Diabetes and Kidneys - food?

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Djamila

Djamila

Member Since 2015
What is a preferred level of phosphorus for a cat food? It seems like there's a pretty big range. What is considered a "good" range to avoid kidney issues?
 
Does he have early kidney disease or are you hoping to avoid it? If kidney numbers are elevated, creatinine and BUN you want to feed the lowest possible carbs and phosphorus you can find which is hard to find. Aim for 200 on Lisa's list. I think Hill's KD which I would never use has a DM of 50. Another list to look at is tanya'scrf.org. She uses DMA values.
 
I'm just hoping to avoid it. Looking at Dr. Lisa's list, most foods are closer to 400 or even higher and I was trying to figure out which ones were the best option since so many cats do end up with kidney issues as they age. Thanks so much for your help! It's definitely hard to find foods even below 300, let alone below 200.
 
There are very few low carb, low phos foods available. I've emailed several companies and asked them to consider that since so many cats end up with FD and CKD. Several emailed back saying they pass the idea on to their marketing department...
 
Djamila said:
I'm just hoping to avoid it. Looking at Dr. Lisa's list, most foods are closer to 400 or even higher and I was trying to figure out which ones were the best option since so many cats do end up with kidney issues as they age. Thanks so much for your help! It's definitely hard to find foods even below 300, let alone below 200.
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I tried to avoid it but then Max got diabetes. I switched to low carb and he got CKD. I thought I was feeding a lower carb lower phosphorus food but wasn't. Tge best you can do is go for around 9.10% carbs and phosphorus as close to 200 as you can get. The diseases just aren't real compatible. I was told by the manufacturer that KOHA kangaroo was lower phosphorus but according to Tanya's it's not. Trader Joe's turkey and giblets is pretty good and Max liked it.
 
I just found Tanya's site this morning (thanks for that) and have been learning more about CKD. My sister just had her cat diagnosed with CKD which is why it's on my mind. She lost another to it years ago - one of those vets that diagnoses it and says you need to put the cat to sleep instead of explaining that there are ways to manage. She will never forgive him for that. But this kitty she's working hard to provide care. I was thinking to start lower phosphorus now and hopefully avoid it, but the more I learn, the more I see how incompatible FD and CKD are -- yet they occur together so often! Thanks so much for your help on this, and for pointing me towards Tanya's site. I'll definitely pass that one to my sister as well.
 
I have managed many cats with kidney disease by starting fluids early.
There are many different debates in when to start but my vet advocates sooner than later. It has given all of mine much more quality time.
I am giving Dre (he has fd) fluids for over a year now. His bun is elevated and his creatinine was but has come back to normal now.
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
I have managed many cats with kidney disease by starting fluids early.
There are many different debates in when to start but my vet advocates sooner than later. It has given all of mine much more quality time.
I am giving Dre (he has fd) fluids for over a year now. His bun is elevated and his creatinine was but has come back to normal now.
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What do you feed Dre?
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
I have managed many cats with kidney disease by starting fluids early.
There are many different debates in when to start but my vet advocates sooner than later. It has given all of mine much more quality time.
I am giving Dre (he has fd) fluids for over a year now. His bun is elevated and his creatinine was but has come back to normal now.
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Both Dre and Rico are very fussy with food.
I feed a large variety of low carb.
His phos was not out of normal but was at the very high end and that has come down a little as well.
They will be 19 and 20 this summer so it is difficult to change too much at the age they are.
I did get a phos binder but have yet to use it.
Rico was dx with early kidney disease at 11 years old. At the advice of my vet we started fluids. He had fluids for 6 years and his labs were good. He then had tummy issues and went on pred which caused a heart problem so we can no longer give fluids to him.
Much to my surprise his last labs were good. He was high end normal in kidney values a few months ago.
I know others may disagree but I firmly believe getting fluids those prior years preserved the integrity of his kidneys.
After years of fostering and working along side holistic vets I am a big advocate for giving fluids unless there is a heart or other condition that would contradict it.
With fussy cats and diabetes the food thing is a battle I lost.
 
Jayla and I disagree about when to start fluids. Hydration is important on that we agree. If your cat is adequately hydrated I don't believe fluids are called for and neither does my IM vet. If not well hydrated, fluids are necessary earlier. It's a ECID thing. Please make sure your cats' hearts can handle fluids. Max had an echo that showed he was fine a year before but once fluids were started he went into CHF a few months later and I lost him within a few days of diagnosis. He was 19 at the time. He was tapped but became dehydrated due to rapid advancement of kidney disease and couldn't handle fluids. Prior to needing fluids I added water to his food and he was well hydrated. Fluids were added when his kidney disease advanced.
 
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