? Avery Update - CKD Stage 2

Hi everyone,

Avery just had her results arrive from Aug 11 to check how her i-131 treatment worked. Her T4 is at 16 nmol/L. They also had the following notes to add:

"Avery's total T4 has come down nicely. There is stage 2 chronic kidney disease consistent with the pre-I131 treatment euthyroid values. Could we perform Avery's second recheck a little earlier than the year mark (maybe at 6-8 months post treatment), to ensure that the total T4 is not dropping? If the total T4 remains below 20 nmol/L, then a free T4 by ED and TSH level would be helpful. In the meantime, I would recommend that Avery's kidney disease be monitored/managed as per IRIS guidelines."

So it seems they might be a little worried that she will need thyroid supplementation. I'm hoping not! I've updated Avery's spreadsheet with the lab results, including the Creatinine and BUN levels. It seems like another food switch is in order...

 

Anyone have any experience with the following?:

• Hilary's renal blend
• TCfeline (low phosphorus)

 

Hi!

I haven't used the products and recipes you mentioned, but I think you do not want to mess with his diabetes (uncontrolled diabetes can make his kidney problem worse ) so you need to be careful that the diet you choose is low carb besides being low in phosphorus, this is important since many CKD diets have a tendency to substitute protein with carbs at stage 2 he does not need a reduced protein diet but is important that is low phosphorus

You could take a look at Dr Lisa's list and pick one that is low carb and under 250 phosphorus best if you can go under 200


Looking at the information on the links they both mention having omegas and B complex which is good for CKD cats, but Hilary's product indicates it would only be ok on their recipe and I couldn't find it you would need to be very careful with the ingredients so that the diet is low carb and it also has a lot of other ingredients that are not mentioned it would be worth asking for the complete list before trying it and the TC feline recipe includes egg yolks and egg yolks are very high in phosphorus so not really a good choice for a CKD cat

Hope this helps

 

Thanks Veronica!

Unfortunately, Hilary's blend promotes their recipe book (~$50 CAD) as a necessity to go with their blend. They don't offer a preview recipe. However, I would hope there would be at least one low carb option in the whole book.

While Avery is not currently experiencing any diabetic symptoms, I don't want to play with fire. Would the pumpkin in TCfelines recipe B be an issue for her?

I contacted a raw food company that suggests a rotation of 5 or more proteins since they do not add any vitamins or minerals to their meat. Is this necessary if I am using a premix or can I stick to the lowest phosphorus option (given she likes it)?

 

Elmo eats Whole Earth Duck ...phos 130 ...carbs 4. He has been hyperthyroid for 5 years and aging kidneys last few years . Hope this helps

 

I've heard that quite a few people here include pumpkin in their cat's food to help with constipation and as far as I know is ok as long as is only pumpkin with no sugar or other stuff added, but low protein is not always recommended for stage 2 CKD cats, is usually recommended at higher stages.

I know there's a big group here feeding raw you may want to start a new condo (thread) asking specifically for raw food suggestions brands and premixed supplements available in the US and Canada because since I don't have any of those where I live I really can't make any suggestions

You do not mention what his phosphorus level is but it is recommended that you keep it as low as posible to avoid him feeling bad and nauseous and to help his kidneys but the most important thing is that he eats so if what he likes is a little bit high in phosphorus you could add a phosphorus binder, but hopefully he accepts food that is already low phos. You may need to do some research as to the amount of phosphorus in each protein, usually chicken or turkey thighs are one of the lowest

For a stage 2 CKD cat is actually recommended that his food has some extra vitamins specially B complex and omegas to help their kidneys, they do have some different needs for vitamins and minerals than those of a healthy cat and all cats need taurine

Here's a link that has a lot of good information regarding the nutritional needs of CKD cats, http://www.felinecrf.org/nutritional_requirements.htm

 

I echo Veronica's post entirely.