Treating Amyloidosis, or Kidney Failure, in Dogs

Often when a dog is diagnosed with kidney failure, the prognosis is not very good. Kidney failure cannot be cured, and many people lose hope and resign themselves to the fact that their beloved pet may not be with them much longer.

However, there is no need to fear this. While you cannot cure your dog's kidney failure, it is definitely possible to treat it yourself and provide your pet with a higher quality of life. How? Through diet and supplements.

I have a 5-year-old Chinese shar-pei named Max who was diagnosed with amyloidosis two years ago. His prognosis was very poor at the time and he was suffering quite a lot. My vet told me that there was nothing that could be done other than feeding him a special "renal diet" dry dog food [name brand Purina k/d] which is very low protein and would not be hard on his kidneys like regular dry food. Unfortunately Max, who is no picky eater, absolutely hated the food and would not eat it. In desperation, I began searching the internet for advice. I found many interesting websites and articles and used them all to put together an action plan of changing diet and adding supplementation to help treat my dog's problem. Through trial and error I have found a diet and supplement regimen that restores Max's kidney function to almost normal levels

First--Diet:
Dogs in kidney failure are usually put on low-protein diets, since the theory is that excess protein makes the kidneys work too hard and causes further damage. While excess protein is not good and something you want to avoid, very little protein can be just as bad as too much protein [the body will start breaking down muscle tissue to get protein if you do not eat enough of it]. However, very high phosphorus is what is truly damaging to the dog with kidney failure. The kidneys work to remove phosphorus from the blood. Normal kidneys do a good job of this, however, damaged kidneys cannot work as well, leaving a lot of phosphorus build-up. This in turn pulls calcium from the bones and deposits it into the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and eyes. So feeding a dog a low phosphorus diet can work wonders in allowing the kidneys to function the best they can under the circumstances.

In modifying Max's diet my goal was to reduce phosphorus and feed the highest-quality protein I could get. High quality proteins are more easily digested and more easily used by the body, creating less work for the kidneys in turn. A good guideline to keep in mind when creating a renal diet for a dog is to keep phosphorus levels below 20mg/per pound of body weight in early stage failure, and below 12mg/per pound of body weight in late stage failure. A list of high-phosphorus foods can be found at www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000121000000000000000.html.

High-fat meats are lower in phosphorus that lean meats, so you should focus the diet on the fattiest cuts of meat you can get [they also help the dog feel fuller longer]. I also use eggs for good quality protein. Egg yolks are high in phosphorus, so I simply use a ratio of one egg white to each whole egg that I feed. To round out the diet I also add white rice or Malt-o-Meal cereal, both of which are low in phosphorous and add a nice balance of grains to the meat.

Good Meat Choices: these include ground beef [20% fat], ground lamb, ground turkey, chicken [preferably with the skin], or high-fat pork. Chicken is the lowest in phosphorus at 230mg/per 6 ounces. You can cook these however you want [I am nervous about feeding raw meat, so I always cook it]. I usually pan fry the meat in olive or coconut oil--this adds good healthy fats and flavor.

Eggs: Are great protein and easily digestible, as well as extremely nutritious. I either scramble them in oil or hard boil them. Remember, throw away every other yolk! Hard boiling is a good method for this since it allows you to easily get rid of the yolks.

Grain: White rice is what makes up the bulk of the meal. Malt-o-Meal is good too. Simply follow the directions on the package to cook it. I always cook the rice in low-sodium chicken or beef broth, since this adds flavor and calories with little protein or phosphorus. I add butter as well.

How much to make?: I make up Max's food once a week on the weekend, and keep it in the refrigerator. He gets two cups per day [one cup in the morning and one cup in the evening] of rice, meat, and eggs mixed together. I usually use three pounds of meat, six eggs, and eight cups of cooked rice. He weighs 51 pounds, for reference. If your dog weighs more or less, then you will have to adjust the amount of food you make. Also, if you have a very active dog that gets lots of exercise, the diet may need to be adjusted to feed them a little more [shar-peis are definitely not "active" dogs]. Use trial and error when determining the amounts.

Please note that it is also important to add a phosphate binder to the food you make. This helps bind the phosphorus to calcium so it doesn't build up in the dog's blood. I use crushed eggshells--just rinse them clean, let them dry, and bake them in the oven at 350 until they're brittle to the touch [15-20 minutes]. Then crush them as finely as you can [or you can run them through a food processor/blender] and keep in a small container. I add 2 teaspoons [use 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon per pound of meat fed] and mix it into the entire batch. Your vet may also be able to prescribe phosphate binders.

I don't count the phosphorus in food anymore, I simply feed him this diet and it has worked wonders. His quality of life has gone way up and his kidney levels are borderline normal.

Second--Supplements:
Fish oil [make sure it is fish body oil, and not liver oil--liver contains phosphorus]: this has been demonstrated to help human patients with kidney disease by decreasing inflammation in the kidneys. You should give 1000mg/per ten pounds of body weight. [Max gets 5000mg per day.]
Vitamin E: great for renal dogs. Give 200 IUs for dogs weighing 50-75 pounds, 400 IUs to dogs bigger than that, 50 IUs to a dog weighing less than 25 pounds, and 100 IUs to a dog weighing 25-50 pounds. [Max gets 200 IUs.]
I also give Co-Q10, which has been indicated as possibly helpful for human kidney patients. It is an antioxidant. There have been no studies on dogs and no recommended dosages for them, but I give Max 100mg per day. He has had no adverse effects from it. I would halve that dose for a smaller dog and perhaps double it for a larger dog.

He takes the pills wrapped in a piece of cheese or coated in peanut butter. If your dog won't take pills there are treats that you can buy at any pet store that can be used to conceal a pill. Just be careful not to give more than one or two of these treats per day.

I usually buy these supplements from Puritan's, where I get my own vitamins from. They have great sales throughout the year, for example, they recently had an offer of buy 2, get 4 free on their supplements! This can save you a lot of money. You can also buy all these at Wal-Mart and they tend to be inexpensive there as well. Shop around for the best deals.

Additional Notes:
It is important to let your vet know what you are doing. They may not like it [Max's vet was not pleased when I informed him of what I was going to do but he can't really argue with the improvement in his health], but you should tell them anyway.

If your dog is a picky eater, try different meats and grains. Look at low-phosphorus diets followed by human patients and try to adapt those for your dog's needs. Try adding gravy, soy sauce, butter, or sour cream to the rice. Sprinkle food with garlic powder. Also try warming the food in the microwave--some dogs like it better hot than cold. If your dog absolutely will not eat the food, you can try feeding green tripe in place of the meat you used. Dogs love green tripe. Unfortunately, you need to use the unbleached tripe and this can be difficult to find. Here is a place that will ship it to you [frozen]: GreenTripe.com. It is very low in phosphorus and a good meat to use.

Always make sure your pet has plenty of fresh water, as much as they want [dogs in kidney failure drink tons of water]. Take them outside as often as they need to go [Max usually goes four times a day or so].

The added advantages of this diet is that you are getting your pet away from the garbage that goes into commercial dog foods. It may be a bit more expensive to make your own, but the improvement in health is more than worth it. You can also control what goes into your pet's food this way--meaning you don't have to worry about recalls.

If you choose to follow these guidelines, your dog's kidneys may very well thank you for it!