Chronic feline kidney disease is one of the most serious and potentially fatal conditions to affect cats. This condition will, if not managed appropriately, cause your cat to lose a great deal of mobility, body function and, eventually, will cause him to die. However, with proper management techniques, you can help to ensure that your pet remains in a stable state for months or even years after feline kidney disease develops.
The gradual degenerative properties of this condition are such that it's possible to help your cat to continue to live a healthy life by managing his symptoms and ensuring that the disease doesn't progress further than it should.
Dietary Management
One of the best ways to ensure that your pet's kidney disease doesn't progress any faster than it should is to manage his diet carefully. This can be a tricky thing to do, as many cats with feline kidney disease will have a difficult time eating in general, and lots of cats are resistant to dietary changes.
Still, with the help of your vet and some helpful techniques for gradually shifting your pet's food source to a new type of food, you can ensure that he gets the nutrients he needs without some of the additional ingredients which are present in regular cat food and which may cause him kidney damage.
Low phosphorous foods are the best for kidney disease. These food formulations are available from virtually all of the major food manufacturers, and it's crucial that you choose a food that is approved by veterinarians and safe for cat use. Limiting the protein in your pet's diet may also help in this regard.
Calcitriol Therapy
Calcitriol is a type of substance that is normally manufactured in the kidneys and which aids them in their cleansing and purifying procedures. However, cats with kidney disease are oftentimes unable to produce adequate levels of calcitriol. The result is that their kidneys are then less able to do the purifying that they need to do, which then results in a greater loss of kidney function over a shorter period of time. Certain types of calcitriol therapy will help to provide this nutrient to your cat in a way that will ensure that he can properly deal with the normal functions that are required of his kidneys.
Potassium Supplements
Potassium supplements are oftentimes helpful in stimulating proper kidney function. They can help to manage the symptoms of your pet's kidney problems, but they will not aid him in slowing the progression of the disease. For this reason, a potassium supplement must always be combined with at least one other type of therapy in order to provide your pet with the maximum in terms of health benefits.
For more information about how to properly deal with your pet's kidney disease, ask a vet. Realize also that kidney disease symptoms may not show up until your pet is advanced in his case, so prompt action is always best.