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Weight loss in elderly cat with CKD

Published on: November 26, 2024 • By: LaBella · In Forum: Cats
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LaBella
Participant
November 26, 2024 at 06:12pm
<span style="font-size: 14px;">Seeking urgent food / weight loss advice for my senior cat with early stage of CKD. Long post ahead. </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">Main points... what food can I feed my cat with early CKD to help her gain weight without harming her liver or kidneys?</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">I am struggling with multiple vets who just say to “feed her the renal food”. There is never an alternative, and there is never education about why I can’t feed her other foods in addition to renal food. (I’ve had to do my own research). Vets appear hyper-focused on renal food without any alternative and my cat is losing significant weight because she just won’t eat it. </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">My beautiful 19-year-old cat is in stage 1 renal failure. My main question for this post is food related… please read on to fully understand Bella’s situation and question (thank you!). </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">Her last blood test stats are: </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">SDMA Kidneys (Normal range: 0-14) – Bella is 15</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">CREA Creatine (Normal range: 71-212) – Bella is 213</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">ALT Liver (Normal range: 12-130) – Bella is high at 153</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">Her readings are low in the abnormal range at this point and her liver reading is elevated. She has been on a renal based diet since her last test (for a year now), and she does not eat all of her vet prescribed food. I have tried every vet prescribed option:</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">Royal Canine – Early renal </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">Royal Canine – Renal </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">Hills – Renal </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">Purina Pro – Renal </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">She likes the taste of them all but will rarely eat a full sachet and will only eat “more” when I replace it (typical cat). She gets fed 2 pouches a day and has unlimited access to renal dry food, which she rarely eats too. Has access to running water and drinks plenty. She also has the additional tuna loin as a treat on occasion as she loves it.</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">The issue is, she is all skin and bone because of the lack of food. She has an appetite; she’ll eat every piece of the tuna, so appetite is not the issue. But the vets are not helpful, they just say to keep “feeding her the renal food”. But Bella wants chicken and wants fish! I’ve tried blending her food to a paste, adding tuna and chicken to her renal food – if the renal food is with it, she will rarely eat it.</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">I only understand the food requirements for cats with CKD because of my own research, NOT because the vets I see go into detail. I understand about high quality crude protein, low phosphorus, low sodium, vitamins etc. But my cat is not eating the food! And my vets are not helping! (I’ve seen multiple other vets, change vets, and it seems the same issue no matter where I go). However, I am not a veterinarian and really need a simple solution. </span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">I don’t want to make her kidney and liver worse by feeding her food from the supermarket, but on occasion (out of desperation to get her to eat a full meal to stop her from losing weight) I’ve given her  Applaws Chicken and rice and the tuna loin and she eats them all and links the bowl! She has an appetite, she just dislikes the renal foods available.</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">My main question is...</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">- What food in addition to her renal food can I give her to gain some weight? And not harm her in the process.</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">I want her to be happy, healthy and full! She’s so very skinny now :(</span><!--/data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/clipdata/clipdata_bodytext_241127_014731_640.sdocx-->
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LaBella
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November 26, 2024 at 06:22pm
<span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Seeking urgent food / weight loss advice for my senior cat with early stage of CKD. Long post ahead. </span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Main points... what food can I feed my cat with early CKD to help her gain weight without harming her liver or kidneys.</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">I am struggling with multiple vets who just say to “feed her the renal food”. There is never an alternative, and there is never education about why I can’t feed her other foods in addition to renal food. (I’ve had to do my own research). Vets appear hyper-focused on renal food without any alternative and my cat is losing significant weight because she just won’t eat it. </span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">My beautiful 19-year-old cat is in stage 1 renal failure. My main question for this post is food related… please read on to fully understand Bella’s situation and question (thank you!). </span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Her last blood test stats are: </span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">SDMA Kidneys (Normal range: 0-14) – Bella is 15</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> CREA Creatine (Normal range: 71-212) – Bella is 213</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">ALT Liver (Normal range: 12-130) – Bella is high at 153</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Her readings are low in the abnormal range at this point and her liver reading is elevated. She has been on a renal based diet since her last test (for a year now), and she does not eat all of her vet prescribed food. I have tried every vet prescribed option:</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Royal Canine – Early renal</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Royal Canine – Renal</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Hills – Renal</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Purina Pro – Renal</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">She likes the taste of them all but will rarely eat a full sachet and will only eat “more” when I replace it (typical cat). She gets fed 2 pouches a day and has unlimited access to renal dry food, which she rarely eats too. Has access to running water and drinks plenty. She also has the additional tuna loin as a treat on occasion as she loves it.</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">The issue is, she is all skin and bone because of the lack of food. She has an appetite; she’ll eat every piece of the tuna, so appetite is not the issue. But the vets are not helpful, they just say to keep “feeding her the renal food”. But Bella wants chicken and wants fish! I’ve tried blending her food to a paste, adding tuna and chicken to her renal food – if the renal food is with it, she will rarely eat it.</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">I only understand the food requirements for cats with CKD because of my own research, NOT because the vets I see go into detail. I understand about high quality crude protein, low phosphorus, low sodium, vitamins etc. But my cat is not eating the food! And my vets are not helping! (I’ve seen multiple other vets, change vets, and it seems the same issue no matter where I go). However, I am not a veterinarian and really need a simple solution.</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">I don’t want to make her kidney and liver worse by feeding her food from the supermarket, but on occasion (out of desperation to get her to eat a full meal to stop her from losing weight) I’ve given her  Applaws Chicken and rice and the tuna loin and she eats them all and links the bowl! She has an appetite, she just dislikes the renal foods available.</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">My main question is...</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">What food in addition to her renal food can I give her to gain some weight? And not harm her in the process?</span> <span style="color: #00344a; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">I want her to be happy, healthy and full! She’s so very skinny now :(</span>
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LaBella
Participant
November 26, 2024 at 06:31pm
I have no idea why my text is all scrambled... hopefully this works.   Seeking urgent food / weight loss advice for my senior cat with early stage of CKD. Long post ahead. Main points... what food can I feed my cat with early CKD to help her gain weight without harming her liver or kidneys. I am struggling with multiple vets who just say to “feed her the renal food”. There is never an alternative, and there is never education about why I can’t feed her other foods in addition to renal food. (I’ve had to do my own research). Vets appear hyper-focused on renal food without any alternative and my cat is losing significant weight because she just won’t eat it. My beautiful 19-year-old cat is in stage 1 renal failure. My main question for this post is food related… please read on to fully understand Bella’s situation and question (thank you!). Her last blood test stats are: SDMA Kidneys (Normal range: 0-14) – Bella is 15 CREA Creatine (Normal range: 71-212) – Bella is 213 ALT Liver (Normal range: 12-130) – Bella is high at 153 Her readings are low in the abnormal range at this point and her liver reading is elevated. She has been on a renal based diet since her last test (for a year now), and she does not eat all of her vet prescribed food. I have tried every vet prescribed option: Royal Canine – Early renal Royal Canine – Renal Hills – Renal Purina Pro – Renal She likes the taste of them all but will rarely eat a full sachet and will only eat “more” when I replace it (typical cat). She gets fed 2 pouches a day and has unlimited access to renal dry food, which she rarely eats too. Has access to running water and drinks plenty. She also has the additional tuna loin as a treat on occasion as she loves it. The issue is, she is all skin and bone because of the lack of food. She has an appetite; she’ll eat every piece of the tuna, so appetite is not the issue. But the vets are not helpful, they just say to keep “feeding her the renal food”. But Bella wants chicken and wants fish! I’ve tried blending her food to a paste, adding tuna and chicken to her renal food – if the renal food is with it, she will rarely eat it. I only understand the food requirements for cats with CKD because of my own research, NOT because the vets I see go into detail. I understand about high quality crude protein, low phosphorus, low sodium, vitamins etc. But my cat is not eating the food! And my vets are not helping! (I’ve seen multiple other vets, change vets, and it seems the same issue no matter where I go). However, I am not a veterinarian and really need a simple solution. I don’t want to make her kidney and liver worse by feeding her food from the supermarket, but on occasion (out of desperation to get her to eat a full meal to stop her from losing weight) I’ve given her  Applaws Chicken and rice and the tuna loin and she eats them all and links the bowl! She has an appetite, she just dislikes the renal foods available. My main question is... What food in addition to her renal food can I give her to gain some weight? And not harm her in the process? I want her to be happy, healthy and full! She’s so very skinny now :(
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Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
December 02, 2024 at 08:26pm
To my understanding, renal food is the ideal thing to feed cats with kidney issues because it doesn't contain the proteins that cause most harm to the kidneys on the way out.  Many vets advocate warming the food slightly, hand-feeding or adding water in order to make it more palatable.  HOWEVER keeping weight on the patient has also been shown to be important - perhaps even more so than regulating protein.  So, if these measures don't work, then many vets will suggest adding something like low-sodium chicken-broth in order to help to make the food more palatable.  That said, I do not know your cats' weight or situation and am in no position to give direct veterinary advice to a patient I have never seen, so this is really something that you will need to ask your vet about (dietary modification is part of medical care).  Perhaps they can pass the question to a medical specialist if they are not sure in this case.
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