Wow!! This is eye opening. Thank you Dr. Jean for shedding light on this issue. Though we don’t feed raw, this hits close to home as we have just received a dx of ‘heavy e-coli’ bacteria after a holistic vet thought to do a nasal swab for testing on our 15 year old feline who has had chronic upper respiratory issues for two years.
What diet do you reccomend to feed a cat who is about to be in the last stages of ckd as predicted by annual bloodwork and ongoing symptoms? Kitty also has blood in pee for years. The vets say fus and we were given option of subutex or cosequin by a "holistic" practice. And were told to give him gabapentin daily by our regular vet. He was recently diagnosed last year with hyperthyroidism and a small heart murmor. He has been taken off a homemade raw food diet and is currently eating smalls. We would just like to make him comfortable with the time he has left. I see you no longer consult on your website. Any advice appreciated. I have been looking for a good co q 10 supplement brand for him and also a probiotic for his kidneys. He goes in for his annual bloodwork next week. I am not asking for medical advice for him. I just need help finding some good supplements for him and a more suitable diet for a cat in his position. Thanks. We tried nutritional balancing based off his hair results html from a very well known nutritional balancer for humans and it did not go well. That was in October of last year.
My recommendation is to feed what they like and will eat. Smalls is a *great* food. Loss of body condition and weight is the most damaging part of CKD. I don't worry about protein, cats need more than "experts" suggest. The renal diets are poorly palatable, made with junk ingredients, and can lead to weight loss--a bad thing! You can use a phosphate binder to keep phosphorus under control, if needed for symptoms.
When the appetite slows, as it inevitably will, I find that good ol' Fancy Feast is one of the most palatable foods out there. The important thing is that they keep eating, I don't care what it is! I always told my clients, if the cat wants Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, you go to the store right now!
Giving subcutaneous fluids at home is essential for keeping them comfortable. Dehydration and ammonia (BUN) buildup in the blood causes headache and nausea, fluids alleviate that. They simply cannot drink enough water to make up for what they lose in the urine.
Blood in the urine is most likely from kidney stones, little bits flake off and irritate the bladder, which can cause bleeding. Fluids and pain management are key for that, since the stones are almost certainly calcium oxalate and can't be dissolved.
Be very careful with CoQ10, max 15 mg per day. The ubiquinol form is supposed to be the best absorbed. But it isn't something I'd typically use.
You might want to consider flower essences for your cat, Jackson Galaxy's Senior Support (Graceful Aging) was designed with these older kitties in mind.
Wow!! This is eye opening. Thank you Dr. Jean for shedding light on this issue. Though we don’t feed raw, this hits close to home as we have just received a dx of ‘heavy e-coli’ bacteria after a holistic vet thought to do a nasal swab for testing on our 15 year old feline who has had chronic upper respiratory issues for two years.
What diet do you reccomend to feed a cat who is about to be in the last stages of ckd as predicted by annual bloodwork and ongoing symptoms? Kitty also has blood in pee for years. The vets say fus and we were given option of subutex or cosequin by a "holistic" practice. And were told to give him gabapentin daily by our regular vet. He was recently diagnosed last year with hyperthyroidism and a small heart murmor. He has been taken off a homemade raw food diet and is currently eating smalls. We would just like to make him comfortable with the time he has left. I see you no longer consult on your website. Any advice appreciated. I have been looking for a good co q 10 supplement brand for him and also a probiotic for his kidneys. He goes in for his annual bloodwork next week. I am not asking for medical advice for him. I just need help finding some good supplements for him and a more suitable diet for a cat in his position. Thanks. We tried nutritional balancing based off his hair results html from a very well known nutritional balancer for humans and it did not go well. That was in October of last year.
I'm sure you saw this (https://littlebigcat.com/kidney-disease-in-older-cats/) but I'll summarize here for expediency's sake!
My recommendation is to feed what they like and will eat. Smalls is a *great* food. Loss of body condition and weight is the most damaging part of CKD. I don't worry about protein, cats need more than "experts" suggest. The renal diets are poorly palatable, made with junk ingredients, and can lead to weight loss--a bad thing! You can use a phosphate binder to keep phosphorus under control, if needed for symptoms.
When the appetite slows, as it inevitably will, I find that good ol' Fancy Feast is one of the most palatable foods out there. The important thing is that they keep eating, I don't care what it is! I always told my clients, if the cat wants Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, you go to the store right now!
Giving subcutaneous fluids at home is essential for keeping them comfortable. Dehydration and ammonia (BUN) buildup in the blood causes headache and nausea, fluids alleviate that. They simply cannot drink enough water to make up for what they lose in the urine.
Blood in the urine is most likely from kidney stones, little bits flake off and irritate the bladder, which can cause bleeding. Fluids and pain management are key for that, since the stones are almost certainly calcium oxalate and can't be dissolved.
Azodyl has some good science behind it for CKD. But Felix's Flora (https://adoredbeast.com/products/felixs-flora-species-appropriate-probiotic) has the same probiotics and IMO better ingredients. My cat Perry Christmas, whose kidneys were wrecked from starvation and dehydration, loved it!
Be very careful with CoQ10, max 15 mg per day. The ubiquinol form is supposed to be the best absorbed. But it isn't something I'd typically use.
You might want to consider flower essences for your cat, Jackson Galaxy's Senior Support (Graceful Aging) was designed with these older kitties in mind.
Best wishes for you and your kitty!