How to Make Prescription Food More Palatable

[Meekie]

My 16 year old has chronic kidney disease and has been on Hill's k/d for about a year now. It's worked well, but now he's stopped eating it. The doctor suggested anchovy paste as a supplement to make it more palatable. It worked at first, but now he won't eat again. Same with freshly cooked chicken (ground up in food processor): he ate it at first but not anymore.

He suggested chicken consomme as well, boiled down to make it more concentrated but I have a few questions: there seems to be a lot of sodium in the brands I've looked at, and most of them contain onions or onion powder. Is regular chicken broth the same thing as consomme?

Any suggestions on what can be added to his food to make it more palatable for him? He will only eat the tuna flavor. He was very weak this morning so I offered him a little Fancy Feast mixed in with his k/d and he ate it but this can't go on as it's bad for him. I fear I made a mistake and he will now only accept the k/d with fancy feast. What else can I offer him?

I was thinking about buying some canned tuna and adding the juice/oil. Would this be okay for a kidney patient?

 

[FeebysOwner]

You're lucky that you got your cat to eat the k/d for as long as he has. Most cats don't like it and if they do eat it, they tire of it quickly.

I doubt that a little bit of 'juice' from canned tuna in water would hurt to try, but I think you will find it will last as a successful process about as long as the other 'tactics' you have tried. I also don't think that a little bit of FF added to his k/d is going to be all that detrimental. As I am sure you have heard before, a cat that eats, even if the food isn't great, is better than a cat who won't eat.

There are some lower phosphorus canned foods that you could try - interchanging or mixing them with the k/d. Have you checked out the food chart on Tanya's web site? Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Diet and Nutrition Overview (felinecrf.org)?

How bad are his kidney values?

 

[LTS3]

You can try a little sprinkle of FortiFlora on the K/D to make it more appealing.

Consomme is broth that has been clarified with egg white to remove sediment. I'm not sure if either consomme or broth (homemade or store bought) is ok for a kidney cat to have.

 

[Meekie]

You're lucky that you got your cat to eat the k/d for as long as he has. Most cats don't like it and if they do eat it, they tire of it quickly.

I doubt that a little bit of 'juice' from canned tuna in water would hurt to try, but I think you will find it will last as a successful process about as long as the other 'tactics' you have tried. I also don't think that a little bit of FF added to his k/d is going to be all that detrimental. As I am sure you have heard before, a cat that eats, even if the food isn't great, is better than a cat who won't eat.

There are some lower phosphorus canned foods that you could try - interchanging or mixing them with the k/d. Have you checked out the food chart on Tanya's web site? Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Diet and Nutrition Overview (felinecrf.org)?

How bad are his kidney values?

Thank you so much! The link you provided is a great site...after all the research I've been doing I can't believe I missed it. Very helpful.

I don't have the exact figure for his kidney values with me....I left the printout at the vet's office and will be picking it up on our appointment this Monday.

Thank you for reminding me how important it is for him to eat. I tend to get a little frazzled when dealing with end-of-life health issues and forget the obvious. He's also got worsening neurological issues (cerebellar hypoplasia), and dementia. I fear we've gotten to the point where quality, rather than length of life is to be addressed. Off to the supermarket now to get some new things to try.

You can try a little sprinkle of FortiFlora on the K/D to make it more appealing.

Consomme is broth that has been clarified with egg white to remove sediment. I'm not sure if either consomme or broth (homemade or store bought) is ok for a kidney cat to have.

Looking for some FortiFlora now. And I never did feel comfortable with the consomme. Thank you so much!

 

[LTS3]

Your vet may have FortiFlora to sell. You can buy it online PURINA PRO PLAN VETERINARY DIETS FortiFlora Powder Digestive Supplement for Cats, 30 count - Chewy.com

 

[Meekie]

^It should arrive tomorrow!

Just bought some tuna. We'll see how that goes when he wakes up.

 

[maggie101]

^It should arrive tomorrow!

Just bought some tuna. We'll see how that goes when he wakes up.

I give my cat purina proplan nf which she has lost interest in so my vet gave me hills a/d to mix in. I highly suggest that andthe i gredients are good. I would not give her any fish. She used to love tiki after dark but no more

 

[Meekie]

Update: I added some tuna water to his food and it worked well. I was even able to up the amount of k/d in the mix. Sadly, though, his appetite taped off earlier this week and it would appear that, probably due to the dementia, he is having trouble figuring how to eat.

Last night he collapsed. He's had neurological problems since he barely survived panleukopenia as a kitten, and I think that the weakness he is probably experiencing from old age and kidney disease is to blame. He peed in bed last night, first time ever. And a little later, he tried to get to his feet and couldn't so he let out an extended cry. It sounded like frustration to me.

So I've decided today is the day to have him put to sleep. It's a difficult decision. His body posture is still good, and he's reasonably alert, but I don't want him to be poked and prodded by the vet any further. He's too old and weak. Plus, he's been lucky in that he hasn't had to endure many vet visits in his life (apart from wellness exams) so any trip to the vet is terrifying for him. The next step was supposed to be subcutaneous fluids, but that will mean more vet visits (plus being left there ALONE for a couple hours) and it will just delay the inevitable: sooner or later his kidneys will fail and he will suffer. He's basically a sixteen and 3/4 year old kitten and I can't bear to see him suffer. I waited too long with both of his former housemates, and I promised myself I wouldn't make the same mistake with him. He's special. The most special. I bottle fed him at three weeks old.

Thank you everybody for all your suggestions. Appointment is at three. I'm going to lay down by him for a while now.