Chronic renal failure and raw diet

[Helene4]

Hello everyone. My parent's cat Charlotte (estimated 12 + years old) is showing symptoms of chronic renal failure. She had a blood test last week; BUN and CREA were elevated. She will have her urine tested this week and possibly another blood test because the sample froze on its way to Montreal and the red blood cell test could not be done. Seems the other tests could be done even if the samples froze.
During the holidays, my mother asked for some of the raw chicken recipe I give my 2 cats: meat (ground and chunks), ground-up bones liver, heart, eggs and supplements. Charlotte LOVED it and she also ate raw chicken pieces a week later. My mother was ready to buy all the supplements needed to make the recipe: vitamin E, B complex, taurine, wild salmon oil, etc.
I did some research and have found that raw meat should not be given to cats with CRF because of the high phosphorus. Is this true? I'm always reading that raw is the best diet for cats; is it a no-no when CRF is involved? Is it best to stick to can food with low phosphorus? Which are the better brands in this case?
I'm a little discouraged; Charlotte is finicky at times and it was very good news to hear she loves raw because right now, she eats lower quality food ( Whiskas, etc.). Premium brands are not available here; we have to find and order them online.
Thanks for your comments!

[Love4himies]

Growler has her cat with CRF on a raw diet and is doing well, she is normally logged on during the evening. I will PM her this thread.

[sugarcatmom]

A raw diet is great for CRF kitties, but the phosphorus amounts can vary quite a bit so you would still need to pay attention to that. There are some premade ones that fit the bill (Nature's Variety raw medallions are low in phosph and it's widely available, but there are plenty others out there too). If making her own food, there are some things that can be modified to keep phosphorus levels in a decent range. For one, I would not grind bones with the meat and instead use a calcium supplement for balance. This can be tricky because you need to know the phosphorus of the particular meat and then be able to calculate how much elemental calcium should be added to get the ideal 1.2-1.4:1 ratio. I would also add just egg whites and leave out the yolks. These modifications are determined by the severity of her renal disease.

Is there a holistic vet in the area that she could consult with on fine-tuning the recipe? If not, there's a vet in California that does phone consultations (for a fee) based on the individual cat's lab results. She's all about feeding cats raw: http://www.catinfo.org/makingcatfood.htm

[Helene4]

Unfortunately, premade raw is not available here and shipping from Montreal or elsewhere is out of the question; most of the time it cannot be shipped.

There are no holistic vets in my neck of the woods! I really love where I live but when I read some of the posts on this forum I find that a bunch of you are very lucky to live where you can get quality food (at a reasonable price!) and alternative care for your pets. I know there are holistic vets near big cities like Montreal but I suppose before they give out any advice they must see the pet in question. I will pass along to my mom the info about the vet in California. In the end it will be her decision to make. Thanks!

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

I would also add just egg whites and leave out the yolks.

I should clarify that the egg whites need to be cooked. Feeding raw egg whites without yolks can cause a biotin deficiency.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Helene4

I will pass along to my mom the info about the vet in California. In the end it will be her decision to make. Thanks!

Cool. I forgot to mention that, depending on what the lab results show her blood phosphorus levels to be, adding phosphorus binders to her diet could be another option.

[Helene4]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

I should clarify that the egg whites need to be cooked. Feeding raw egg whites without yolks can cause a biotin deficiency.

That's what I do for my 2 feline girls: I cook the eggs whites and leave the yolks raw. I use the recipe on the web site you posted earlier:www.catinfo.org. It's a great web site!

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by Helene4

I did some research and have found that raw meat should not be given to cats with CRF because of the high phosphorus. Is this true? I'm always reading that raw is the best diet for cats; is it a no-no when CRF is involved? Is it best to stick to can food with low phosphorus? Which are the better brands in this case?

Raw is great for kidney cats, my grrl was diagnosed with CRF in Apr 07 and has been on a raw only diet since Nov 07, she's doing great

There is a site here: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html which you can search through different foods to find the nutrient values. For example in keywords type chicken raw, in select food group click poultry, then choose which product you want to see the nutrient values for, then enter the weight measure you want per 100g. So if you want per 1000g you would enter 10. It will chart all nutrients for you, phos is listed as mg/_____(what ever weight you selected ie mg/1000g).

Raw is definately healthier for cats but if you do decide to go with the canned I prefer Wellness -the Turkey, Beef&Chicken, Chicken, and Kitten varieties are the lowest phos levels from them.

[Khari]

Here are a few groups that you could go to support for feeding a CRF cat a raw diet. They may be able to point you in the right direction.

You can search the archives for CRF RAWFED Cats or ask a question about feeding raw to crf cats.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/

CRF feline group
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/F...ec=group&slk=2

Another CRF Feline group
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/f...ec=group&slk=1

Good Luck!

[Helene4]

Originally Posted by growler

Raw is great for kidney cats, my grrl was diagnosed with CRF in Apr 07 and has been on a raw only diet since Nov 07, she's doing great

There is a site here: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html which you can search through different foods to find the nutrient values. For example in keywords type chicken raw, in select food group click poultry, then choose which product you want to see the nutrient values for, then enter the weight measure you want per 100g. So if you want per 1000g you would enter 10. It will chart all nutrients for you, phos is listed as mg/_____(what ever weight you selected ie mg/1000g).

Raw is definately healthier for cats but if you do decide to go with the canned I prefer Wellness -the Turkey, Beef&Chicken, Chicken, and Kitten varieties are the lowest phos levels from them.

Originally Posted by Khari

Here are a few groups that you could go to support for feeding a CRF cat a raw diet. They may be able to point you in the right direction.

You can search the archives for CRF RAWFED Cats or ask a question about feeding raw to crf cats.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/

CRF feline group
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/F...ec=group&slk=2

Another CRF Feline group
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/f...ec=group&slk=1

Good Luck!

Thanks for all this great info! I will be looking into it. Too bad my mother doesn't have internet...!