Kidney Disease in Dogs: How the Right Diet Makes All the Difference
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common conditions in older dogs — and one of the most manageable with the right nutritional approach. If your veterinarian has recently diagnosed your dog with kidney disease, one of their first recommendations will almost certainly be a specialized renal diet. Here’s why that matters, and what to look for. What happens to the kidneys in CKD? The kidneys filter waste products from the blood and excrete them in urine. In CKD, the kidneys gradually lose this filtering ability. As a result, waste products — particularly phosphorus and certain protein metabolites — build up in the bloodstream, causing the symptoms we associate with kidney disease: lethargy, loss of appetite, nausea, and weight loss. ...