5 Best Recipes Of Homemade Dog Food for Renal Disease

What is Renal Disease in Dogs?

• Kidneys act like the body’s filter, removing toxins and waste. Renal disease means the kidneys are damaged and cannot function properly.
• This leads to toxins in the dog’s system, causing serious health issues.
• Chronic renal failure (CRF) is common in older dogs and incurable but can be managed.

Why Homemade Food Can Help

• Control Over Ingredients: You can ensure your dog’s food is low in phosphorus, has moderate protein levels, and contains healthy ingredients tailored to their condition.
• Increased Palatability: Homemade meals can be more appealing, encouraging sick dogs with reduced appetites to eat.

Homemade Recipes for Dogs with Kidney Disease

Here is a summary of the provided recipes. Always consult your veterinarian before making major dietary changes and for advice on portion sizes.

• Recipe 1: Ground beef, white rice, boiled egg, white bread, eggshells (calcium source). You can add warm water or melted butter.
• Recipe 2: White bread with baby meat puree or dog food sauce for flavour. For dogs struggling to eat anything.
• Recipe 3: Meat, boiled potatoes/pumpkin, chicken fat/butter, eggshells. Adjust the meat/potato ratio based on disease severity.
• Recipe 4: Turkey, rice, beef. It is a simple dish for kidney issues.
• Recipe 5: Boiled potatoes with milk, hardboiled egg, baby meat puree, white bread, butter, eggshells. This is for dogs with reduced protein needs and poor appetite.

Important Feeding Principles

• Low Phosphorus: Essential for managing kidney disease.
• Moderate Protein: Too much protein strains the kidneys. Levels depend on disease severity.
• Healthy Fats: Omega-3s are beneficial; avoid most vegetable oils.
• Suitable Vegetables: Opt for low-phosphorus options like zucchini, green beans, pumpkin, carrots, and potatoes. Always cook the vegetables.
• Vitamins & Supplements: Your dog may need additional B vitamins, vitamins E, C, iron, and possibly others, as your vet recommends.
• Fractional Feeding: Smaller, more frequent meals improve digestion and reduce vomiting.
• Plenty of Water: Encourage water intake,

Key Takeaways

• Homemade food can be valuable in managing your dog’s kidney disease.
• Work closely with your veterinarian to create a diet plan for your dog’s needs.
• Prioritize low-phosphorus, moderate-protein, and palatable foods.
• Homemade food offers flexibility and control, but ensuring balanced nutrition is important.

‍What Is Renal Disease?

Some diseases that affect our pets are insidious. These include kidney failure. The danger of pathology lies in the fact that it becomes noticeable only in the later stages when the treatment is long, difficult, and expensive.

The kidneys are an organ that acts as a filter in the body, cleaning it from harmful substances, toxins, and toxins. However, sometimes, under the influence of any factors, the kidneys cease to cope with their function – their constituent cells, nephrons, gradually die off, poisoning the body with the products of its vital activity.

The pet’s body ceases to fully function with this pathology, so disturbances begin in other organs.

Chronic renal failure is a disease that cannot be cured. However, achieving good health for the pet and prolonging the dog’s life is possible. In addition to drug treatment, diet is of great importance.

Reason Behind Renal Disease in Dogs?

Kidney disease in dogs is a condition in which an organ is damaged so much that it cannot cope with its functions. It ceases to remove toxins from the blood, regulate blood pressure, and produce substances that improve the synthesis of red blood cells and the metabolism of calcium and vitamin D.

This causes serious malfunctions in the work of many organs and systems. If the disease progresses, chronic renal failure develops, which leads to the death of the animal.

• Toxins, incl. residues of household chemicals, disinfectants;
• Medicines;
• High or low blood pressure;
• Poisoning;
• Poor heart function;
• Trauma;
• Bacterial, viral infections;
• Worms;
• Foods high in phosphorus;

Symptoms Of Renal Disease In Dogs:

The kidneys are a tenacious organ, and necrosis of its tissues develops slowly, so the first symptoms of the disease are blurred and invisible. Consult a doctor for advice and treatment if your pet has started drinking more, urinating a lot, has no appetite, and is losing weight.

The first symptoms of chronic kidney disease in dogs appear when the organ is 75% damaged, and there is little that can be done. People are prescribed dialysis (regular blood purification through a special apparatus) for treatment. Animals are deprived of this opportunity due to the lack of expensive equipment in veterinary clinics.

Other signs of kidney disease in dogs include:

• High blood pressure;
• Blurred vision;
• Damage to the nervous system;
• Weakness;
• Apathy;
• Lack of energy;
• Drowsiness;
• Depression;
• Vomit;
• Diarrhoea;
• Bad breath;
• The poor condition of the coat.

In the last stages of the disease, the body does not cope with the work and poorly excretes urine. The animal urinates little, and toxins and end products of decay are not excreted and circulate in the blood.

There are two farms of renal failure – chronic and acute.

The acute form develops rapidly but is rare. The main symptoms include:

• Lethargy;
• Loss of appetite;
• Profuse and frequent urination;
• Hypo- or hyperthermia;
• Heart palpitations;
• Tremor;
• Swelling of the paws, abdomen, and chest;
• Sores on the oral mucosa;
• Pain on palpation of the abdominal cavity.
• Anaemia (remains for a long time);
• Strong thirst;
• A small amount of fluid is released during urination;
• Constipation followed by diarrhoea;
• Dry mucous membranes;

Stages Of Renal Disease For Dog:

Unfortunately, the first signs of pathology appear when 50 per cent or more of the tissues are affected in an animal. There are 4 stages of kidney failure:

Stage 1- Latent:

Although pathological processes in the dog’s body are already taking place, no external signs of the disease are observed – the pet continues to be mobile, and the appetite is preserved. Kidney failure can only be detected by testing. That is why it is so important to regularly undergo a comprehensive diagnosis of the pet’s health status.

Stage 2- Initial:

If the quadruped has an acute form of pathology, this stage lasts several days; if chronic – it takes about two weeks. The dog’s thirst increases, and urination becomes plentiful. Sometimes, some signs resemble the symptoms of viral diseases.

Stage 3- Conservative:

In addition to the above symptoms, the pet begins to rapidly lose weight, eat poorly, and become lethargic and lethargic. He also has problems with the gastrointestinal tract – vomiting and alternating constipation with diarrhoea.

Stage 4- Terminal:

The dog’s kidneys are not functioning. Against this background, there is severe dehydration and intoxication. The pet does not get up and does not show interest in food.

Important! If you notice signs of kidney failure in your dog, take him to the veterinarian immediately.

Homemade Dog Food Recipes:

If a dog is diagnosed with kidney failure, forget beautiful phrases like “a dog is a predator; it must eat meat.” With kidney damage, a potato with bacon or a pancake with butter will be much healthier for your pet than a chicken breast or beef tenderloin.

All foods for dogs with kidney failure are primarily plant-based, which is fine. The main thing is that the dog does not refuse to eat such food – the kidneys should not starve. This is where tricks that are inaccessible to the average person come to the rescue, such as adding protein hydrolysates to the feed.

Make sure to consult your vet about how much food should be given to your pet. Please put on your apron, and let us make homemade dog food for renal disease now that the fundamentals are apparent.

Make sure to consult your vet about how much food should be given to your pet. Please put on your apron, and let us make homemade dog food for renal disease now that the fundamentals are apparent.

Recipe No. 1

Ingredients:

• 120g ground raw beef (but do not use the dietary lean portion)
• 2 cups boiled white rice (preferably fine-grained; do not salt!)
• One hard-boiled chicken egg (previously carefully kneaded)
• Three slices white bread (crumble beforehand)
• One teaspoon ground eggshell (from a raw egg, dry and grind in a coffee grinder; this is the best source of calcium but can be replaced with 5 mg of calcium carbonate from a pharmacy if necessary).

Preparation:

• If you are afraid to give raw meat, it can be lightly cooked (not overcooked) in a double boiler or pan with a non-stick coating.
• Mix all ingredients. Since the resulting mix is a little dry, warm water can be added.
• You can also add a little melted butter (this stimulates the dog’s appetite and adds almost no protein to the diet).

Recipe No. 2

Ingredients:

• White bread
• Prepared meat dog sauces or baby meat puree

Preparation:

• Cut the bread into slices.
• Spread a little puree or sauce on a slice for smell and taste, and treat the dog.
• As a rule, even for very sick dogs, whose main nutrition comes through intravenous or subcutaneous infusions, like these sandwiches, the stomach must not be empty.

Recipe No. 3

Ingredients:

• Steamed or raw beef, pork, or chicken
• Boiled potatoes or pumpkin
• Chicken fat or butter
• One teaspoon of ground eggshell (or the equivalent of 600 mg of calcium carbonate)

Preparation:

• Grind the meat in a meat grinder. Make mashed potatoes with water from boiled potatoes (pumpkin).
• Add a source of calcium. Mix in proportions depending on the degree of CRF (with uremia, the meat is greatly reduced).
• In the initial stages, 1 part of the meat is used for four parts of potatoes (that is, for 75 g of meat – 300 g of potatoes).
• In the severe stage – 1:12 (for 25 g of meat and 300 g of potatoes).
• Season with pre-melted chicken fat or butter.

Recipe No. 4

Ingredients:

• Rice
• Turkey meat
• Beef

Preparation:

• You need two cups of water for every cup of rice you want to cook. The cooking time for rice is 20 minutes.
• Prepare the remaining ingredients while the rice is cooking.
• The turkey meat should be well-cleaned before cutting.
• Add the turkey meat to the rice 10 minutes into the cooking process.
• Drain the ingredients after cooking them, then set them aside to cool.
• In another pan, bring water to a boil. After the water has boiled, only add the meat.
• For around five minutes, cook the meat. You will know you are ready when it turns red to brown.
• Remove the white froth by rinsing the cooked meat in cold water.
• Add the meat to the rice and turkey, which has been cut into small pieces.
• Here is a straightforward, homemade method for treating renal problems in dogs.

Recipe No. 5

Ingredients:

• Several boiled potatoes
• Some raw milk
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1 jar of baby meat puree (without salt and other additives)
• 2-3 slices of white bread
• Butter
• 1 teaspoon ground eggshell

Preparation:

• Make mashed potatoes and milk.
• Add eggshell powder, baby meat food, finely chopped (crushed with a fork) boiled egg, and crumbled bread.
• Drizzle with melted butter.
• This dish is suitable for dogs that need to reduce their protein intake and suffer from anorexia.

Basic Principles Of Feeding Dogs With Renal Disease:

Animals with some kind of kidney disease may suffer from the accumulation of nitrogen-containing wastes, which, in turn, cause intoxication of the body.

The animal may suffer from nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Therefore, the energy consumed by the animal must correspond to its needs, so it is necessary to regularly weigh and determine the patient’s body condition using a scoring system.

The veterinarian determines the duration of the diet, which depends on the stage of kidney disease, the clinical condition of the animal, and laboratory and instrumental data.

In some cases, diet therapy helps prevent the progression of kidney disease. Recommendations for therapeutic feeding, as well as other forms of treatment and patient support, should be adapted to the needs of each patient according to their clinical condition and laboratory results. See below the principles of feeding dogs with renal disease.

• Low Phosphorus Content:

In feed for kidneys, the phosphorus level does not exceed 15-40 mg/kg. When compiling a natural diet, products with the lowest content of this element are used.

The traditional basis of nutrition for any predator is meat, but this product is rich in phosphorus. You should choose meat that is sufficiently fatty and has a minimum phosphorus content. For example, there is less meat in beef than in chicken. Raw, unpeeled tripe is a good treat for a dog with kidney failure.

• Moderate Amount of Protein:

Depending on the blood test results and the kidneys’ condition, the protein level in the food should be 2-3 grams per 1 kg of the dog’s weight. Restriction of protein products forces you to get the necessary calories at the expense of carbohydrates.

In industrial feeds, a large amount of grain is considered a sign of low quality; this is a common way to reduce the cost of the product. However, in a kidney diet, carbohydrates can make up 50% of the diet – this simultaneously reduces the level of protein and phosphorus.

• The Right Fats:

With kidney disease, the dog should not be given any vegetable oils – they contain many omega-6 fatty acids, while omega-3 is needed. Animal fats are not contraindicated (unless the pet suffers from pancreatitis) and increase the palatability of food. Choring food with butter or feeding the dog boiled pork is even acceptable.

• Suitable Vegetables and Fruits:

Vegetables can not be fed raw; they are boiled, steamed, and then crushed into a puree.

The least phosphorus in zucchini, green beans, pumpkin, carrots, and potatoes can be given.

Cranberries and green apples are added to the diet.

Boiled vegetables are an important part of a dog’s diet with kidney failure.

• Additional Vitamins:

In chronic renal failure, the dog can no longer get enough vitamins from food. The diet (except for Omega-3 supplements) must be enriched with B vitamins (brewer’s yeast), vitamins E, C, and iron. Some doctors recommend supplementing with Coenzyme Q-10 (ubiquinone).

Even under this condition, the pet will periodically need courses in vitamin preparation and amino acids in injections.

• Fractional Nutrition:

It is very important! Feedings for a dog with chronic renal failure should be increased to 4 times a day instead of two meals daily. In no case should a pet go hungry. Fractional nutrition increases the digestibility of food and reduces the risk of “hungry vomiting”.

• Water Without Restrictions:

You should not restrict a dog with kidney disease from drinking, even if it results in peeing between walks. It is good if the content of sodium and other salts in the water is low, so ordinary tap water is not the best choice.

What is the best food for dogs with kidney disease?

The best food for dogs with kidney disease is typically a specially formulated renal diet prescribed by a veterinarian. These diets are designed to reduce the workload on the kidneys while providing balanced nutrition. Here are key features to look for in such foods:

1. Low Protein Content

• Protein should be reduced, but high-quality protein sources are important for maintaining muscle mass.
• Excess protein can lead to an accumulation of waste products that the kidneys struggle to eliminate.

1. Low Phosphorus

• Reducing phosphorus intake helps slow the progression of kidney damage. High phosphorus levels can lead to further kidney stress and mineral imbalances.

1. Low Sodium

• Lower sodium levels help control blood pressure, which is crucial for dogs with kidney disease.

1. Increased Omega-3 Fatty Acids

• Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil can help reduce inflammation and support kidney function.

1. Increased Moisture Content

• Wet or canned foods are often preferred because they help keep the dog hydrated, essential for kidney health.

1. Added Antioxidants and Vitamins

• Renal diets often include added antioxidants and specific vitamins to support overall health and immune function.

Recommended Brands:

• Hill’s Prescription Diet k/d
• Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Renal Support
• Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Kidney Function
• Blue Buffalo Natural Veterinary Diet KS (Kidney Support)

Homemade Diets:

• Sometimes, a vet might recommend a homemade diet tailored specifically to your dog’s condition, but this should only be done under veterinary supervision to ensure it meets your dog’s nutritional needs.