What to Feed a Dog With a Kidney Disease

If your dog has been diagnosed with kidney disease, you want to give it the best treatment you can afford. You may already have tried medications and natural herbs to no avail. Perhaps you should consider changing your dog's diet. Eating healthier may prolong a canine's life. Knowing what to feed a dog with a kidney disease can also go a long way towards making your pet feel more comfortable.

  1. Low-Phosphorus Diet

    • The Ohio State Veterinary Medical School recommends that dogs be fed less than 22.25 mg (or about 10 mg per each pound of body weight) of phosphorus daily in the early stages of kidney failure. Dairy products, fish, bones, organ meats and egg yolks are all high in phosphorus. The dog does need to eat some of these foods to stay healthy, but it should eat them in moderation. Check the phosphorus amounts that are in any of the vegetables and grains you feed the dog.

    High Fat Diet

    • Dogs are not like people when it comes to food. A diet high in fat will not cause the dog's cholesterol to rise. However, do not immediately give the dog tons of high fat foods. Gradually increase the amount of fat you give it. Be sure to feed the dog lots of fatty meats. Lamb, pork and fatty hamburger are good choices. Give it turkey or chicken skin and the dark meat from poultry. Feed the dog cottage cheese, whole milk, eggs and yogurt in moderation.

    Moderate Protein Diet

    • When a dog has kidney disease, it tends to lose a lot of protein in its urine. According to the December 1998 Journal of Nutrition, an unhealthy dog should take in about 1g of protein daily per each pound of body weight when it has kidney disease. Some acceptable protein foods would be eggs and lightly cooked or raw meat.

    Low-Carbohydrate Diet

    • Although dogs do not normally need carbohydrates, to reduce phosphorus you must feed the dog a diet that consists of at least 50 percent carbohydrates. Feed the dog sweet potatoes, squash and pasta. Some fruits that contain carbohydrates but are low in phosphorus are pineapples, mangoes, peaches, pears, cantaloupe, avocados, apples and cranberries.

    Regular Sodium Diet

    • High blood pressure is another condition that is often found in dogs that have kidney disease. According to the Encyclopedia of Canine Clinical Nutrition, several studies have been conducted which have determined that increasing dietary salt intake will not alter the blood pressure in healthy or unhealthy dogs. So despite suggestions for low sodium diets in the past for dogs with kidney failure, if sodium levels are too low it may affect kidney function.