Why is my dog with kidney disease gaining weight on renal diet?

Thank you for posting this question. Increasing protein won’t necessarily increase weight , increasing calories in general is the goal. If she will eat more of her food you could increase the amount you are feeding. You could try feeding more times a day. You could also visit www.balanceit.com This website can help you design a home cooked diet safe for kidney disease. This could be given in addition to the commercial food you are feeding. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

I hate to hear that Lily is having an issue eating her food. I would advise too try several renal diets. Royal Canin makes three different formulas. Purina and Science diet also make their own version. The best medicine would be for her to eat only a renal diet but sometimes pets have other ideas. If you cannot find a food that she likes and will readily eat, try mixing in about 25% of the renal diet in with 75% of her normal kibble. Every few days gradually increase the renal food. Even if she never goes on the renal diet fully, it's still better than not eating it at all. Try the canned renal diets as well (once again, all the brands carry this formula). If you want to try making her food at home, you will need to work with a veterinary nutritionist. Renal diets need carefully controlled protein, phosphorus and potassium levels. You can go online and find several who offer both phone and online consultations. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Unfortunately, if Chloe is dealing with kidney failure and heart disease, the weight will decrease. Cardiac disease can lead to what is called cardiac cachexia (muscle wasting) and renal disease can also lead to weight loss. The prognosis for both of these conditions is not good and if Chloe is taking a turn for the worse and medications are not helping, it may be time to consider letting Chloe go. I would first have a veterinarian take a look at her so that you can discuss this option further with the vet. If it is too much for her to go to the vet, I would look up a mobile veterinary clinic that comes to your house. I hope this helps!

I would be concerned that his diet is lacking in the micro nutrients, minerals and fatty acids. Lean meat, veggies and rice do not contain significant amounts of calcium, fatty acids...etc. This could contribute to his low weight. Dogs who have kidney disease will also commonly lose body condition as well. I would recommend to reach out to a veterinary nutritionist who can formulate a complete and balanced diet for Bingo that will meet his body calorie needs as well as address the vitamins/mineral/other nutrients. The diet will also address his pancreatitis and kidney disease. The kidney disease needs to be controlled by having low Phosphorus and low protein so this can be tricky. You veterinarian may have a recommendation for a nutritionist or you can look online. May nutritionist offer online consultations or phone consultations making the process easy. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

two disease come to mind: diabetes and kidney disease. Polydipsia and Polyuria (drinking and urinating excessively) and weight loss are typical for these two diseases. It is easy to diagnose with a blood test. Please take Jasmine to your vet for a blood test. Once diabetes is diagnosed, your vet can explain the therapy (most likely insulin injections, which are easily done and nothing to be feared), and diet. If kidney disease is diagnosed, she will have to take some medications and go on a special renal diet and likely regularly get fluids injected under the skin. Please take her to the vet soon .

Renal failure often causes cats to lose weight. The waste products that build up in the blood because the kidneys can't properly eliminate them cause nausea and gastritis (inflammation in the stomach) and sometimes even ulcers in the mouth. Talk to your vet about trying some medications to manage these conditions - either omeprazole or famotadine are often helpful, as well as the anti-nausea drug Cerenia. Also the drug mirtazipine can be used to help stimulate his appetite. Unfortunately it sounds like he has multiple problems that may be difficult to manage concurrently. I'd also consider running a bacterial culture of the nasal discharge to try to focus the antibiotic therapy and ensure that an effective drug is being used.

I would be worried about Kane as well. In a senior dog, this rapid weight loss could be due to liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, or cancer to name some causes. If she is having trouble moving, that suggests she is in pain. I'd take her into a vet right away to get checked out. Best of luck.