numbers are still in the normal range. Perfect, that’s when I like to know about things and start working on them! From what I’ve read, low protein used to be recommended but many kitties suffering with kidney issues will not eat it. Current thought seems to be that keeping healthy consumption and healthy weight is more important. Not to downplay the need for fluids, low phosphorus and all that – the articles just seemed to stress that a cat refusing to eat a low protein food is a pretty awful way to “treat” the problem.

Here’s the deal with my boy though: he’s chubby and he loves food. The message I got from my vet (I haven’t talked to her in person yet) recommended the low-protein diet. Rather than be disappointed that she is “old school” in her thinking, I wonder if it is because losing a pound or two wouldn’t hurt Mr. Terigo! He is 13.2 lbs, body score of 7/9. He is an excellent drinker, has always loved his water bowl.

I plan to talk to my vet and also make the switch from dry food to wet. I’ve known about the advantages of canned food but since both my kitties are avid drinkers, I put it off. I guess now is the time. I’m interested to hear about changes you’ve made for kitties just beginning to show the signs of kidney issues, and what you’re feeding. Canned, palatable, relatively low protein and phosphorus, and doesn’t break the bank: is that too much to ask?

[wendy]

Info: http://www.felinecrf.org/which_foods.htm
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/knowledgebase/knowledgebasedetail.aspx?articleid=42

in general, it’s really not a good idea to feed low-protein in the early stages of the disease, or possibly at any point in the disease. You want to feed low-phosphorus, high-quality protein diets. In dogs, reducing protein actually reduces the lifespan of the dog in kidney failure vs. keeping protein high and reducing phosphorus instead; not sure if anyone has studied that in cats.

And yes, just getting him off the dry food- thus increasing his water intake- and stripping some weight off him might fix the problem. Dry foods are thought to be a major contributing factor in the development of kidney disease in cats. I know someone who gives her cat a slurry of canned food diluted with chicken broth and clam juice to increase his liquids, and the cat’s kidney disease hasn’t really progressed for years.

A lot of people have successfully managed kidney disease with special low-phosphorus raw diets.

[BuddyRoo]

Work with your vet who actually has the lab work in front of him/her.

There are a number of foods that are well tolerated and good to help manage such conditions. There are a lot of varying opinions on which foods are good, aren’t, yada yada. Bottom line though is that the blood work will speak for itself.

[Windsor1]

[QUOTE=wendy;7134873]
And yes, just getting him off the dry food- thus increasing his water intake- and stripping some weight off him might fix the problem. Dry foods are thought to be a major contributing factor in the development of kidney disease in cats.[/QUOTE]

My cat was diagnosed with mild-to-moderate CRF about a year ago. He passed away in June but not from the CRF. Curiously enough, when I took him to the vet a week before he died, his kidney numbers had improved, despite my failure to give him his fluids as often as the vet prescribed. What I HAD done (and I don’t recall my vet advising me to do this, I just did it on my own), was take him off dry food. I think maybe that’s what made the difference. I also added a water bowl upstairs so that my cat had more ready access to water and didn’t have to go downstairs to drink.

For what it’s worth.

[SquishTheBunny]

I would also get a repeat blood sample in 4 weeks to ensure the results are true of an upward trend. Creatine especially can increase if the pet is mildly dehydrated. I have a dog who has increased creatine if we switch her food to something high in protein - doesn’t necessarily mean her kidneys aren’t doing the job, as the creatine returns to normal ranges when on a more moderate protein diet. A USG will also tell you a lot about how the kidneys are functioning.

Tin food is ideal, low phos and ash. And fresh water at all times. Other than that, with renal values that are still in normal ranges I wouldn’t do much else. Other than bi-yearly testing.

[wendy]

a good point about a repeat test- if his bloodwork was actually in the normal range, he might indeed be “normal”. Higher-protein diets, especially if the animal was fed shortly before the blood was taken, will shift the BUN and creatinine levels up, but not because the kidneys aren’t working.

if you want to take weight off your cat, which I hope you really want to do since excess weight is very unhealthy, a low-protein diet is not the way to go. The best way to get fat off cats is to get rid of the unhealthy carbohydrates. Dry foods are full of carbohydrates.

[Liberty]

Good thing you caught this early on, if, in fact, a subsequent blood test turns up kidney values are heading into the bad zone. Most times, this isn’t caught until the cat shows the usual signs, and by then, I’ve read that 75% of kidney function has been lost.

DEFINITELY make the switch to canned food. I’m in the group that says do NOT go the low-protein route. As for low phosphorus, that’s a good thing, and there are phosphprus binders that can be added to canned food to help. Here’s some interesting info about different types of binders, dosages, etc.:
http://www.zzcat.com/CRF/supplies/binders.htm