Cat with Kidney Issues? Need Low Phosphorus? Look No Further!
Please note, you absolutely must work in tandem with your trusted veterinarian to diagnose and then manage a cat with CRD. Chronic Renal Disease is going to be a management issue for the rest of the cat’s life as the kidneys continue to decline. You need a veterinarian who will partner with you to give your cat the finest quality nutrition that can also protect her kidneys. You need a doctor who will follow the most up-to-date information about nutrition and feline kidney disease and respect your desire to feed the highest quality human-grade protein that has been formulated to have lower phosphorus. .Weruva’s new line of Wx Phos Focused formulas.
What is Chronic Renal Disease (CRD)
As cats age, their kidney function drops off. Sometimes it’s called “kidney failure,” other times it’s called “chronic renal disease” or CRD. It is a natural part of a cat’s aging and happens to all kitties to a greater or lesser degree. Basically what is happening is the kidneys are calcifying — actually turning to “stone.” For a very long time, the hope in the veterinary field has been to slow down or stop that process.
Nutrition Has Been the Focus of Treatment for Decades
Veterinarians and scientists have studied how to slow down the progress of kidney disease, and the earliest work on this was done by Dr. Mark Morris of what is now Hill’s Science Diet food. He was a pioneer in looking at diet, and with less sophisticated methods than are now available, he concluded that lowering protein levels was the answer to kidney disease. He developed a vet-prescribed low protein food that was considered the optimal “kidney disease diet” for a long time. However, it was later discovered that the problem was not protein (which cats require in abundance and quality) but the phosphorus in the protein, which was often sourced from lower quality ingredients that included bone in with the muscle meat. In fact, a low protein diet is now known to cause problems of its own.
One effect of CRD is that the kidney can no longer filter the blood so excess phosphorus gets into the cat’s bloodstream, which can make her feel poorly: lack of energy, lack of appetite. In addition, higher levels of phosphorus in her system can cause further impairment of kidney function. On the one hand, high protein levels are very important for a cat’s health and well-being because all cats are obligate carnivores who needs protein. But the dilemma for foods with lower quality protein sources is that they can have high phosphorus levels because of the bone often included in the manufacturing.
Weruva Created Wx Phos Focused Formulas
Based on the medical literature and veterinarian advice, Weruva created foods with proteins that have naturally low phosphorus by basing them on human-grade boneless skinless chicken breast, boneless tilapia fillets and egg whites. No diet can cure damaged kidneys but lower phosphorus levels in the diet often make cats feel better — so they eat better, keep their muscle mass, and seem more comfortable. Please get with your veterinarian to consider Weruva’s new low phosphorus foods to give your kitty cat the highest quality nutrition while trying to protect her kidneys.
—Tracie Hotchner
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This article is sponsored by Weruva, a sponsor of the entire Radio Pet Lady Network