Learning that your pup has chronic kidney disease can be a very frightening diagnosis. But there is good news. When detected early, dogs with kidney disease can live happily for years, especially if they get the right kind of intervention, including nutrition. Your dog’s diet is key to slowing kidney disease progression — one study showed that on average, dogs fed a kidney diet lived 13 months longer than those who continued to eat regular dog food. So we’re going to delve into how nutrition plays such a big role in managing this condition and why we believe Bramble’s low protein line of recipes is the best kidney diet for dogs.
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.
According to the Animal Medical Center, pets diagnosed with this 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 signs that your dog’s kidneys might not be functioning properly are excessive thirst and increased urination. Signs of later stage kidney failure include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss and dehydration. 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 the same disease.
Diet plays a very important role in helping to manage kidney disease by reducing the amount of work that the kidneys need to perform. By feeding a special kidney diet, you will be helping to keep your dog’s body systems balanced.
How to Choose a Kidney Diet For Dogs
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. Keep in mind that you might need to switch your pup’s food over time. For example, a dog with early stage kidney disease might still do well on a higher protein diet, but as the condition advances a low protein diet will better help manage symptoms.
Because kidney friendly diets are lower in protein, the ingredients and nutritional profile are significantly different to regular dog food. If you are having trouble finding this information or understanding the nutrition labels, it is a good idea to email or call the pet food company and discuss the numbers with your veterinarian.
Generally, when looking for a kidney diet for dogs, you’ll want to consider:
Taste: Palatability will make a big difference because kidney disease usually causes a loss of appetite, which is exacerbated by an impaired ability to taste and smell, which means your dog will feel even less motivated to eat. CKD can also cause dogs to develop ulcers in their mouth or stomach, which makes eating painful.
Moisture: For dogs with kidney disease, wet pet food is a better choice than dry kibble. If you continue to feed dry dog food, it will be important to supplement your dog’s diet with sufficient water so as to avoid dehydration.
Protein: One of the most important aspects of a kidney diet for dogs is protein. While dogs with kidney disease need protein, their protein intake cannot be too high. The goal is to feed just enough protein for your dog’s needs for muscle maintenance, energy, immune function, and the other vital functions, but no more than that.
Low Phosphorus: 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. Feeding a low protein diet can help to reduce phosphorus levels.
Commercial Kidney-Friendly Diets vs. Homemade Kidney Diets for Dogs
Finding a kidney diet that meets your dog’s needs can be very difficult, so it’s understandable that people turn to homemade dog food. On the other hand, it can be just as hard to make a balanced diet that meets all of your dog’s nutritional needs at home. A 2012 study reviewed 39 home-prepared recipes for dogs with chronic kidney disease and found that all the recipes could result in highly variable outcomes that would not meet clinical needs and warned against feeding the recipes long-term. Commercial pet food diets are routinely tested to ensure they are nutritionally complete and balanced and safe for feeding dogs with kidney disease long-term.
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-friendly category of pet food is a prime example.
When we look at the three most common kidney diets for dogs, that are all designed to support kidney function and slow the disease progression, we see ultra-processed food made of low-quality ingredients that do not nourish long-term overall health. 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.
Indeed, one of the most common emails we receive at Bramble is from pet parents who are struggling to find a kidney diet for dogs that they also feel good about feeding. We completely understand what makes so many people turn to homemade kidney-friendly recipes, but it would be more reliable to have a non-ultra-processed commercial pet food, made of high-quality protein and whole foods that your dog actually enjoys. In addition to managing kidney health, we also want to support your pup’s quality of life and overall health and well-being.
How To Transition Your Dog To A Kidney Diet
Dogs with kidney disease usually aren’t feeling well, so it’s important to treat symptoms like nausea before introducing a new food. Otherwise, your dog might associate not feeling well with the new food and refuse to eat it. Once your dog is feeling better, you can start to introduce them to a kidney-friendly diet. Like with any transition, the rule of thumb is to go slowly. Mix small amounts of the new food with their old food. Some signs of digestive upset are normal — just pull back on the amount of their new food until they appear ready to increase. Most importantly with a kidney diet, give your dog time to adjust to the new flavors.
Diet is crucial to managing kidney disease, so don’t give up on the new food. If you come to find that your dog simply doesn’t like the kidney-friendly food, try a different kidney diet and begin the transition anew.
What Makes Bramble the Best Kidney-Friendly Diet for Dogs
We believe in feeding high quality, fresh dog food for the same reason we believe in feeding ourselves this way: whole food, made with fresh ingredients that are gently cooked, is better in quality, digestibility and taste. The fresher, less processed the food, the more nutritious it is – for ourselves and our pets!
Bramble’s low protein recipes stood out at the 2026 Global Pet Expo, where Bramble won 1st place in the Dog Food and Treats category and was crowned Best In Show. Here’s what makes Bramble the best food for supporting kidney health:
- Plant-Based Protein: Protein intake is key to keeping phosphorus levels low in dogs with kidney disease so it is helpful to feed proteins relatively low in phosphorus. Plant-based sources of protein tend to be lower in phosphorus than animal-based sources of protein. Another benefit to Bramble’s high-quality protein is that it is higher in fermentable fiber, which helps get rid of protein digestion waste products in stool. This allows dogs with kidney disease to eat more protein than they might otherwise be able to.
- 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 kidney disease 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 intake. 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. Kidney disease usually causes a loss of appetite, which is exacerbated by an impaired ability to taste and smell, which means your dog will feel even less motivated to eat. If your dog has developed ulcers due to CKD, which makes eating painful, Bramble’s moist, fresh food will be easier to consume.
Like all our recipes, Bramble’s award-winning low protein options for kidney support are formulated by a board certified veterinary nutritionist and independently tested to ensure all your pup’s nutritional needs are properly met. You can shop for Bramble’s low protein recipes to support kidney disease here.