Homemade Renal Diet for Canines

When a dog is dealing with a particular health issue, creating a customized diet can have a profoundly positive effect on the healing process. A homemade renal diet for canines can help to restore the general health of a dog by providing boosted health benefits in comparison to a regular commercial dog food diet. Employing a feeding strategy that keeps the dog's unique health requirements in mind can play a large part in improving his health condition.

  1. Consult a Veterinarian

    • Consult a veterinarian when planning a homemade renal diet for canines. While it is possible to create a homemade diet to help with renal disease or renal failure in dogs, a veterinarian needs to be consulted throughout the process to ensure that other measures do not need to be taken. A veterinarian will have recommendations on how to fine tune a renal diet for canines to best suit the individual dog's medical needs.

    Protein Restriction

    • Restrict protein in the dog's diet in order to have a positive impact on recovery from renal disease or renal failure. Protein should not be restricted completely, because protein malnutrition can be caused as a result. Instead, protein amounts in the dog's diet should be slowly reduced by creating a diet at home and slowly replacing high protein foods with other nutritional choices such as eggs and dairy, fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Balanced nutrition is of vital importance and protein counts should only be reduced as much as necessary for the management of the renal issues.

    Homemade Diets

    • Create homemade diets either by cooking the ingredients or serving them raw, depending on preference. Homemade diets can consist of lean meats like beef, chicken, turkey and fish, eggs and dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables and nutritional, allergy-friendly grains such as oatmeal and rice. Vary the amounts of each ingredient as necessary to create a nutritionally balanced diet, while promoting the basic tenet of renal diets for canines, which is to cut down on protein without restricting protein levels too much. Work with a veterinarian when crafting a homemade renal diet for a dog in order to help ensure that the right nutritional balance is created.