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#1
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Need low-protein cat food recommendations
Hi cat people,
I have a 14-year-old male cat who was recently diagnosed as having early-stage kidney disease. The vet's recommendation was to feed him low-protein cat food, and she sold me a few cans of g/d (which, I believe, is made by Hill's). This food has a protein percentage of 7.5%, which is only slightly below what the cat was already eating (9-Lives beef cat food, whose protein content is 8.0%). Here's the problem: since he was a kitten, my cat has only been able to eat beef-flavored cat food without getting diarrhea. He likes the taste of many flavors, but all of them (except beef) give him diarrhea. He'll normally eat any brand of chunky/carved beef, but usually eats 9-Lives (8% protein) or Friskies Prime Filets (12%). Right now he's on something of a hunger strike and is only eating the Prime Filets, but I am trying to get him at least onto the lower-protein 9-Lives. When I started (very gradually) switching him to the prescribed g/d, he immediately developed diarrhea, probably because it has a non-beef base. SO: Can anyone recommend a low-protein beef-flavored wet food? I need to get below 8% protein, because even after years of eating 8% protein food (which is much lower than most commercial brands), he has still developed kidney insufficiency. Any recommendations would be wonderful! Thanks. -D (remove NOSPAM from email address to respond) P.S. I've found a relatively low protein dry food (Alpo, at 26%, which is lower than most dry foods), but I don't know how dry and wet food stack up, or if the proteins are equivalent. Also, lots of dry food gives him, you know, the runs. |
#2
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"dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi cat people, I have a 14-year-old male cat who was recently diagnosed as having early-stage kidney disease. The vet's recommendation was to feed him low-protein cat food, Actually, your cat should be fed as much high-quality protein as possible while keeping his BUN at 60 mg/dl or less. Excessive (and premature) protein restriction can have deleterious effects. k/d is better for cats in mid-to late-stage CRF. and she sold me a few cans of g/d (which, I believe, is made by Hill's). This food has a protein percentage of 7.5%, which is only slightly below what the cat was already eating (9-Lives beef cat food, whose protein content is 8.0%). Actually, k/d contains 29% protein on a dry matter basis - about 6.5 grams of protein/100 kcal - or about 12 grams/can. I think that's too low for a cat in early stage CRF. I've been feeding our CRF cats x/d with great results. Here's the problem: since he was a kitten, my cat has only been able to eat beef-flavored cat food without getting diarrhea. You probably made the transition to abrupt. Try mixing a 1/2 tsp of the new food in the old food and gradually increasing the new food by 1/2 tsp every few days and decrease the old food by the same amount. You might make the transition easier by putting a dab of the new food on your cat's nose (not near his nostrils) to satiate his olfactory system. When he licks it off he'll also satiate his gustatory system so that the new food will seem familiar and won't be detected in the mix. You can also try mixing in a little beef fat -its non-protein calories. Just don't use too much or you'll throw off the nutrient balance of the diet. Good luck. Phil |
#3
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"dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi cat people, I have a 14-year-old male cat who was recently diagnosed as having early-stage kidney disease. The vet's recommendation was to feed him low-protein cat food, Actually, your cat should be fed as much high-quality protein as possible while keeping his BUN at 60 mg/dl or less. Excessive (and premature) protein restriction can have deleterious effects. k/d is better for cats in mid-to late-stage CRF. and she sold me a few cans of g/d (which, I believe, is made by Hill's). This food has a protein percentage of 7.5%, which is only slightly below what the cat was already eating (9-Lives beef cat food, whose protein content is 8.0%). Actually, k/d contains 29% protein on a dry matter basis - about 6.5 grams of protein/100 kcal - or about 12 grams/can. I think that's too low for a cat in early stage CRF. I've been feeding our CRF cats x/d with great results. Here's the problem: since he was a kitten, my cat has only been able to eat beef-flavored cat food without getting diarrhea. You probably made the transition to abrupt. Try mixing a 1/2 tsp of the new food in the old food and gradually increasing the new food by 1/2 tsp every few days and decrease the old food by the same amount. You might make the transition easier by putting a dab of the new food on your cat's nose (not near his nostrils) to satiate his olfactory system. When he licks it off he'll also satiate his gustatory system so that the new food will seem familiar and won't be detected in the mix. You can also try mixing in a little beef fat -its non-protein calories. Just don't use too much or you'll throw off the nutrient balance of the diet. Good luck. Phil |
#4
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Hi Phil,
Thanks very much for your advice. I actually don't quite know what stage of renal failure my cat is in, whether it's early- and mid-range. At this point, he's just drinking and urinating a lot; the specific gravity of his urine has ranged from 1.023 to 1.032 (apparently 1.040 and above is a healthy level of urine concentration, and 1.00 is the concentration of plain water, not good). I do not know the specific BUN, but I know that it was only slightly off-target, leading the doctor to do the specific gravity test. So: I guess I will have to ask the vet why she's recommending low protein rather than "as much high-quality protein as possible." I've also gotten a recommendation from another newsgroup member to keep both protein and phosphorus as LOW as possible. Since I'm getting conflicting responses on whether to give "as little protein and phosphorus as possible" and "as much high-quality protein as possible," would be you be able to help me split hairs a little? I'm not very knowledgeable about kidney disease, and it sounds as if I'm about to embark on a long, messy road with it, and I'd like to keep my cat healthy as long as possible. (Thanks so much for your help. Any additional clarification would be great, so that when I call to question the doctor, I have some reasonable ammunition to use.) -Denise "Phil P." wrote in message ... "dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi cat people, I have a 14-year-old male cat who was recently diagnosed as having early-stage kidney disease. The vet's recommendation was to feed him low-protein cat food, Actually, your cat should be fed as much high-quality protein as possible while keeping his BUN at 60 mg/dl or less. Excessive (and premature) protein restriction can have deleterious effects. k/d is better for cats in mid-to late-stage CRF. and she sold me a few cans of g/d (which, I believe, is made by Hill's). This food has a protein percentage of 7.5%, which is only slightly below what the cat was already eating (9-Lives beef cat food, whose protein content is 8.0%). Actually, k/d contains 29% protein on a dry matter basis - about 6.5 grams of protein/100 kcal - or about 12 grams/can. I think that's too low for a cat in early stage CRF. I've been feeding our CRF cats x/d with great results. Here's the problem: since he was a kitten, my cat has only been able to eat beef-flavored cat food without getting diarrhea. You probably made the transition to abrupt. Try mixing a 1/2 tsp of the new food in the old food and gradually increasing the new food by 1/2 tsp every few days and decrease the old food by the same amount. You might make the transition easier by putting a dab of the new food on your cat's nose (not near his nostrils) to satiate his olfactory system. When he licks it off he'll also satiate his gustatory system so that the new food will seem familiar and won't be detected in the mix. You can also try mixing in a little beef fat -its non-protein calories. Just don't use too much or you'll throw off the nutrient balance of the diet. Good luck. Phil |
#5
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Hi Phil,
Thanks very much for your advice. I actually don't quite know what stage of renal failure my cat is in, whether it's early- and mid-range. At this point, he's just drinking and urinating a lot; the specific gravity of his urine has ranged from 1.023 to 1.032 (apparently 1.040 and above is a healthy level of urine concentration, and 1.00 is the concentration of plain water, not good). I do not know the specific BUN, but I know that it was only slightly off-target, leading the doctor to do the specific gravity test. So: I guess I will have to ask the vet why she's recommending low protein rather than "as much high-quality protein as possible." I've also gotten a recommendation from another newsgroup member to keep both protein and phosphorus as LOW as possible. Since I'm getting conflicting responses on whether to give "as little protein and phosphorus as possible" and "as much high-quality protein as possible," would be you be able to help me split hairs a little? I'm not very knowledgeable about kidney disease, and it sounds as if I'm about to embark on a long, messy road with it, and I'd like to keep my cat healthy as long as possible. (Thanks so much for your help. Any additional clarification would be great, so that when I call to question the doctor, I have some reasonable ammunition to use.) -Denise "Phil P." wrote in message ... "dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi cat people, I have a 14-year-old male cat who was recently diagnosed as having early-stage kidney disease. The vet's recommendation was to feed him low-protein cat food, Actually, your cat should be fed as much high-quality protein as possible while keeping his BUN at 60 mg/dl or less. Excessive (and premature) protein restriction can have deleterious effects. k/d is better for cats in mid-to late-stage CRF. and she sold me a few cans of g/d (which, I believe, is made by Hill's). This food has a protein percentage of 7.5%, which is only slightly below what the cat was already eating (9-Lives beef cat food, whose protein content is 8.0%). Actually, k/d contains 29% protein on a dry matter basis - about 6.5 grams of protein/100 kcal - or about 12 grams/can. I think that's too low for a cat in early stage CRF. I've been feeding our CRF cats x/d with great results. Here's the problem: since he was a kitten, my cat has only been able to eat beef-flavored cat food without getting diarrhea. You probably made the transition to abrupt. Try mixing a 1/2 tsp of the new food in the old food and gradually increasing the new food by 1/2 tsp every few days and decrease the old food by the same amount. You might make the transition easier by putting a dab of the new food on your cat's nose (not near his nostrils) to satiate his olfactory system. When he licks it off he'll also satiate his gustatory system so that the new food will seem familiar and won't be detected in the mix. You can also try mixing in a little beef fat -its non-protein calories. Just don't use too much or you'll throw off the nutrient balance of the diet. Good luck. Phil |
#7
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(dtanyol)
writes: I actually don't quite know what stage of renal failure my cat is in, whether it's early- and mid-range. At this point, he's just drinking and urinating a lot; the specific gravity of his urine has ranged from 1.023 to 1.032 (apparently 1.040 and above is a healthy level of urine concentration, and 1.00 is the concentration of plain water, not good). I do not know the specific BUN, but I know that it was only slightly off-target, leading the doctor to do the specific gravity test. I'm guessing that it's low, but you need to confirm that with your vet. You also need to find out what the creatine number is. So: I guess I will have to ask the vet why she's recommending low protein rather than "as much high-quality protein as possible." I've also gotten a recommendation from another newsgroup member to keep both protein and phosphorus as LOW as possible. Since I'm getting conflicting responses on whether to give "as little protein and phosphorus as possible" and "as much high-quality protein as possible," would be you be able to help me split hairs a little? I don't have the medical knowledge some of the other posters have, but I do have experience. I have a cat, Priss, who was diagnosed with CRF 2 1/2 years ago, with a BUN and creatine just barely out of the normal range. My vet explained that traditionally, CRF cats had been put on low-protein diets but that notion had been challenged recently. In her opinion, the jury was still out. I asked her what she recommended, and she said "low phosphorus, first and foremost." She also emphasized that the cat must eat. I went to http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canfood.htm and http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/dryfood.htm and looked at the foods, which are ranked by phosphorus content. We ended up putting Priss on Royal Canin dry and Wellness canned (which is medium-high protein and human-grade ingredients). Three months later, her numbers were solidly in the normal range, where they remain. My vet said she'd never had a cat go back into normal, and I am NOT suggesting the same would happen with you. But I do endorse going to the KatKarma pages and finding low phosphorus foods that your kitty will eat. It was certainly the best thing I ever did for my cat. I'm not very knowledgeable about kidney disease, and it sounds as if I'm about to embark on a long, messy road with it, and I'd like to keep my cat healthy as long as possible. It might not be that messy. If your cat is in the early stages, he won't need fluids for a while, maybe not for years, and you can "treat" with superior nutrition. If he ever does need fluids, there are web sites that discuss how to manage that, and after your vet shows you how to administer them, you might check around your area to find an experienced owner, vet tech, or pet sitter who can come by your home a few times to help you with the fluids to start out. I do think Phil makes a compelling case for high-quality protein at the beginning. You say your cat favors beef, and there are lots of beef cat foods analyzed on the KatKarma site, though I also think Phil has some good pointers for getting your cat to eat other foods. Good luck! Daria Timing is everything. |
#8
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"dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi Phil, Thanks very much for your advice. I actually don't quite know what stage of renal failure my cat is in, whether it's early- and mid-range. At this point, he's just drinking and urinating a lot; the specific gravity of his urine has ranged from 1.023 to 1.032 (apparently 1.040 and above is a healthy level of urine concentration, and 1.00 is the concentration of plain water, not good). I do not know the specific BUN, but I know that it was only slightly off-target, leading the doctor to do the specific gravity test. So: I guess I will have to ask the vet why she's recommending low protein rather than "as much high-quality protein as possible." I've also gotten a recommendation from another newsgroup member to keep both protein and phosphorus as LOW as possible. Since I'm getting conflicting responses on whether to give "as little protein and phosphorus as possible" and "as much high-quality protein as possible," would be you be able to help me split hairs a little? I'm not very knowledgeable about kidney disease, and it sounds as if I'm about to embark on a long, messy road with it, and I'd like to keep my cat healthy as long as possible. (Thanks so much for your help. Any additional clarification would be great, so that when I call to question the doctor, I have some reasonable ammunition to use.) Hi Denise, The ritual of feeding low-protein diets to cats in CRF originated from old studies in lab rats. Its now known that mechanisms that can affect the progression of CRF in the rat do not have the same effect in the cat. Cats have a high protein requirement and can't readily adapt to a low-protein diet, thus, protein restriction can have detrimental effects in cats (e.g., , reduced hemoglobin production and anemia, impaired immune response and resistance to infection, muscle wasting). Most cats are still comfortable with a BUN of 60-80 mg/dl. Therefore, protein should be restricted *only* to control azotemia. Also, scheduled meal-feeding as opposed to free feeding (ad libitum), may be easier on the kidneys. The hyperfiltration that occurs after a meal only lasts for a little while, as opposed to continuously as with nibbling throughout the day. Another important factor is the acidity of the diet. In fact acidified diets may contribute to, if not actually cause renal disease. k/d, g/d and x/d are alkaline diets. HTH, Phil "Phil P." wrote in message ... "dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi cat people, I have a 14-year-old male cat who was recently diagnosed as having early-stage kidney disease. The vet's recommendation was to feed him low-protein cat food, Actually, your cat should be fed as much high-quality protein as possible while keeping his BUN at 60 mg/dl or less. Excessive (and premature) protein restriction can have deleterious effects. k/d is better for cats in mid-to late-stage CRF. and she sold me a few cans of g/d (which, I believe, is made by Hill's). This food has a protein percentage of 7.5%, which is only slightly below what the cat was already eating (9-Lives beef cat food, whose protein content is 8.0%). Actually, k/d contains 29% protein on a dry matter basis - about 6.5 grams of protein/100 kcal - or about 12 grams/can. I think that's too low for a cat in early stage CRF. I've been feeding our CRF cats x/d with great results. Here's the problem: since he was a kitten, my cat has only been able to eat beef-flavored cat food without getting diarrhea. You probably made the transition to abrupt. Try mixing a 1/2 tsp of the new food in the old food and gradually increasing the new food by 1/2 tsp every few days and decrease the old food by the same amount. You might make the transition easier by putting a dab of the new food on your cat's nose (not near his nostrils) to satiate his olfactory system. When he licks it off he'll also satiate his gustatory system so that the new food will seem familiar and won't be detected in the mix. You can also try mixing in a little beef fat -its non-protein calories. Just don't use too much or you'll throw off the nutrient balance of the diet. Good luck. Phil |
#9
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"dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi Phil, Thanks very much for your advice. I actually don't quite know what stage of renal failure my cat is in, whether it's early- and mid-range. At this point, he's just drinking and urinating a lot; the specific gravity of his urine has ranged from 1.023 to 1.032 (apparently 1.040 and above is a healthy level of urine concentration, and 1.00 is the concentration of plain water, not good). I do not know the specific BUN, but I know that it was only slightly off-target, leading the doctor to do the specific gravity test. So: I guess I will have to ask the vet why she's recommending low protein rather than "as much high-quality protein as possible." I've also gotten a recommendation from another newsgroup member to keep both protein and phosphorus as LOW as possible. Since I'm getting conflicting responses on whether to give "as little protein and phosphorus as possible" and "as much high-quality protein as possible," would be you be able to help me split hairs a little? I'm not very knowledgeable about kidney disease, and it sounds as if I'm about to embark on a long, messy road with it, and I'd like to keep my cat healthy as long as possible. (Thanks so much for your help. Any additional clarification would be great, so that when I call to question the doctor, I have some reasonable ammunition to use.) Hi Denise, The ritual of feeding low-protein diets to cats in CRF originated from old studies in lab rats. Its now known that mechanisms that can affect the progression of CRF in the rat do not have the same effect in the cat. Cats have a high protein requirement and can't readily adapt to a low-protein diet, thus, protein restriction can have detrimental effects in cats (e.g., , reduced hemoglobin production and anemia, impaired immune response and resistance to infection, muscle wasting). Most cats are still comfortable with a BUN of 60-80 mg/dl. Therefore, protein should be restricted *only* to control azotemia. Also, scheduled meal-feeding as opposed to free feeding (ad libitum), may be easier on the kidneys. The hyperfiltration that occurs after a meal only lasts for a little while, as opposed to continuously as with nibbling throughout the day. Another important factor is the acidity of the diet. In fact acidified diets may contribute to, if not actually cause renal disease. k/d, g/d and x/d are alkaline diets. HTH, Phil "Phil P." wrote in message ... "dtanyol" wrote in message om... Hi cat people, I have a 14-year-old male cat who was recently diagnosed as having early-stage kidney disease. The vet's recommendation was to feed him low-protein cat food, Actually, your cat should be fed as much high-quality protein as possible while keeping his BUN at 60 mg/dl or less. Excessive (and premature) protein restriction can have deleterious effects. k/d is better for cats in mid-to late-stage CRF. and she sold me a few cans of g/d (which, I believe, is made by Hill's). This food has a protein percentage of 7.5%, which is only slightly below what the cat was already eating (9-Lives beef cat food, whose protein content is 8.0%). Actually, k/d contains 29% protein on a dry matter basis - about 6.5 grams of protein/100 kcal - or about 12 grams/can. I think that's too low for a cat in early stage CRF. I've been feeding our CRF cats x/d with great results. Here's the problem: since he was a kitten, my cat has only been able to eat beef-flavored cat food without getting diarrhea. You probably made the transition to abrupt. Try mixing a 1/2 tsp of the new food in the old food and gradually increasing the new food by 1/2 tsp every few days and decrease the old food by the same amount. You might make the transition easier by putting a dab of the new food on your cat's nose (not near his nostrils) to satiate his olfactory system. When he licks it off he'll also satiate his gustatory system so that the new food will seem familiar and won't be detected in the mix. You can also try mixing in a little beef fat -its non-protein calories. Just don't use too much or you'll throw off the nutrient balance of the diet. Good luck. Phil |
#10
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