Need a rec for a ckd treat

[GranolaLouise]

I read that protein has its pros and cons from vets for ckd.
My cat , who has ckd likes a meal topper or treats every day.
Lately I have been using the Orijen Chicken Treats which are freeze dried raw bits. However, because they crumble so easily in shipping, I have been using the powder to top her renal food and she begs for the stuff. However the protein is 45% because the treat is pure meat.(one reason I stopped feeding her boiled chicken).
Other treats like greenies ,kittles and temptations are around 30% because of the filler used.

As a ckd owner, what treats do YOU use for your cat?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Renal food is generally lower in protein, so if you give your cat high protein treats, it is actually probably a good thing. The newer school of thought is that lowering protein before late stage in CKD is of no real benefit. Most cats are older when they acquire CKD and they are already losing muscle mass by virtue of the aging process, so reducing their protein too soon can help attribute to the muscle mass loss.

I give my cat whatever treats she will eat. Most of them are used to help get her to take her meds.

 

[Babypaws]

I just received blood work results formy 19 year old cat who I had mentioned in a different post. They are saying she looks like she’s in stage 3 kidney.
Since she’s lost weight and hadn’t been eating they told me to feed her Hill’s urgent care a/d because it has a lot of calories. I’m worrying how good or bad this food is…
they put her on a appetite stimulant pill, which I need to give her every other day.
Is there anybody who also has a cat in this stage that is doing good?
When she first came home from the vet, she did eat on her own a little bit this morning not so much, so I am trying to feed her using the tube again. The food is pate texture, but I still need to add a little bit of water in order to be able to use the syringe that they gave me but I am still going to offer her food in her dish and hopefully she’ll start eating some of that on her own.
Any advice would be appreciated

 

[GranolaLouise]

I see you are also in Massachusetts. I had problems with my ckd senior cat. I also was encouraged to go to an INTERNAL SPECIALIST for 1 visit and then worked along with my regular vet. It made a world of difference.
I went to Angell Memorial West in Waltham, but they also have a well known facility in Boston near the Jamaica Way. I called and asked for an urgent care appointment with an internal specialist. They will ask for the name of your Primary Care Vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Babypaws - Hill's urgent care A/D should be fine for a while as you look for other foods to try with her. Most cats with kidney disease also need anti-nausea meds in addition to an appetite stimulant, at least until they are back to eating again - other times the anti-nausea meds are needed long term right along with the appetite stimulant. Some cats, by Stage 3, might also require sub-Q fluids to make them feel better. Stage 3 might also require either renal food or a phosphorus binder to be added to their regular food to help remove toxins from their system since their kidneys are not functioning properly. What is her phosphorus level and the lab range for it? Also, what her creatinine and BUN values, along with the lab ranges?

Here (see below) are some IRIS (International Renal Interest Society) documents that address treatments for CKD cats and the various ways staging is determined. This is a good starting point. And later you will want to consider reading through Tanya's web site which is loaded with information about chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats.
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org)

My cat teeters between Stage 2 & 3, and is doing pretty well with an appetite stimulant, anti-nausea meds and Phos-Bind in her regular cat food. She has yet to need sub-Q fluids, but I am sure she will eventually.

 

[Babypaws]

Babypaws - Hill's urgent care A/D should be fine for a while as you look for other foods to try with her. Most cats with kidney disease also need anti-nausea meds in addition to an appetite stimulant, at least until they are back to eating again - other times the anti-nausea meds are needed long term right along with the appetite stimulant. Some cats, by Stage 3, might also require sub-Q fluids to make them feel better. Stage 3 might also require either renal food or a phosphorus binder to be added to their regular food to help remove toxins from their system since their kidneys are not functioning properly. What is her phosphorus level and the lab range for it? Also, what her creatinine and BUN values, along with the lab ranges?

Here (see below) are some IRIS (International Renal Interest Society) documents that address treatments for CKD cats and the various ways staging is determined. This is a good starting point. And later you will want to consider reading through Tanya's web site which is loaded with information about chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats.
Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org)

My cat teeters between Stage 2 & 3, and is doing pretty well with an appetite stimulant, anti-nausea meds and Phos-Bind in her regular cat food. She has yet to need sub-Q fluids, but I am sure she will eventually.

Thank you for the info, the vet she could give her a shot for nausea but I refused it. I had a kitten that got sick a few years ago, and the vet had gave her the same men for nausea, at the time I held off on giving that, and when I decided to give it to him his condition took a turn for the worse it might’ve been just a coincidence, but I swore I wouldn’t give any of my other cats that med. fact, at the time there was a post somebody had a cat that was given that same medication and she felt the same way her cat got worse.. I don’t remember the name of that off the top of my head I’d have to look it up. When I come across the name, I’ll post it.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Babypaws - There are other anti-nausea meds besides one that comes in injection form. My cat takes ondansetron, other cats take Cerenia (which could be the one you are talking about). There is a chance of most any med having a negative impact on some cats. But I know from being on this site and the CKD forum, there are tons of cats who take Cerenia without issue. However, I'd at least pursue other options with the vet. Think of it this way: how awful would it be to feel hungry due to an appetite stimulant but be nauseous at the same time?

Mirtazapine does have some anti-emetic properties, so if you can get her eat when she is taking this, then maybe you can get by without an anti-nausea med.

 

[Babypaws]

Mirtazapine is what I’m giving her. I had given it to her a few years ago when she had lost her appetite for a while and it really worked now that that is telling me to give it to her every other day she only had one dose yesterday at the vet so tomorrow would be her second dose. I’m trying to find the name of the med for the nausea that I didn’t want to give her. The vet had said it comes in injection or pill form. The pill form is what I had given my kitten a few years ago that had a bad reaction to it.

 

[Babypaws]

In an older cat that needs to gain weight and has stage 3 kidney disease what is more important to look for in her wet food, carbs or proteins?

 

[GranolaLouise]

I am not a vet.
I am a cat owner who has a ckd early stage cat who wouldn't eat and had to gain weight. She was given Mirataz(mertazipine)spelling. to gain weight.
The regular food your vet prescribed for gaining weight most likely has enough protein in it. The object is to gain weight, so I would logically say carbs is key. Once some weight is put on, then the next logical thing would be to add a protein supplement. Too much protein, I find, causes diarrhea which would not help with the weight gain.
Just an uneducated guess.

 

[FeebysOwner]

In an older cat that needs to gain weight and has stage 3 kidney disease what is more important to look for in her wet food, carbs or proteins?

For a cat that is not eating much, the answer is: anything you can get your cat to eat is the most important thing. This is probably why your vet recommended the food that they did for you to start out with. Getting her back to eating regularly is just one step, albeit a very important one. The steps that will follow are all the things I discussed above, as food is only one aspect of managing the care of a CKD cat.

Renal foods that most vets recommend are lower protein and lower minerals (phosphorus, sodium) to reduce stress on the kidneys. There is not so much of a focus on carbs or fat. I think you could help yourself out in terms of nutritional considerations by starting with this section of Tanya's web site - Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Diet and Nutrition Overview (felinecrf.org).