Raw Pet Food for Kidney Health

Last Updated on April 4th, 2019

Kidney patients often lose their appetite, become dehydrated, develop chronic muscle wasting and weight loss. Integrative KS for dogs and cats addresses these health issues. It is a meal that supports muscle development and kidney function with excellent proteins, has an appropriate moisture content to hydrate while providing nutrition, and is delicious enough to tempt even the most finicky pet. The palatability of this raw meal is an appetizing change from the typical prescription diet.

Kidney Issues and Protein Quality

There are many myths about kidney disease. In her last 15 years of practice, Dr. Royal has seen how easy it is to reinvigorate the health of her kidney patients simply by changing from low protein kidney diets to one with a normal amount. Animals on kidney diets can be finicky, losing weight, muscle mass and clearly diminishing in many ways. This is both because the food is not appealing and because there is not enough protein to properly nourish their bodies. Once eating an improved and natural diet, her patients lived longer than expected (often by many years), had more energy, kept good weights and muscle mass, sported shiny hair coats, and maintained better appetites than they did on their low protein dry prescription diets.

Protein Levels

Papers and opinions on the subject of protein levels in dog’s food have created a heated controversy among veterinarians. Our veterinarian advisors including Dr. Royal believe a high protein diet is critical to supporting kidney health. Veterinarians know that proteins are directly required for important cell functions – including proper immune functions, hormone production, tissue repair, muscle maintenance, neuromuscular action, and many more. What researchers recently found is that high-quality protein is an important stimulator of kidney tubular function. When the body senses protein in the diet, often dormant kidney tubules are activated to go back to work to help process it. When there is low protein, these tubules will return to dormancy.

Disadvantages to reduced protein intake include reduced kidney function as measured by GFR and renal plasma flow, possibility of a negative nitrogen balance, and the promotion of a catabolic state. ~ Kenneth C. Bovee, DVM, “Mythology of Protein Restriction for Dogs with Reduced Renal Function”

The whole theory of low-protein diets for dogs with kidney disease was blown apart in 1975 by David Kronfeld, PhD, who was at the time a veterinary researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. His concept was not to feed less protein but rather to feed higher-quality protein. ~Wendy Volhard, author of “Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog”