Chronic kidney disease is a common condition in both dogs and cats, especially in older animals. The key to managing this condition is proper dietary management, such as restricting protein and certain minerals, and supplementing with vitamins and essential fatty acids.
Before a veterinarian can manage the animal's diet, a physical examination should be performed to see if there are criteria for being too fat or too thin, how much muscle mass, and an assessment of the severity of the kidney disease, such as blood tests and ultrasounds to look at the characteristics of the kidneys.
After examining the animal's body, diet can be managed. Controlling the amount of certain minerals that affect the kidneys, such as phosphorus, sodium, and potassium, and providing food with the right amount of protein, not too much or too little.
Because if it is too little, it will make the animal's body performance worse and become thin. Or you can add some vitamins, such as vitamin B, essential fatty acids such as EPA, DHA.
But nowadays, there are specific formulas of food that are suitable for kidney disease for the convenience of pet owners to choose. Or if the owner wants to cook food for the pet by himself, he can do so but must be under the care of a veterinarian.
The appropriate amount of food can be based on both the animal's weight and body condition score, and the animal's weight should be assessed 1-2 times a week for appropriateness.
The weight of the animal should not change more than 0.5% of the total body weight per week. Because if the weight of the animal increases or decreases too quickly, it may have a negative effect on the animal's body. Divide the food into several meals. The amount per meal is not much to reduce the animal's hunger during the day.
In addition to taking care of the diet of animals with kidney disease, there should be continuous physical examinations, blood tests, and assessments of the animal's condition at the animal hospital by a veterinarian to recommend adjustments to the animal's management plan.
The topic “What's new in dietary therapy for renal disease”
World small animal veterinary association (WSAVA 2019)Compiled by Dr. Thitikorn Eksiritrairat
Rehabilitation Medicine Center, Internal Medicine Center
English