A diagnosis of chronic kidney disease does not mean your dog’s quality of life will suffer. When detected early, dogs with renal disease can live happily for years, especially if they get the right kind of intervention, including nutrition. With food that is specially formulated to support kidney function, as well as regular veterinary care, dogs with CKD can live comfortably and happily for months or even years after diagnosis. The key is early detection and providing your dog with the nutritional support their kidneys need.
What Is Kidney Disease?
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes a gradual loss of kidney function. The kidneys are essential for maintaining body homeostasis by filtering waste, regulating fluids, producing hormones, and controlling pH levels. When kidney function is compromised, waste products can build up in the blood and lead to serious complications. Up to 10% of dogs have kidney disease — while dogs of all ages can develop CKD, it is more common with older dogs, especially over ten years old.
Chronic kidney disease is different to acute kidney failure, which develops over hours or days in response to toxins (antifreeze, grapes, raisins, poisons, heavy metals), severe bacterial infections, and blockages preventing urine flow.
According to the Animal Medical Center, pets diagnosed with chronic kidney disease can have a good and prolonged quality of life if caught early and managed correctly. There are four stages of CKD depending on the disease’s progression. However, progression can be relatively slow and dogs in the early stages often don’t exhibit symptoms.
Early detection plays a crucial role in slowing disease progression. Early clinical signs of impaired kidney function include:
- Increased thirst and urination
- Changes in Appetite
Symptoms of kidney failure (later stage) include:
- Lower energy levels and lethargy
- Vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss
- Mouth ulcers
- Loss of appetite
- Dehydration — even with increased water consumption
- High blood pressure
- Bad breath, pale gums
Symptoms of kidney failure often occur in the mouth. Failing kidneys can no longer filter metabolic waste from the bloodstream. This buildup causes bad breath. Toxins can also cause painful ulcers in the mouth. Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO), which signals red blood cell production. Kidney problems cause EPO production to drop, leading to anemia and pale gums. These are signs of avdanced renal failure and require a same-day vet visit.
Your veterinarian will need to closely monitor your dog so that they can determine appropriate courses of therapy as the disease progresses. Because individual cases vary, the treatment most appropriate for your pet may be different than that of another dog with renal disease.
Treating Kidney Disease in Dogs
- Water consumption: Dogs with kidney disease often suffer from dehydration so water consumption is crucial. A fresh food diet is a great option for dogs with CKD because it contains more moisture. If you feed a dry food diet, adding low sodium broth can help to maintain hydration.
- IV fluid therapy: A core treatment for kidney disease in dogs is fluid therapy to rapidly correct dehydration and flush out toxins (such as urea and creatinine). One benefit is that IV fluids can be safely provided at home to reduce stress and cost. At-home fluid therapy must be closely monitored by your veterinarian, because over-infusing fluids can lead to high blood pressure and worsened kidney function. Your vet will calculate doses carefully and monitor parameters like weight, hydration, and blood work.
- Regular Veterinary Monitoring: Dogs with CKD require close monitoring to adjust treatment
as needed, especially for advanced renal failure. Vets will perform routine blood and urine tests, as well as blood pressure checks. SDMA testing provides early detection of any changes in kidney function. Your veterinarian will also help you choose an appropriate kidney diet for your dog. It is critical to maintain adequate calorie density in order to support good body condition, so regular weigh-ins are important. - Medication: Vets will tailor medications for CKD depending on your dog’s specific stage and symptoms, focusing on slowing disease progression and improving comfort. Common medications include anti-nausea support, oral binders that block the absorption of phosphorus, and ACE inhibitors that reduce protein loss in the urine and lower high blood pressure.
- Kidney Dialysis: Hemodialysis (kidney dialysis) deep cleans the blood—removing waste products and toxins—when the kidneys aren’t working well enough to do it on their own.
Managing Kidney Disease in Dogs with Diet
Nutrition is arguably the most important aspect of managing chronic kidney disease by reducing the amount of work that the kidneys need to perform. One study showed that on average, dogs fed a kidney diet lived 13 months longer than those who continued to eat regular dog food. In addition, dogs eating the renal diet had a 3-fold reduction in relative risk of uremic crises compared with dogs eating the maintenance control diet. At the end of the 2-year study, only 33% of dogs receiving the renal diet died from renal-related causes, compared with 65% of dogs receiving the maintenance diet. By feeding a special diet that supports kidney function, you will be helping to keep your dog’s body systems balanced.
Therapeutic diets designed for CKD use a combination of restricted protein, phosphorus, and sodium, with elevated concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.
Protein
Kidney-friendly diets typically contain less protein than regular dog foods so that the kidneys will not have to work as hard filtering out waste products in the blood from protein metabolism. Protein restriction for supporting kidney function has become increasingly controversial. Some argue that, in an effort to retain muscle mass, dogs with renal disease should not be placed on a low-protein diet, while others cite research suggesting that lower-protein diets prolong lifespan.
In either case, feeding high-quality protein sources with well-balanced ratios of essential amino acids can lower overall dietary protein content while preventing protein malnutrition. Based on the evidence currently available, the recommended range of protein on a dry matter basis for dogs with CKD is less than or equal to 14-20%.
Phosphorus
For dogs with CKD, phosphorus restriction is not controversial. Dogs with kidney disease gradually lose the ability to excrete phosphorus in their urine, so it backs up in the bloodstream. Reducing phosphorus intake can slow the progression of kidney disease in dogs and increase their lifespan. The recommended phosphorus range on a dry matter basis for dogs with CKD is 0.2-0.5%. Since phosphorus content is related to protein content, protein must be reduced in order to achieve these lower levels of phosphorus.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce proteinuria (the presence of an abnormally high amount of protein in the urine) and the production of inflammatory compounds that create oxidative stress to the tissue of the kidneys.
Sodium
Therapeutic renal diets also restrict sodium to help control high blood pressure, which is common in dogs with renal disease and can contribute to disease progression. Sodium restriction also helps manage fluid balance in dogs with impaired kidney function.
How Bramble’s Renal Recipes Manage Kidney Disease in Dogs
Bramble’s kidney recipes are formulated to support kidney function—and provide tasty comfort to your dogs. Fresh food, made with human-grade ingredients that are gently cooked, is better in quality, digestibility and taste. This is especially important for pups who aren’t feeling well.
Here is how Bramble’s renal recipes are formulated to support kidney disease in dogs:
- Lower Protein: Dogs with kidney disease need protein, but not too much. Bramble’s kidney recipes contain 20% protein on a dry matter basis.
- Plant-Based Protein: When treating kidney disease in dogs, protein quality is very important. Bramble’s feeding trial proved that Bramble’s plant protein is highly digestible and supplies all the essential amino acids dogs need. Bramble’s plant protein is also higher in fermentable fiber, which helps get rid of protein digestion waste products in poop. This allows dogs with CKD to eat more protein than they might be able to otherwise.
- Low Phosphorus: Since protein intake is key to keeping phosphorus levels low in dogs with kidney disease, it helps to feed proteins relatively low in phosphorus. Plant protein tends to be lower in phosphorus than animal-based sources. Plant protein also contains phosphorus in the form of phytate, which is less absorbable than the phosphates found in animal protein. This means that plant protein can provide dogs with adequate protein nutrition while also minimizing phosphorus absorption.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Bramble’s kidney food contains a marine algae, which supplies Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA & DHA) that reduce proteinuria (excess protein in the urine), improve capillary microcirculation, and help slow the progression of kidney damage.
- Nutritionally Dense: Kidney diets should also be calorie- and nutrient-dense, so dogs can eat less and still get a lot of nutrition. Intense heat processing denatures ingredients, so you need to feed more ultra-processed dog food. In contrast, Bramble’s gently cooked fresh food maintains the optimal nutritional value and thus takes less to meet your pup’s nutritional needs.
- Higher Moisture: Bramble’s fresh food is a better option for dogs with CKD because it contains more moisture. Dogs with kidney disease struggle to maintain their hydration so a diet that has high water content is a great way to boost a pet’s water consumption. Relatedly, too much sodium, which is also often found in dry dog food, can lead to dehydration.
- Taste: Last but not least, Bramble’s kidney-friendly recipes do not sacrifice taste for proper nutrition. Renal disease usually causes a loss of appetite. If your dog has also developed mouth ulcers due to CKD, which makes eating painful, Bramble’s moist, fresh food will be easier to consume.
While questions remain regarding the optimal dietary protein concentration for dogs with renal disease, there is no question that dogs with CKD will benefit from a therapeutic diet—such as Bramble’s renal recipes—designed to support kidney function. Dogs with early-stage CKD will likely tolerate less protein restriction than dogs with later stage kidney failure. You can order Bramble’s low protein dog food for kidney disease here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I transition my dog to a kidney function diet?
Dogs with CKD usually aren’t feeling well, so it’s important to treat symptoms like nausea before introducing a new dog food. Otherwise, your dog might associate not feeling well with the new therapeutic diet and refuse to eat it. Once your dog is feeling a little better, you can start to introduce them to Bramble by adding it to their regular food and increasing it slowly.
Is Bramble’s kidney food for dogs a prescription diet?
No, Bramble is not a prescription diet. Bramble’s low protein dog food is formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to support chronic kidney disease, as well as being suitable for some other health conditions that benefit from a lower protein, low phosphorus, low fat diet. Whether your dog would benefit from Bramble’s low protein recipes should be discussed with your veterinarian.
How does Bramble’s low protein recipes compare to other therapeutic diets that support kidney disease in dogs?
Like other therapeutic diets, Bramble’s low protein recipes are formulated to support kidney function for dogs with chronic kidney disease. Bramble’s kidney recipes are lower in protein, low phosphorus, low sodium, and higher in EPA/DHA. Most other therapeutic diets are ultra-processed kibble or wet food, made with low-quality ingredients. Bramble’s kidney food for dogs is made with high-quality protein, human-grade, antioxidant-rich ingredients. Our recipes are gently cooked, never intensely heated, and free from preservatives and allergens that could upset sensitive stomachs. Bramble not only provides renal support, but also nourishes your dog’s overall health and well-being.
Here at Bramble, we have talked a lot about the difference between what is deemed safe for feeding dogs and what we consider to be high quality. The kidney function category of pet food is a prime example.
When we look at the three most common diets that are designed to support kidney function and slow the disease progression, we see ultra-processed food made of low-quality ingredients that do not support overall health and quality of life. All three contain animal and grain by-products — waste products of the human food supply chain, animal fat, and synthetic flavors and colors. The waste products are rendered at high temperatures to make them safe for animal consumption and the final products are all intensely heat processed, denaturing the ingredients further. These foods might technically address kidney disease in dogs, but they don’t aid water consumption, dehydration, loss of appetite, painful mouth ulcers, and other unpleasant symptoms of kidney failure.
Bramble’s renal recipes aim to support kidney function, while also providing your dogs with high-quality nourishment and enjoyment again at mealtime.
Further reading: How to Choose a Kidney Diet for Dogs