By Corinne Wigfall BVM(Hons) BVS(Hons) MRCVS 

One of the most successful treatments for kidney disease in dogs is not medicine or tablets, but the power of targeted nutrition. A diet created specifically for the body's needs to cope with kidney disease can lengthen the amount of time our beloved friends are with us by up to thirteen months. Unfortunately, kidney disease is often progressive, getting worse with time, so the sooner a kidney-focused diet is started, the better, and there is plenty of evidence to support this theory. 

What is kidney disease?

The kidneys are the waste filter for the body. Blood flows through the kidneys, toxic compounds are removed from the blood into the urine, and useful products such as salts and sugars are reabsorbed to be reused. The kidneys are highly efficient and work round the clock to keep your dog's body healthy. When the kidneys are injured or diseased, the filtration system becomes gradually less effective, meaning the body has less ability to reabsorb essential nutrients, becoming deficient, and conversely, less able to get rid of toxins. The toxic waste products build up in the bloodstream, making your dog nauseous.

What are the signs of kidney disease in dogs?

Depending on how early the kidney disease is detected, you may notice:

• Weight loss
• Increased thirst, or having to fill up your dog's water bowl more frequently
• Urinating more often or needing to go out at night to urinate
• Having a smelly mouth or breath
• Sleeping more or having less energy
• Pale pink gums
• In severe cases, vomiting can be seen.

How is kidney disease diagnosed?

Your veterinarian will give your dog a complete health check, followed by collecting blood and urine samples to diagnose the kidney disease. Further tests such as an ultrasound exam or blood pressure readings help narrow down the exact reason the kidneys are failing, making treatment for your dog's kidney disease more specific.

What causes kidney disease in dogs?

Approximately 10% of the canine population will be diagnosed with kidney disease during their lifetime. Kidney disease can be acute, for example, if a dog has eaten a toxin such as grapes, or chronic. Chronic kidney disease is the most commonly diagnosed kidney disease and can be caused by infection, inflammation, genetic malformations, some types of cancers, trauma and the most common, idiopathic, or unknown causes.

How long do dogs live with kidney disease?

Depending on when the kidney disease is detected, dogs can live anywhere from a few weeks, up to a maximum of three years with treatment. Early detection of the condition, feeding the right diet type and regular monitoring by your veterinarian can help prolong your dog's life after a diagnosis of kidney disease.

Most veterinarians recommend a yearly blood test to pick up early signs of kidney and liver disease in dogs from around seven years of age. This allows treatment to start straight away, and is often just switching up your dog's diet to support their nutritional needs a little better. If you are anxious about the risks of kidney disease, you can ask your vet at any point in time to run a blood test to check your dog's kidneys are healthy.

Treatment for kidney disease

Feeding your dog a diet that will help support kidney function is essential to treat kidney disease. Studies have shown that dogs fed a diet to promote kidney health live on average 13 months longer than dogs who do not have nutritional support for their kidney disease.

Dogs naturally prefer wet food as they find it more flavoursome, and easier to eat and digest. Dogs with kidney disease can suffer from painful ulcers in the mouth (relating to a build-up of unfiltered toxins in the blood), so wet food is much easier for dogs to chew and swallow.

Wet foods are also more inviting for dogs to eat, as the smell of wet food is enhanced compared to dry food. Dogs like to use their senses when eating, so to appeal to taste, sight and smell ticks lots of boxes for them.

Sometimes, as a pet parent, it can be difficult to know what type of food is best for your dog, particularly when they have a medical condition. The answer lies in the ingredient list, which can be found on the back of the packet. If you cannot find an ingredient list and feeding recommendation on the packet or tin, it is not recommended to purchase this product.

So, what components should you look for in wet food?

Water content

Water is added to wet food to make it, yep you guessed it, wet! The added water is a huge benefit to dogs with kidney disease. Often, when kidneys are damaged, their ability to recycle water is reduced, and as such a lot of extra water that is usually reused within the body is eliminated in urine. This is why one of the symptoms of kidney disease is increased urination.

Unfortunately, this lack of water reabsorption can lead to dehydration, which if left untreated can make dogs unwell. By supplementing fresh wet food daily, we naturally increase the amount of water your dog consumes, which helps treat any mild dehydration your dog may be feeling. Wet food can increase a dog's water consumption by up to 50%, so if trying to increase your dog's water intake, wet food is the easiest way to achieve this goal.

Phosphorus

Dogs with high levels of phosphorus in the bloodstream will feel unwell, which decreases their overall quality of life. By feeding a low phosphorus diet, or adding phosphate binders, we can help dogs with chronic kidney disease feel less nauseous and unwell. Not all dogs will eat a phosphate binder (powders or tablets added to the food), so finding food with low amounts of phosphorus can help avoid the need for added phosphate binders.

Sodium

Sodium, or salt levels in your dog's diet should be kept low. Sodium can increase blood pressure, which is clinically proven to worsen kidney disease. Avoid feeding any extra treats to your dog, as they often contain sodium as part of the flavouring.

Potassium

Dogs with kidney disease have low potassium levels, as the kidneys do not reabsorb as much potassium as the body needs.  Extra supplementation is given to keep potassium levels normal.

Your vet will check your dog's blood potassium sodium and phosphorus levels using blood tests and can alter their nutritional plan based on the bloodwork. 

Vitamins

Some vitamins are particularly good at helping support kidney health. These include B vitamins and vitamins A and E known as antioxidants. Antioxidants can help reduce further kidney damage, keeping them healthier for longer. By feeding a diet rich in vitamins, you can avoid having to add extra supplements which they may not like the taste of.

Protein

A high-quality protein source is needed for dogs with kidney disease. Whilst their overall protein needs are lower than dogs without kidney disease, they still require protein to help fuel and repair their bodies.

Look for a diet that has between 14 and 20% protein concentrations. Protein is broken down in the body, and a by-product is phosphorus, which as mentioned earlier is linked to poorer long-term survival times in dogs with chronic kidney disease. Therefore by feeding a lower protein diet, we can reduce the risk of waste products like phosphorus building up in the bloodstream.

Fat

As kidney diets are lower in protein than regular diets, the extra calories or energy needed to fuel your dog's day comes from the fat component of the diet. Too much fat can lead to health problems, especially in healthy dogs, but for dogs with kidney disease, you need to look for a diet with around 15-20% fat. Omega oils, a healthy type of fat, can help reduce inflammation from kidney disease. Look for a diet with at least 1% omega oils to harness their valuable anti-inflammatory properties.

Tips from the experts

Make sure your dog has access to fresh clean water at all times. Have multiple water bowls and top them up regularly. Some dogs prefer to drink from a water fountain or shallow dishes so experimenting with what your dog likes best can help keep their hydration levels up.

Whilst feeding a home-prepared diet can seem like the best way to get all the elements listed above, it's easy to create nutritional imbalances. For this reason, we recommend feeding a commercially available diet or talking to a veterinary nutritionist for a specifically formulated list of ingredients to keep your dog healthy.

Summary

Dogs with kidney disease need lots of support to live to their full potential. Diet is scientifically proven to be the best way to support your dog’s health. Wet food has the bonus of increasing your dog's water intake, another key treatment for kidney disease. Good nutrition in combination with regular health check-ups from your veterinarian can help your dog live a good quality of life whilst having an ongoing medical condition.