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Why Raw Feeding Is the Perfect Diet for Pets With Kidney & Bladder Problems

Dogs or cats with kidney problems experience a phenomenon where their kidneys are unable to concentrate the waste they filter out, resulting in higher volumes of water being required for your dog or cat’s body to function effectively.

If your fur-child is dealing with kidney problems, chances are that people are going to tell you need to feed your dog a low-protein diet. However, studies show that this is only necessary if your pet is in renal failure with a blood urea nitrogen level (BUN) over 80 mg/dL.

In kidney failure like any other disease, Diet is your number one priority. You will need to feed your dog a high-quality protein, low phosphorus, highly nutritious whole food diet that avoids processed ingredients and any hard to accept, synthetic vitamins and minerals.

A raw diet provides the protein and water content required to keep your pet healthy and feeling good. A high-quality protein is essential for your pet’s health.

Unfortunately, most dogs or cats eat kibble, which only provide a low-quality protein that is hard for the kidneys to process; which is why a low-protein diet is the “go-to” recommendation for many pets with kidney problems.
Not all proteins are created equally. There are high quality proteins and lower quality proteins. This means some are digested and broken down more efficiently within the body than others. The waste product from protein digestion is Nitrogen waste. In a healthy animal the kidneys are responsible for removing this waste product of digestion. Compromised kidneys are not able to remove this waste product as efficiently and it builds up in the blood stream. It is measured as the Blood Urean Nitrogen or BUN.

The higher the quality of protein the less nitrogen is left behind when it is digested. Eggs and Raw Meat are the two highest quality proteins for dogs. This means a dog with kidney issues can eat a larger quantity of high-quality protein than it can of a lower quality protein without as much waste being left behind for the kidneys to eliminate. It’s similar to gasoline for your car’s engine. If you use high grade gasoline it burns more efficiently, it gives you more mileage and it leaves less gunk and build up in your car’s engine and filters than regular gas would.

Pawsome Raw complete meals are full of pure, high-quality protein. This high-quality protein is even thought to aid kidneys in filtering and in the increase of toxin excretion. Of all the raw meats you can feed your dog, poultry, such as chicken, turkey, and duck, is the most easily digestible form of protein. This will aid the kidneys function by the mere fact that your dog is ingesting the most physiologically and biologically appropriate protein fit for its kidneys.

When a dog is experiencing kidney problems, they’re also dealing with dehydration. It is important to make sure that you always have fresh, filtered water available for your pet and to make sure they’re getting enough water from their food as well.

Many dogs with reduced kidney function lose their appetite. This is usually due to their stomach becoming overly acidic. This in turn causes them to feel nauseated. If you have ever experienced bad acid reflux or heartburn you can probably relate. Even if your dog is not vomiting, he may still be nauseous.

A wonderful natural antacid is Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. You can purchase this at your health food store. Make sure it’s RAW!

Give ¼ teaspoon for dogs up to 10 kg, ½ teaspoon for dogs up to 18 kg, ¾ teaspoon for dogs up to 27 kg and 1 teaspoon for dogs 36 kg and over. You can mix this with some unsweetened apple pure and syringe in his mouth 3-4 times per day or as needed. Ginger root is an excellent herb for settling the stomach. If you have a larger dog you can purchase capsules and give 1-2 capsules 3-4 times per day. If your dog is too small to swallow capsules, you can mix some ginger powder or freshly grated ginger in with some unsweetened steamed apple puree. You can give in the same dose with the Apple Cider Vinegar if you wish.

One of the first things you notice about processed dog food is how dry the pellets are. They provide little to no hydration for your dog. Pawsome Raw have a moisture content of 70 %, making it much easier for your dog to stay hydrated. This will not only help their kidneys function more appropriately but will make them feel better and healthier.

When dealing with dogs/cats that have kidney/bladder stones feeding a Low Purine Raw Diet is essential.

It is recommended that dogs genetically prone to urate stones be fed a low-purine diet. Foods that contain low purines include most fruit and vegetables, dairy products, and grains. Although these food choices can be included in the raw food diet, they do not contain the nutrients necessary to provide a complete and balanced diet for your dog or cat. Grains are very pro-inflammatory and the exclusion of grains in a carnivore’s diet is beneficial in that chronic inflammation will be reduced.

Dogs and cats require high- quality meat protein, as this is the most digestible and biologically appropriate food choice. By choosing lower purine meat proteins and supplementing with additional fruits, vegetables, and dairy products fur-parents can create a raw feeding plan that provides your dog with proper nutrition yet lowers the build-up of uric acid.

Primary Protein choices in the Pawsome Raw meals containing the least % of purines, making them the best choices in our complete meals – a raw food diet of Turkey, Rabbit and Duck. Secondary Proteins – feed in moderation: Beef, Lamb and Chicken could also be fed, but contain at least 10% organ meats, which makes these choices higher in purine. You can also offer raw meaty bones in addition to these meal choices to reduce the % of organ meats from 10% to 5%.

Proteins Not Recommended:

We suggest avoiding all pork, ostrich and venison, because these proteins contain the highest levels of purine. Organ Meats typically contain higher quantities of purine therefore organ meats should be reduced. Tripe contains a moderate amount of purine and therefore can be fed in moderation. We suggest not exceeding 10% – 20% of the diet. Most dogs do well with tripe as a replacement to organ meats because it is a rich source of enzymes and minerals. Fish such as herring or sardines are very high in purines, however salmon is moderately high. We would recommend adding our Pure minced Salmon but do not exceed more than 10% of the daily feeding requirements.

Vegetables and fruits:

Do NOT feed Onion, Grapes or Raisins to dogs.

Dogs can have any other fruits and veggies you wish. Parsley, Watermelon, Cucumber and Celery are all excellent kidney foods so try to incorporate some of these into the daily feeding regime. An excellent broth to add to your dog’s food portions will be to boil green leafy vegetables e.g. Broccoli, spinach, kale, baby marrow, cabbage and celery, make a hearty thick broth (do not discard the water mash everything together). This can be portioned into 30% of the meal requirements for your dog and you can freeze it till you need it. Grated cucumber and some chopped parsley over the meat and vegetable mixture.

Pawsome Raw’s has perfect solutions for dogs with kidney issues and we will gladly assist creating the perfect combination of complete meals and Raw meaty bones for your pet!

For more information on top grade,
premium quality nutrition for pets:
E-mail: retha@pawsomeraw.com
Tel: 087 500 9035
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