Newly diagnosed cat with renal problems

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lore & Kitty(GA)

New Member
Hi All, When it rains it pours!

I was just contacted by a second friend in a week with a newly dx diabetic cat. This friend is local and I am going to go see her tomorrow and help her with shots and show her how to use a glucometer etc...

However the vet also told her there were kidney problems. My GA sugarcat, Kitty never had any renal issues so I have no experience with this. My friend has the blood workup from her vet, is there anything I should look for in the numbers in regards to the kidney function? Do the renal issues counter-indicate feeding a high protein/low carb diet?

Thanks so much!
Lore & Kitty (GA)
 
We should have more info and blood levels for us to get an idea of what is happening. However, I do know that untreated diabetics, who are in the midst of PU/PD, are often dehydrated and this will reflect in their renal values. Rehydrate them, and renal values normalize. Am hoping that's all this is!

And no, unless the cat is in end stage renal failure, low carb is still the way to go. Try to use canned food with good quality protein (i.e. less byproducts). And check out Melissa's great CRF & Diabetes primer : http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=39627
 
I don't think it is end stage renal failure, since the diabetes seemed to be the main concern. But I will post some numbers when I get them from her. I'll check out the link too. Thanks.
 
When the blood phosphorous become elevated but way before they exceed the normal range, that food selection should also be based on using a low-phosphorous food. There are phosphorous binder that can be added to the food to lower/maintain low blood phosphorous levels.
 
Early stage kidney disease can be controlled with a low phosphorus diet, and there are several foods that are low carb/low phosphorus. The best are those without byproducts, because the kidneys aren't working as hard. Evo 95% Beef and 95% Venison, and PetGuard Fish, chicken and liver are high quality low phos/low carb foods I fed my cat (But high in fat, so you have to watch for weight gain). Wellness Turkey is good too but lately I've been hearing that some cats don't seem to like the new formula. If those are out of your friend's price range, Friskies Special Diet Turkey and Giblets, and Special Diet Salmon are low carb/low phos also.

Gabby had early stage renal disease for 2 years, and in those two years it didn't progress on the low phos diet at all. I'm not sure how old your friend's cat is, but in my opinion most senior cats probably have some loss of function in their kidneys and can benefit from a low phos diet even if it's not detected yet.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top