hypoallergenic kidney diet for dogs
Dietary Guidelines for Dogs with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
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Does My Dog Have a Food Allergy?
Many dog foods on the market make claims about being good for allergies, but how well do these claims hold up? How common are dog food allergies? And is hypoallergenic dog food right for your dog? To learn the truth about food allergies in dogs and what hypoallergenic dog food really means, keep reading.
Are Dog Food Allergies to Blame?
While people are often quick to blame a dog's skin problems on what he eats, the truth, says Tufts University's Cummings Veterinary Center, is that food allergies in dogs are not all that common. The most common causes of allergies in pets are environmental including fleas, dust mites, grass, pollen, and other environmental causes. If your pup's allergies tend to clear up during the winter or become worse at the height of flea season, then it's likely his allergies are environmental. But because actual food allergies can cause skin and ear problems similar to those caused by environmental allergies, it's up to your veterinarian to help you rule out other types of allergies for certain before determining whether your dog's food is to blame.
Food Allergies vs. Food Intolerance
It's also important to note the difference between an allergy and an intolerance. If your dog is unable to tolerate a certain type of food, such as lactose, this means he lacks the digestive enzyme necessary to properly digest that food, and gastrointestinal problems, such as vomiting and diarrhea, may result. An allergy, on the other hand, is an immune response. When your dog comes into contact with something he's allergic to, his immune system goes into overdrive attacking the allergen, resulting in skin problems, itching, or hair loss. If your dog is suffering from a food intolerance rather than a food allergy, then hypoallergenic dog food is unlikely to help. We recommend seeing your veterinarian to get the best possible solution for your pet.
What Causes Food Allergies?
According to Tuft University, "Food allergies occur when an animal's immune system misidentifies a protein from a food as an invader rather than a food item and mounts an immune response. The end result of this response can be itchy skin or ear and skin infections in some pets, while it may cause vomiting or diarrhea in others." Once an immune response is triggered, it grows stronger every time that type of protein enters the body, which means your dog's allergy may worsen every time he eats that particular food.
Common Allergens in Dog Food
The most common foods to trigger an allergic response in dogs are animal proteins including chicken, beef, dairy, and eggs, says Tufts. Lamb, pork, and fish are less likely to cause allergies, although it is possible. While some dogs have proven to be allergic to wheat and corn, this is actually much more rare than common wisdom would have you believe. Instances of other grains, such as oats or rice, causing allergies are rare to nonexistent.
Diagnosing Dog Food Allergies
Unfortunately, there are no reliable ways to test your dog for food allergies. The only way to determine which foods your dog is allergic to is through the process of elimination. Typically, your vet will prescribe a special, limited-ingredient dog food containing types of meat and carbohydrates that aren't in your dog's usual meals and seeing how he does on it. If your dog's symptoms clear up on this special meal plan, after a period of time your vet may have you switch your dog back to his old food to see if the allergy symptoms reappear. If they do, that will confirm that you're dealing with a food allergy.
The next step is to identify the specific ingredient causing the allergic reaction in your dog. This requires changing back to the limited ingredient food. Once your dog's symptoms clear up, your vet may then have you add ingredients from his old food back to his meals one at a time and monitor the results in order to identify which ingredients trigger an allergic reaction.
During this elimination trial, it's extremely important to only feed your dog the prescribed food. The most frequently mentioned reason for failure in determining allergies in elimination tests is household sabotage. This consists of giving your dog food that was not directly recommended by your veterinarian including dog treats, table scraps, different dog foods, etc. During these trials, dogs can't have even one of these in order for the test to be effective at diagnosing the allergy. To put it in perspective, a human that is allergic to nuts cannot have even a single peanut. The same is true of your dog. To fully determine the cause of dog food allergies (if any does exist), you must be as strict as possible, and that includes everyone else in your household too. It's hard when your pup sits there with his big begging eyes, but it is worth it if you can determine if an allergy exists. These elimination tests typically take about 12-weeks after which your veterinarian will verify that your dog isn't experiencing any of the previous allergy signs.
Self-Diagnosis
It is important that if you believe your dog is experiencing allergies of any sort, food or environmental, that you check with your veterinarian to help you best diagnose your pup. Self-diagnosis can be unhelpful or even dangerous in certain cases. Because food allergies and environmental issues present some of the same signs, it is hard to know which is the cause without proper testing. Unlike in humans, dog allergy tests are much less reliable, which is why your veterinarian will likely give you specific instructions on what to expose your dog to and how to monitor his health over time to determine the specific cause for his health issues.
You may be tempted to do a limited-ingredient diet (LID) on your own as well. This is also not recommended for a couple of reasons. The first being the difference between intolerance and allergies. Without proper testing, it is hard to know the real cause. The second reason why LIDs aren't always great in self diagnosing your dog's condition is that even limited-ingredient foods can be subject to allergen contamination. For instance, if you suspect that your dog is allergic to chicken, and you switch him over to something like lamb or venison, he might start feeling better, but because many food companies will use the same machinery to make their chicken product dog foods and their lamb-filled food there is a chance that some of the chicken allergens make it into your dog's lamb food. Like mentioned before, any introduction of an allergen, even a small amount, can affect your dog overall. This is why it is best to follow your veterinarian's strict instructions when asking about allergies.
Hypoallergenic Dog Food
If food allergies are determined, your veterinarian may recommend hypoallergenic dog food and treats for your dog to eat. These types of foods take special precautions to avoid being cross-contaminated. Hypoallergenic dog foods may also be hydrolyzed, meaning that they go through a process of breaking down proteins on a molecular level so that they are too small for the dog's body to recognize them as allergens. This is often a prescription dog food, so you will need to talk to your veterinarian about this as an option for your dog.
While some companies sell over-the-counter foods that claim to be good for allergiesand some may contain supplements that can be helpful in controlling environmental allergiesthese foods are not ideal for treating food allergies. As with limited ingredient foods, there is nothing to guarantee that your dog won't become allergic to them in the future. These dog foods are also less regulated than prescription dog food and as such, might contain other contaminants that trigger an allergic response. It's also best to be wary of any hypoallergenic claims made by over-the-counter grain-free dog foods. Remember, it's animal proteins, not grains, that are most likely causing food allergies in dogs.
Dog food allergies are tricky business. Fortunately, they're also the type of allergy your dog is least likely to suffer from. If your dog is showing signs of allergies, talk to your vet before making any changes to his food. Even if it turns out that he does have a food allergy, changing his food without a vet's supervision could make it more difficult to diagnose.
Contributor Bio
Jean Marie Bauhaus
Jean Marie Bauhaus is a pet parent, pet blogger and novelist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she usually writes under the supervision of a lapful of furbabies.
What To Feed a Dog With Kidney Disease
Nutrition plays a big role in the management of dogs with kidney disease. Because dogs with kidney disease usually arent feeling well, the first step is often to merely get your dog to eat anything.
Kidney disease can make dogs nauseated, and they can also develop ulcers in their mouth or stomach, which makes eating painful. A feeding tube may be necessary to get dogs with severe kidney disease the nutrition they need.
Once your dogs condition is more stable, you can turn your attention to providing more optimized nutrition. Kidney diets for dogs have to tick a lot of boxes. Heres a guide that explains nutritional needs and what to feed a dog with kidney disease.
What To Look For in a Kidney Diet for Dogs
Kidney diets for dogs are significantly different from regular dog foods. However, no single kidney diet is going to be best for every dog throughout the rest of their life.
For example, a dog in the early stages of kidney disease could thrive on a kidney diet with more protein, but as their disease progresses, a diet lower in protein and phosphorus might better control their symptoms.
As a rule of thumb, good kidney diets for dogs tend to have anutrient profilethat looks like this:
Nutrient | Grams/1000 kcal |
Protein | 31-41 |
Phosphorus | 0.5-0.8 |
Sodium | 0.4-1.2 |
EPA and DHA | 0.4-1.2 |
Unfortunately, it can be hard tofind this information on dog food labelsor on pet food manufacturers websites. If you are having trouble getting the numbers, your veterinarian can help you pick a good kidney diet based on your dogs needs.
Here are several important elements to look for in kidney diets for dogs:
Taste
The most important characteristic of a kidney diet for dogs can be the hardest to achieve: It has to be delicious! Thats because the metabolic and physical changes associated with kidney disease can lessen a dogs appetite.
To counteract this effect, kidney diets need to smell and taste great. After all, a kidney diet that isnt eaten isnt going to do a dog any good. Kidney diets should also be calorie- and nutrient-dense, so dogs can eat less and still get a lot of nutrition.
Hydration and Water Content
Kidney diets should also contain a lot of water. Dogs with kidney disease struggle to maintain their hydration. All dogs always need to have access to bowls of fresh clean water, but a diet that has high water content is a great way to boost a pets water intake when they have kidney disease.
Wet foods are almost always a better option for dogs with kidney disease than dry foods. If you are feeding your dog kibble, ask your veterinarian about adding water to the dry food or other ways you can supplement their water intake.
It's also important to keep an eye on the sodium levels in kidney diets for dogs. Too much sodium increases the chances that your dog will becomedehydrated.
The Right Amount of the Right Protein
Next comes the balancing act that is protein. Dogs with kidney disease need protein, but not too much. The breakdown products of protein digestion are responsible, in large part, for making dogs with kidney disease feel yucky.
The goal is to feed just enough protein to meet a dogs needs for muscle maintenance, immune function, and the other vital jobs proteins have in the bodybut not to feed too much more. Extra protein will only be turned into calories that can be more safely provided by carbohydrates and fats.
Protein quality is also important. Proteins should be highly digestible and supply all the essential amino acids dogs need.
Low Phosphorus Levels
Theres a close relationship between protein intake and blood phosphorus levels. Dogs with kidney disease gradually lose the ability to excrete phosphorus in their urine, so it backs up in the bloodstream. Reducing phosphorus intake has been shown to slow the progression of kidney disease in dogs and increase their lifespan.
An important way to reduce phosphorus levels in the diets of dogs with kidney disease is to not overfeed protein and to ensure thatproteins relatively low in phosphorusare included in the diet. Plant-based sources of protein tend to be lower in phosphorus than animal-based sources of protein.
Supplements
Nutritional supplements can also help dogs with kidney disease. Supplements often included in kidney diets for dogs include:
Omega-3fatty acids:eicosapentaenoicacid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which can reduce inflammation in the bodyincluding in the kidneysand possibly improve kidney function
Antioxidants,which neutralize free radicals that can further damage the kidneys
Fermentable fiber,which helps get rid of protein digestion waste products in poop. This allows dogs to eat more protein than they might be able to otherwise.
Prescription Kidney Diets vs. Homemade Kidney Diets for Dogs
What abouthomemade kidney diets for dogs? Astudypublished in 2012 showed how hard it is to find nutritionally complete and balanced kidney diet recipes in books and online. Of the 39 recipes evaluated, none met all the National Research Councils recommended nutrient allowances for adult dogs.
In contrast, prescription kidney diets produced by reputable dog food manufacturers undergo testing to ensure they are safe for long-term feeding and have a positive effect on a dogs health.
How To Cook for Dogs With Kidney Disease
One big benefit of homemade kidney diets, however, is taste. If your dog simply wont eat anything else, a homemade kidney diet is worth considering. To avoid nutrient deficiencies or excesses, make sure a veterinary nutritionist or a service likeBalanceIT, which requires veterinarian approval, is involved in formulating recipes for your dog.
Common Prescription Kidney Diets for Dogs
After a dog has been diagnosed with kidney disease and their condition is stabilized, veterinarians typically recommend switching over to a prescription kidney diet. Your veterinarian may have recommended a particular food based on the details of your dogs case. Here are three popular options:
Hill's Prescription Diet k/d Kidney Careis available in wet and dry formulations and different flavors:
How To Transition Your Dog to a Kidney Diet
special attention to how you make the transition. Do notchange your dogs foodwhile they are still nauseated or feeling bad. They may associate their symptoms with their new food and refuse to eat it.
Once your dog has a good appetite, start making the switch very slowly. Give them lots of time to get used to the new flavors, textures, and ingredients. This reduces the chance of food refusal and lets your dogs digestive system adapt.
Here is a timetable for taking two weeks to switch your dog to a new diet:
Days 1 and 2:Mix 5% of the new food in with 95% of the old food
Days 3 and 4:Mix 10% of the new food in with 90% of the old food
Days 5 and 6:Mix 20% of the new food in with 80% of the old food
Days 7 and 8:Mix 40% of the new food in with 60% of the old food
Days 9 and 10:Mix 60% of the new food in with 40% of the old food
Days 11 and 12:Mix 80% of the new food in with 20% of the old food
Days 13 and 14:Mix 90% of the new food in with 10% of the old food
Day 15:Try 100% of the new food
If at any point your dog turns their nose up at their food or develops signs of digestive upset, move back a step in the timetable and proceed more slowly.
Signs to Watch for After Starting Your Dog on a Kidney Diet
Dont give up if you initially have trouble switching your dog to a kidney diet. Call your veterinarian if your dog wont eat the recommended food. They can help by:
Recommending an appropriate food topper to make the food more appealing. Avoid products that are high in phosphorus and salt.
Prescribing medications to reduce nausea, stomach inflammation, ulcers, or other symptoms that may be reducing your dogs appetite
Recommending a different prescription kidney diet or, if necessary, a suitable over-the-counter food
Referring you to a veterinary nutritionist to get recipes for homemade kidney diets
Talking to you about the benefits of a feeding tube
Many dogs with kidney disease live happily for quite a long time, particularly if they get the right kind of nutrition. Onestudyshowed that on average, dogs who were fed a kidney diet lived 13 months longer than those who ate regular dog food. Thats certainly a goal worth striving for!
Featured image: iStock.com/RichLegg
WRITTEN BY
Jennifer Coates, DVMVeterinarian
Dr. Jennifer Coates is an accomplished veterinarian, writer, editor, and consultant with years of experience in the fields of veterinary...
