Nutrition is the key element
to improve health and to recover from illness. To explain this fully I will use my own 19-year-old cat
Oliver who has Renal Disease.
From the age of 3 months,
Oliver was fed the best food recommended to me by his Veterinarian. Over the next 12 to 14 years of his
life he ate dry food and a variety of canned wet foods. During this time he had countless trips
to the Vets to be vaccinated each year, dental work, antibiotics for a variety
of ailments and other medications for sinusitis, asthma, skin conditions and
mild infections. I also treated
him on a regular basis with other medications including a commercially pet
approved chemical applied on the skin, which treats internal and external parasites. I was being the best pet owner
possible. I put my trust and faith
in the Veterinarians treating Oliver.
I also trusted commercial pet food, always buying the highest quality I
could find.
At about 12 years old he
started to become stiff which was diagnosed as arthritis. Again, he was given more medication,
which eased the condition. All
this time I remained oblivious to the underlying cause of the ongoing ailments,
until I received blood test results telling me his kidneys were not doing so
good. It was, for me, a big wake
up call. I started my research
into why this illness is so prevalent in cats and it was like opening a big can
of worms, totally impossible to put the lid back on.
Oliver is now 19 years old
and the diagnosis of impaired kidney function was about 5 years ago. At that time the test results showed
that his kidneys were significantly damaged. The Veterinarian advised me to change his diet to Royal
Canin Dry and Wet Food specifically for Renal Failure. However, the Vet was surprised Oliver
appeared so healthy with such poor blood test results.
Thankfully I had, by that
time already started reading several animal nutritional books and was
researching numerous websites in regards to Homemade Diets for Cats. I slowly started to change Oliver’s
diet, experimenting with new foods, supplements and herbs. However, at this time I was very
nervous to give my sick cat; foods the Vet had advised me against. In fact every Vet I have spoken to in
regards to a raw diet are against it, always telling me that commercial pet
food is complete and balanced, homemade food is not.
Eventually I gained enough
confidence to change the diet completely.
I eliminated the commercial pet food and practically all of what Oliver
has eaten over the last 3-4 years has been raw, human grade, high quality
food. Rather than being knocked
down by my cat’s seemingly serious diagnosis, I was thankfully challenged to
try and help Oliver cope with his impaired kidney function using nutrition as
his medicine.
I wanted to give him the
best support possible using natural methods to reduce or at least slow down the
damage to the kidneys.
The work has certainly paid
off. Oliver is now strong,
healthy, happy, eats well and has a high quality of life. He still has Kidney Disease but I feel
it is manageable with lots of live, raw food and a helping hand from several
herbs and other supplements.
The cause of Kidney Disease
is somewhat controversial. Whilst
some Holistic Veterinarians strongly claim it is the poor quality commercial
pet food, others claim that it could be a variety of causes such as
vaccinations, environmental toxins, genetics, veterinary medications and toxins
in contaminated food.
Kidney disease (K.D.) is
not usually detectable until more than two thirds of the kidneys have been
compromised. Most patients
diagnosed with renal failure usually also have chronic periodontal disease,
arthritis and low-grade dermatitis. (Lonsdale 2001) Early warning signs of K.D (which is the second leading
cause of death in cats) are frequent urination, increased thirst, loss of
appetite, nausea and vomiting, which may last days at a time. (Brown 2006)
A blood test usually
reveals elevated levels of creatinine and urea, both of which should be low if
the kidneys are doing their job.
Fortunately, author and practicing Veterinarian, Dr. Goldstein believes
that K.D. diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence. Animals in his care have shown that
kidney tissue and cells can and do regenerate. (Goldstein et al 2005)
Based on the advice most
vets and commercial pet foods tell us, a cat diagnosed with K.D. should be put
onto a low protein diet. Most
veterinary practices sell food specifically produced for ‘renal failure.’ There are dry and wet foods, all of
which are very low in protein and very high in grains. However, many holistic animal
nutritionists advice that it is a very big mistake to restrict protein intake.
“Low protein diets can harm any cat, including one with declining
kidney function…lower protein foods don’t help and can, in fact, exacerbate
muscle wasting.” (Arora 2006)
In support of this
controversial claim, author (and veterinarian) of ‘Your Cat,’ advices that when
cats are sick, their protein requirements are very high,
“The cat on a protein restricted diet cannot repair its own ailing
body or produce enough energy to meet its needs.” (Hodgkins 2007)
More support comes from
author of ‘Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs,
“older dogs and dogs with compromised kidneys can easily digest high
quality proteins. If given in high
enough doses these proteins kill bacteria in the kidneys and create an acidic
condition that promote organ health, fighting off infections and bacteria in
the dog’s system” (Olson 2010)
This is of course based on
dogs not cats, however there is no reason why this finding doesn’t also apply
to our feline friends.
Most Holistic Veterinarians
and animal nutritionists do however tend to agree that when presented with the
diagnosis of K.D. the diet should indeed be changed and there are several
things to avoid if possible including:
- Dry foods
- Foods containing
preservatives
- Colouring agents
- Chemicals used for
internal and external parasites
- Pollutants
- Medications
- Vaccinations
- Unfiltered water
- Herbicides, pesticides,
toxins found in poor quality foods
There are several diets
that I have tried and tested on my cat Oliver. The cooked diets have failed, as he prefers raw, however I
do believe there is a place for cooked foods especially when faced with a sick
cat that has a loss of appetite.
Author of ‘The Holistic Cat, advices that whatever the diet, there are
several additions that should be incorporated into the diet to assist the renal
failure. They include:
- Lots of greens, including peas, red clover, spirulina, barley and
wheat grass, sea greens (to boost immune system, supply vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, enzymes and amino acids whilst detoxifying the body.)
- Dandelion leaves (which act as a natural diuretic assisting to
flush the kidneys)
- Probiotics (increase absorption of essential nutrients, kill
harmful bacteria in the gut, maintain healthy gut flora)
- Vitamin B6 (rids the body of excess water whilst assisting to
balance sodium and potassium, 5-10mg/day)
- B complex (to replace those B vitamins lost in urine)
- Vitamin C (boosts the immune system, keeps urine acidic, destroys
any bacteria and as its water soluble it needs to be replaced) (Pitcairn et al
2005)
- Cranberry (acidifies urine, destroys bacterial build up in the
urinary tract)
- Lecithin granules (assists to reduce inflammation of the kidneys
and tissue repair. Dosage for an adult cat is ½ tsp/day)
- Pots of fresh wheatgrass to chew on (Coscia 2009)
- Small amount of odourless garlic to keep away parasites
- Kelp (high in minerals, benefits kidneys)
- Fresh parsley (a natural diuretic providing relief for the kidneys,
high in vitamin C) (Brown 2006)
- Omega 3 such as salmon oil and flaxseed oil. (reduces inflammation
and improve blood flow)
- Omega 6 such as borage seed oil, evening primrose oil, blackcurrant
oil. (Messonnier 2001)
- Vitamin A supplement 1000iu/day (acts as a lubricant for the
kidneys) (Goldstein 1999)
- Alfalfa
The diet I regularly make
for Oliver consists of raw chicken meat and chicken bones. I usually buy the chickens whole
without the skin and put the whole lot through a meat mincer. He enjoys it, in particular mixed with
green peas and brown rice baby food plus the supplements I add to boost his
health, immune system and hopefully to support his impaired kidneys. Whilst not utilizing all of the above
suggestions from the variety of texts, I certainly give Oliver most of them.
Over the last 3 years in
particular Oliver has improved in the following ways:
- Less frequent asthma
attacks
- Very infrequent sinusitis
(and when he does get it, we can treat it far better at home with natural
supplements and a wonderful nose flush that clears his air passage ways almost
immediately. He no longer needs
antibiotics from the Vet.
- A hugely improved
stronger immune system
- Hardly any trace of
arthritis and he hasn’t had any arthritis medication for approximately 5 years
- Very rarely he vomits
(unsure whether it is toxin build up from impaired kidneys or just something
didn’t agree with him), its never prolonged
- He no longer has any
vaccinations (last one was about 6 years ago)
- I don’t give him any
medication for internal or external parasites (instead I use a herbal formula called
‘Costat’ from ‘Metagenics’ as advised by an Animal Naturopath in South
Australia)
- His teeth and gums are in
better health than before, however there is still a build up of tartar from not
being willing to knar on a raw chicken neck (this is a work in progress). I clean his teeth with a pet enzymatic
toothpaste.
As variety in the diet is
important long term to balance nutrients and to prevent boredom and lack of
appetite in our pets, I collect and use ideas from a selection of cat nutrition
books. Here are two of them:
Diet recommended for cats with K.D. (recipe for 5-6 days)
By Dr Pitcairn (DVM)
1 ½ cups raw
chicken meat
4 cups cooked
white rice (better digested than white rice, contains iron and lots of B
vitamins)
4 cooked
eggs
2 tbsp safflower
oil
3 tsp calcium
powder (rather than bone or bone meal which is high in phosphorus)
¼ tsp iodized
salt
1 tsp chopped
parsley
5000iu Vitamin
A
2000mg Vitamin
C
250mg Taurine
50mg Vitamin
B Complex (Pitcairn et al 2005)
I tried this recipe and
found it to be a little dry.
My addition was a jar of
pureed pumpkin baby food.
As Oliver doesn’t like
cooked eggs I made this recipe with only 2 raw eggs and a little chopped raw
liver (which he adores).
I’m not convinced with
using white rice as a better option than brown rice.
I have also made this
recipe using cooked barley in place of rice, which works really well, also with
lots of nutrients and fibre.
Cooked egg whites appear to
be a popular choice of protein amongst the holistic cat nutritionists. Egg whites are a high quality protein
without the phosphate. As
phosphate is very difficult for damaged kidneys to eliminate, it can become a
problem. (Hodgkins 2007) Cats with K.D. also have increased
levels of Creatinine and Urea in the blood. Creatinine is a by-product from protein metabolism, whilst
Urea is formed by the liver. The
kidneys should filter both by-products.
(Goldstein et al 2005) However
when kidneys are impaired, high levels of urea and creatinine cause nausea and
vomiting, the body’s own defense mechanism of trying to eliminate the build up
of toxins.
K.D Diet for Cats
recommended by Dr Goldstein (DVM)
1 egg
yolk (raw)
½ cup chicken
meat (raw)
1/3 cup cooked
brown rice or barley or oatmeal
2 cups filtered/bottled
water
½ tsp finely
minced parsley
½ tsp finely
grated asparagus
1 tsp salmon
oil
1 multivitamin
my essential extras:
Calcium supplement to
balance calcium and phosphorus
- Add 600mg calcium
carbonate powder to every 300g raw meat
- Substitute half the water
for some pureed baby food eg: pumpkin
optional additions:
small amount of liver
plain yoghurt
Every few days I give
Oliver a meal with lamb meat and calcium powder plus all of the vegetables,
oils and supplements. However,
with the knowledge that red meats have more phosphorus than white meat I limit
the amount of meat and add more fibre such as oat bran, pumpkin and brown rice.
(Arora 2006)
References:
Arora, S 2006,
‘Whole Health for Happy Cats.’ Quarry Books USA
Brown, A 2006,
‘The Whole Pet Diet, Eight weeks to a Great Health for Dogs and Cats.’
Celestial Arts, USA.
Coscia, J. A, 2005,
‘The Holistic Cat, A Complete Guide to Wellness for a Healthier, Happier Cat.’
North Atlantic Books, USA.
Goldstein, M 1999,
‘The Nature of Animal Healing. The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring
for your Dog and Cat.’ Random House Publishing group.
Goldstein, R.S. V.M.D. & Goldstein, S.J. 2005, ‘The Goldstein’s Wellness & Longevity Program Natural Care for
Cats and Dogs.’ TFH Publications USA.
Hodgkins, E.H, 2007,
‘Your Cat, Simple New Secrets to a Longer, Stronger Life.’ Thomas Dunne Books,
USA.200
Lonsdale, T. 2001,
‘Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health.’ Rivetco P/L, Australia
Messonnier, S, 2001,
‘Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats’ Three Rivers Press, New York.
Olson, L 2010,
‘Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs, The definitive guide to homemade meals.’
North Atlantic Books, USA.
Pitcairn, R. H. & Pitcairn, S. H, 2005, ‘Dr. Pitcairn’s guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.’ Rodale
Inc, USA.
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