Does dry food cause feline chronic renal failure?My sweet 9 yr old kitty was just diagnosed with chronic renal failure.
I am in total shock and panicking, even though it seems that we have caught it relatively early (creatinine 196, usg1.040).
Is the fact that I have fed her mostly (high quality!) dry food the cause of this? I read something along those lines on the internet. I feel so guilty. Does anyone know anything about this?
Posted by Lily K
I had a cat die of renal failure at 16. My vet said that an all dry diet contributes to the probability of this happening. Cats don't drink enough anyway, and tend to run dehydrated if they only eat dry food. Don't feel guilty, it is something new that is just coming to light. If you caught it in time, you may have to give her subcutaneous fluid injections for the rest of her life.
Posted by vicki
My cat died of this a year ago do a lot of research and stay on your vet it can go down hill fast. Take your cat in often to get checked especially if they quit eating even for a day that is when the levels are getting high and you need to intervene. If they go too long the liver will shut down and then you will have to euthanize. It isn't so much what you feed them that's what my vet told me it depends on the sex of your cat males are more likely to have kidney and renal problems and overweight cats are even higher risk. Good Luck.
Posted by dim2000_uk
ok firstly sorry to hear about it.. hopefully that youve caught it early enough something can be done..
as far as the food goes, dont beat yourself up, yes, an all dry diet is not good for cats at all, BUT, and its a big BUT, some cats are just susceptible to certain diseases, weve had cats who have been fed very well fall ill at very young ages, weve taken in old cats who have had bad lives and they have lived to 17 or 18.. sometimes its the way things go..
however, an all dry diet is not all good for cats.. they do need moisture in their food (like humans do).. imagine if you lived on busciuts.. you would be very ill.. quite a good article here....http://cats.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=cats&cdn=homegarden&tm=167&f=00&su=p284.9.336.ip_p812.0.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.blakkatz.com/dryfood.html
although it is a little extreme..
generally a good balance of high quality wet food, along with high protein dry food is the best for the cat (and will give htem some variety as well.. eating biscuits must get boring)... (and no, not for there teeth, the thing about biscuits being good for their teath is an old wives tale.. teath are cleaned by a constant friction against the tooth removing debris and plaque, this action comes from chewing, for example of a peice of raw meat etc. Cats do not chew biscuits. Buiscuits simple shatter as the are chewed into bits.. they do nothing to clean the teath.. )
Dont beat yourself up about it.. worry about caring for the cat now.. and good luck with it...
NB if you do move it onto a combination of wet and dry food, go easy on the wet initially, it wont be used to it and may have sickness etc.. maybe kick it off with some steamed chicken or something (then just mash it up with a bit of water), something that wont insettle its tummy too much, mixed with a few biscuits..
update:
1/ the person (kat) below who says it doesnt, her cat eats only dry, and her cats fine.. give it time.. ;) please read up on the info about proper feline diet..
2/ the poster who said its only recently been linked.. nah.. 30 years ago we where aware that an all dry diet was very bad for cats..
Posted by ♥Pretty♥ ♥Kitty♥
Dry food can cause or contribute to CRF. Cat's ancestors were desert dwelling animals whose bodies were designed not to take in enough water simply by drinking. Their moisture intake came primarily from live prey they ate. Our cats today mostly eat commercial food instead of live prey but they still don't drink enough water to keep up healthy kidney function. A wet diet provides water to the system where dry actually absorbs it from the system. Here's a good website with good information on CRF and dealing with it. CRF cats can live well for years with proper treatment like sub-q fluids, medication, and a wet or raw food diet.
http://www.felineoutreach.org/Education/Kidney.html
It would be a great idea for you to join Yahoo's group for cat owners dealing with CRF. You can talk with other cat owners who know alot about it and know what you're going through.
http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=crf+cats
I tried feeding the Hill's KD food the vet gave me but my cat didn't like it and I didn't like the ingredients (low protein and grain fillers). He is doing well eating Wellness canned food. Don't feed him formulas containing fish due to the high phosphorus content. Here's another good website on optimal feeding for your kitty.
http://www.catinfo.org/
Posted by deathbybunnies
That has only been recently suggested, there are many reasons for cats to have renal failure. Usually the high quality foods do lots of testing to make sure their product is not going to harm pets. Please do not feel guilty. You did catch it early and there are great prescription diets now that can help your kitty, as well as regular trips to the vet for treatment. I wish you and your kitty the best.
http://www.cat-world.com.au/ChronicRenalFailureInCats.htm
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