Can meat cause kidney failure in dogs

Kidney Disease in Dogs: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment

Your dogs kidneys are essential organs that filter waste products from the bloodstream. When the kidneys are weakened, either by acute or chronic kidney disease, your dogs health could suffer. Because kidney disease progresses over time, its important to learn the common symptoms so tha you can recognize them. If you catch kidney disease in dogs early on, treatment can slow down the progression and allow your dog to live longer.

What Is Kidney Disease in Dogs?

Kidney disease in dogs is sometimes called renal or kidney insufficiency because it occurs when a dogs kidneys stop doing their job as efficiently as they should. The main job of the kidneys is to help clear and excrete waste products from the blood and convert them to urine, says Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinary Officer for the AKC. If the kidneys are not working properly, these waste products can build up in the blood, causing detrimental effects.

Dogs can get either acute kidney disease, which develops suddenly, or chronic kidney disease (CKD), which develops slowly and worsens over an extended period. Both involve loss of kidney function, but they result from different circumstances. Acute kidney disease is a sudden attack or injury to the kidney, whereas chronic kidney disease is a slow, degenerative loss of kidney function, Dr. Klein explains.

What Causes Kidney Disease in Dogs?

Dr. Klein warns that kidney disease could be caused by a lot of things, including infection (such as with the bacteria that causes leptospirosis), trauma, genetics, drugs, toxins, cancer, mechanical obstructions (like kidney stones), and degenerative diseases (where the job and form of the affected body part get worse over time). Anything that decreases blood flow to the kidneys, such as dehydration or heatstroke, can cause the kidneys to fail.

Acute kidney disease in dogs can be caused by exposure to hazardous materials, including toxic plants such as lilies, certain drugs, harmful foods such as grapes or raisins, or antifreeze. Puppy-proofing your home and yard can keep your dog away from potentially harmful items or foods that could be toxic.

Chronic kidney disease in dogs is also associated with growing older. Because kidney tissue cant regenerate once its damaged, the kidneys can wear out over time. As small-breed dogs often live longer than large-breed dogs, they tend to show early signs of kidney disease at an older age10 years old or more, compared to as young as 7 for the large breeds.

What Are the Symptoms of Kidney Disease in Dogs?

The earliest signs of kidney disease in dogs are increased urination and therefore increased thirst. Other symptoms dont usually become apparent until about two-thirds of the kidney tissue is destroyed. So, in the case of CKD, the damage may have begun months or even years before the owner notices. Because of this, its common for the signs of kidney disease in dogs to seem like they came out of the blue when in fact, the kidneys have been struggling for a long time.

Other signs of chronic kidney disease in dogs to watch for include:

Dr. Klein says there are some rarer symptoms of kidney disease in dogs to be aware of, as well. On occasion, there can be abdominal painurinary obstructions or stonesand in certain instances, one can see ulcers in the oral or gastric cavity. In extreme cases, little or no urine is produced at all.

What Are the Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease in Dogs?

Kidney disease in dogs is measured in stages. Many veterinarians use the IRIS scale, which has four stages. Blood work measurements like creatinine and SDMA (biomarkers for kidney function) allow your vet to assign your dog to a particular stage which will determine the exact treatment.

Dr. Klein explains, The stages determine how well the kidneys can filter waste and extra fluid from the blood. As the stages go up, the kidney function worsens. In the early stages of CKD, the kidneys are still able to filter out waste from the blood. In the latter stages, the kidneys must work harder to filter the blood and in late stages may stop working altogether.

How Is Kidney Disease in Dogs Treated?

Dialysis (a medical procedure that removes waste products and extra fluid from the blood) is far more common in humans than in dogs, although peritoneal (kidney) dialysis can be performed in some cases. On rare occasions, surgical kidney transplant is possible in dogs.

But Dr. Klein specifies that depending on the type and stage of kidney disease, the main treatments for CKD are diet changes and administration of fluids, either directly into the veins (intravenous) or under the skin (subcutaneous). The balancing and correction of electrolytes are extremely important in the management of kidney patients, he explains.

Proper nutrition is needed, and there are many available diets formulated for cats and dogs with kidney issues, some by prescription only. Your veterinarian can help guide you to the most appropriate diet for your pet.

Because kidney disease, particularly in the late stages, can cause a dog to lose their appetite, it can be difficult to encourage your dog to eat enough. Dr. Klein advises, There are medications used as appetite stimulators available, such as the prescription drug mirtazapine. Capromorelin has recently been FDA-approved for dogs to address appetite in chronic kidney disease.

When Do You Need to Call Your Vet?

The prognosis and expected life span for a dog with kidney disease depend on the type of disease, the speed of progression, and underlying conditions present in the dog. However, the more serious the disease, the poorer the outcome. Thats why its so crucial to catch the illness early on.

According to Dr. Klein, In chronic kidney disease, there are methods, such as diets and medications, that can be used to lessen the burden of work the kidneys need to do and may help slow down the progression from one stage to the next. In acute kidney disease, there is less time and fewer choices available to prevent further damage to the kidneys and to try to jump-start the kidneys to get them to function normally.

Regular veterinary exams, including bloodwork, are an excellent way to spot kidney problems before the outward symptoms become apparent. And if you notice any of the above signs, dont hesitate to get your dog to the vet for further testing. It can make a huge difference in preserving kidney function and your dogs well-being for as long as possible.

Can Meat Cause Kidney Failure?

There are innumerable individuals and organizations that promote their beliefs for various reasons that feeding dogs anything other than commercially manufactured dog food is deleterious to canine health. If this were true, dogs wouldnt even be here today, since the commercial dog food industry itself is less than a century old, and dogs have been successfully fed by humans considerably longer than that.

Nevertheless, our readers tell us all SORTS of explanations that they have heard from their veterinarians, trainers, breeders, or friends as to why they should not feed their dogs a bones and raw food (a.k.a. biologically appropriate raw foods or BARF) diet. Some of these objections are completely nonsensical and easily dismissed, such as the claim that dogs cannot digest raw meat properly.

Other concerns make sense, such as the possibility that a homemade diet may not provide a proper balance of nutrients. We feel that sensible concerns such as these are easily addressed; as weve said before, feeding dogs really isnt rocket science.

Still other times, however, readers bring us questions about a BARF diets that would be best answered by a veterinarian preferably one who has a lot of experience with these diets. There may be no better candidate fitting this description than Dr. Ian Billinghurst, an Australian veterinarian who is also the author of two wonderfully detailed instructional books, Give Your Dog A Bone and Grow Your Pup With Bones. Though our readers could answer many of their own questions by an in-depth reading of either or both of Dr. Billinghursts books (which we heartily recommend), Dr. Billinghurst has agreed to answer questions about BARF diets for WDJ and our readers.

Last month, after changing the diet of my seven-year old male dog, Hobo, from a grocery store dry food diet to a raw meat diet for two weeks, Hobo died of kidney failure. His BUN value was very high. My suspicion is that his kidneys could not process the high protein food. Although dogs descend from wolves, is it possible that some of them have lost the gene for eating either high protein foods or contaminated foods?We have now adopted another dog, Princessa, from the local pound and have our hands full getting her settled in.

-Sylvia HallBell, CA

Dr. Billinghurst responds:

Thank you very much for your letter. We are all very sad to hear of Hobos death. However, it is wonderful that his life can be used to help the owners of other animals who are afraid of the BARF diet because of the possibility that it might be a cause of kidney failure.

You see, the truth is, under the circumstances you describe, it cannot. Your letter has highlighted a number of misconceptions regarding kidney failure and high protein diets.

One of the first things I must point out is that an ALL-MEAT diet is not a BARF diet and is certainly not a biologically appropriate or a properly formulated evolutionary diet. Having made that point, let me now take you through the causes of kidney failure so we may set your mind at ease regarding those causes, and the safety of a properly formulated BARF diet with respect to kidney function, kidney health, and kidney failure.

What is kidney failure?This is a condition where the kidneys fail to remove waste products of metabolism from the blood and they fail to regulate the balance in the body of fluids, electrolytes, and pH. The underlying cause can be a problem of the kidneys themselves, but it can also be due to other body systems malfunctioning or being diseased. In addition, when kidneys fail, the failure can be either acute or chronic.

Acute kidney failure is abrupt in onset and is often able to be reversed if recognized early and treated appropriately. By contrast, chronic kidney failure develops over a number of years and is the end result of long-term damage that cannot be repaired.

When kidneys stop working properly (either as an acute reversible episode or as a chronic irreversible state) they fail to remove nitrogenous wastes from the blood. These nitrogenous wastes include urea, creatinine, and other compounds. The compounds we normally look for in blood tests are urea and creatinine. When these are found in high concentrations in the blood, we know that the kidneys have not been working well enough to be able to remove them from the blood.

Acute kidney failureThe causes of acute kidney failure are divided into three groups. The first group of causes of acute kidney failure are those causes which decrease the flow of blood to and through the kidneys. This is the most common form of acute kidney failure and may be reversible if the cause of the reduced blood flow can be identified and corrected within 24 hours. Common causes of reduced blood flow would include shock, hemorrhage, and heart failure. At this time, urine output is greatly reduced or nil. The causes of shock are numerous and can range from acute trauma to some form of acute disease condition such as pancreatitis.

The second group of causes of acute kidney failure are related to damage to the kidneys themselves, although the primary problem may also be external to the kidneys as it was with the first group. For example, if there has been muscle trauma, the resulting myoglobin in the blood may block the tiny tubes within the kidneys causing kidney failure. Or, if there has been heart failure, there may be poor blood flow to the kidneys, which causes the cells of the kidneys to die. Alternatively, toxins (including drugs) may result in kidney cell death, and of course kidney infection may also result in acute kidney failure.

The third group of causes of acute kidney failure include some form of obstruction to urine flow after the urine leaves the kidneys. A common cause would be a blockage caused by crystals formed in the urinary tract or in the case of males it may relate to an enlarged prostate.

As you will appreciate, the symptoms seen with acute kidney failure reflect the underlying cause, whether it be signs of infection, heart failure, pancreatitis, urinary stones, enlarged prostate or whatever. On top of those signs relating to the underlying cause of the acute kidney failure will be a second set of signs which relate to the kidney failure itself. These acute kidney failure signs are generally recognized as being divisible into two phases.

The first phase of acute kidney failure is a period during which there is marked reduction in urinary output. The second stage of acute kidney failure is characterized by a marked increase in urinary output.

It is the first stage of acute kidney failure which is most critical. Fluid retention will cause edema which may result in fluid in the lungs, there will be a critical rise in blood pressure ,and the retention of wastes will result in severe acidosis/toxicosis. If untreated, this deadly combination may result in convulsions, coma, muscle weakness, heart failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, and ultimately death. Infection is a major cause of death in dogs with acute kidney failure, although death may also be caused by any of the other underlying causes.

Assuming treatment of the underlying cause and the damage to the kidneys has been successful, the second stage of acute kidney failure will begin within days to weeks after the first stage. It marks the time when the kidneys have recovered sufficiently to allow the production of urine. During this period the BUN and the creatinine may well remain elevated for some time, but will return to normal as and if the kidneys recover.

Please note at this point that excessive protein in the diet is nowhere to be seen as a cause of acute kidney failure.

Chronic kidney failureChronic kidney failure represents progressive destruction of kidney structures over many years. The progression of this form of kidney failure usually occurs in three stages, as follows:

The First Stage Of Chronic Kidney FailureThis is called the renal impairment stage. When this stage is reached, it means that the kidneys have been damaged to the point that they have lost up to 50 percent of their function. Sometimes no signs of problems are seen at this stage, but the signs can also include slightly excessive drinking and urinating. At this stage, by limiting protein, calcium, and phosphorus in the diet of these patients, the progression of renal disease may be slowed dramatically, but unfortunately it cannot be completely halted.

The Second Stage Of Chronic Kidney FailureThis is called the stage of kidney insufficiency. This is the stage where the ongoing kidney damage is such that the kidneys have lost between 60 and 80 percent of their function. The symptoms seen include excessive drinking and urinating together with other signs such as anemia and nausea relating to the buildup of toxins. At this stage, by limiting protein, calcium, and phosphorus in the diet of these patients, the progression of renal disease may be slowed but it most certainly cannot be halted.

The Third Stage Of Chronic Kidney FailureThe third stage of chronic kidney failure is where the loss of kidney function is between 90 and 95 percent. By now the kidneys are so damaged they are almost unable to function. At this stage, treatment by dialysis or transplantation is necessary for survival.

The role of excessive protein in kidney failureIt is generally agreed amongst veterinary experts that high protein diets are not in themselves a cause of either acute or chronic kidney failure. It does appear, however, that where there is pre-existing kidney damage, a high protein diet will help to further that damage. That is why diets to treat kidney failure must be low in protein (and phosphorus and calcium and possibly sodium), but diets to prevent kidney disease do not have to be limited in protein.

Looking for cluesLet me now return to your letter. If we look at the lifetime diet of Hobo, we find that for seven years Hobo had consumed grocery store dry dog food. Sadly, according to lectures presented at Sydney University in 1998 by the experts at Hills Science diets, this is a well-known cause of chronic kidney failure.

Hobos new diet appeared to be raw meat, and this was fed for two weeks. Unfortunately we know little about this diet except that it was raw meat. We do not know what sort of meat, how clean or how contaminated it was, whether bones or supplements or anything else was fed. All we have been told is that it was a raw meat diet.

What we do know however is that, very sadly, Hobo passed away at the end of this two week period. The question is, what caused Hobos death? Was it kidney failure, and if so, what was the cause of the kidney failure? Is it possible that, as the letter said, his kidneys could not process the high protein food? In support of this, it was proposed that Although dogs descend from wolves, some of them may have lost the gene for eating either high protein foods or contaminated foods.

First, the ability to consume either high protein foods or contaminated foods is not controlled by a single gene. Both of these traits are multifactorial in origin. The ability to safely consume high protein foods and contaminated foods can, however, be compromised or even destroyed by feeding an inappropriate diet such as grocery store dry dog food over a long period of time. This is because, again, over time, grocery store dry dog food will via a variety of mechanisms involving malnutrition and periodontal disease cause kidney failure, which will leave the dog susceptible to a high protein diet. That is, under conditions of an already damaged set of kidneys, feeding a high protein diet will cause further kidney damage.

And with respect to contaminated foods the long-term effects of malnutrition are a depleted immune system. A poorly functioning immune system is the only reason a dog cannot safely eat contaminated food. The ability to safely consume contaminated food has been destroyed.

Note that when we do have a dog with kidney failure, a properly formulated BARF diet which is low in protein, calcium, phosphorus, etc., works absolute wonders.

Dont blame meatIf we accept that Hobo did indeed die from kidney failure, the first question is was it acute or chronic?

If Hobo died from acute kidney failure, then it is clear from the above discussion that the cause was not due to a sudden increase in protein in the diet. That is not to say that we can rule out this particular raw meat diet as a cause of death. However, we would need a lot more information to make any further judgment on that. What we can say with certainty is that if there was acute kidney failure, it was not due to a high protein diet.

If Hobo died from chronic kidney failure, it means that Hobos kidneys were already in a perilous state of health when his diet was switched from store bought dry food to raw meat. That is, between 80 and 90 percent of his kidney function must already have been destroyed. That leaves the question open as to what might possibly have caused that kidney destruction.

If there was a dietary cause of that 80-90 percent kidney destruction, there is only one possible culprit here, and that is certainly not the new all-meat diet. It is possible however, although highly unlikely in such a short period of time, that the new all-meat diet could have pushed Hobo over the edge. In other words, on the available evidence, which is scant, there is no way that the new all-meat diet caused a death that was not about to happen anyway.

ConclusionOn the available evidence, it is clear that the underlying cause of Hobos untimely death was most likely to be related to a lifetime spent eating inappropriate food. It is possible that some aspect of the new food could have been the final straw in the process however. On that basis it would be very wise not to feed Princessa on the grocery store dry food. On the other hand, if she is to be fed properly, it is imperative that appropriate advice be sought regarding healthy sources and correct formulation of an evolutionary diet to ensure her maximum health into the future.

Dr. Ian Billinghurst is an Australian veterinarian and author of Give Your Dog A Bone and Grow Your Pup With Bones.