Renal food

[Mark]

I get mine from VetUK as they are usually the cheapest. I struggle to get Clapton to eat it though and at £7+ for 12 pouches, it is expensive. You might be better of feeding senior food with binders in. Ipakitine costs about £14 from vet UK and a tub is enough to treat 150 meals so really economical. There is a newer type of binder that is supposed to be better, called Renalzin and it comes in a pump (similar to tootpaste) but I have never had much luck getting them to eat it - Willow was OK with it but Clapton won't eat it.

Low phosophorus is good but low protein is a bit of a myth. A lot of experts are now saying that low protein diets were tested on rats and cats with CRF are fine on higher protein food as long as it is high quality - ie from meat, fish & eggs.

[LesleyW]

I would try petmeds.co.uk.  I know my I/D from them is about £8 a pack cheaper than my vets.

[Hippykitty]

Samantha has been diagnosed with kidney problems and needs a low protein diet. Does anyone know a reputable online site where I can buy it cheaper than at the vets? 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Sorry to hear that Michelle  I go along with Gillian's suggestion, wet senior food with phos binders sprinkled on.

[Gillian Harvey]

I wouldnt bother with renal food, I'd go with normal food, wet for preference, senior possibly, and add phos binders. 

[Mark]

  Caroline said Julie will have it for the ferals as they eat anything 

ours won't     

 

You have fussy ferals? 

I have the same thing with the 2 torties that are always begging for food. I went for a smoke earlier and one of them was worrying me - she weaves around my legs and hisses. I gave her a handful of renal biscuits but she was offended. I went and got her a pouch of whiskas and she still wasn't happy. I had to go in again and get her some Hill's biscuits 

[Janeyk]

  Caroline said Julie will have it for the ferals as they eat anything 

ours won't     

[Mark]

RC renal trays are like that and Clapton nor Willow wouls touch it. I had to buy 4 boxes for about £23 and have 3 1/2 left    Caroline said Julie will have it for the ferals as they eat anything 

[clarenmax]

Hope the Specific goes down well, as its a different texture Max used to like it, its quite similar to the Nature's Menu consistency, albeit a little firmer, so I used to mash up some hot water as well 

[Mark]

  Specific renal food,

That is the other one I have on order from VetUK

I agree re RC renal food being able to match up as it comes in chicken, beef and tuna. You can also order single boxes, unlike most renal food. Even then @ £7 a box only to throw most of it away is such a waste. I just gave Clapton a tuna renal and he turned his nose up. I then got a pouch of Whiskas tuna in Jelly, added some binders and water, then mixed it in the renal food and he is eating it. As I know he can, I am going to ignore any more please for food until at least 5pm as he has 2 pouches in his bowl! 

He had roast chicken last night as I am not worried about giving him quality protein - I break it up and mix it up with a scoop of Ipakitine - binders are pretty good value as you get enough to "spike" 150 meals for about £13 - and with renalzin, the same number for about £17

[moira]

I started Truman off with renal food in March when he came to me but it became apparent very quickly that it wasn't going to work - he just wasn't interested and wasn't eating. He now gets good quality pouches and fresh chicken breast for supper (with his Fortekor). He really enjoys his food and is one of my best eaters and, after 10 months, is still going strong so I guess it must be working for him.

[clarenmax]

Max never touched the Hills stuff, but would eat the RC pouches, the beef and tuna flavour ones went down the best.  The dry was always a hit too.

Another good one, which is more of a pate, is  Specific renal food, my vets used to order it in especially for me, and thats in foil trays.

The trouble is the renal food is quite bland, so cats can go off it quite quickly. 

Max would tolerate it if I mixed in a same flavour senior pouch, it was quite easy to do half and half each mealtime as the flavours were quite easy to match up.

If renal food isn't eaten, then senior food with a phospherous binder is a good alternative, as Mark has already said.

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Thanks Mark.
Was going to try RC to see if she will eat it.


Yes Helen....well sort of still mine lol and sort of have been diagnosed
My eldest, Baby 15yrs old , who lives with my Grandparents. (they stole her lol). My Grandad is 94 and there's no way he would be able to give her tablets every day so my vet said get her onto a renal diet

[Tiggy's Mum]

Has one of yours been diagnosed with CRF then Michelle? 

[Mark]

Are you sticking to wet Michelle?

I have never had any luck with Hill's wet renal. Willow would eat RC renal once in a while - it helped if I mixed in a forkful of supermeat of something. I know a lot of people say you shouldn't give CRF cats dry but Hill's renal (K/D) seems to go down well - even Kylie eats it. You could ask your vet for samples or I could post you some but won't have a chance to get to the post office until at least Tuesday with all my exams. There are some others you could try like Purina but it only comes in one flavour, and it is a pate. The problem is you have to order 24 tins. I haven't got any left. Clapton liked it for a while then went off it  - I have just ordered Eukanaba renal and another one called specifics to try. There is also another one you can get from Zooplus. I think renal food smells horrible and so must the cats.

The 2nd best thing to do is feed senior food (has reduced phosphorus) with binders in. I am wary of feeding all renal food as it has come to light that they have got it wrong by reducing protein in renal food. Clapton is still going strong after 3 years so it doesn't seem to be doing him any harm. If you are going to feed renal dry and they don't like it, Pro-plan has lower phosphorus than most regular dry food. If you want, you can put some in a snappy bag with some Ipakitine and shake it up so the binders stick to the biscuits.

no-no foods are Hi-life wet pouches, applaws/encore dry and orijen as they are all very high phosphorus. To give you an idea, most dry food is around 1% but Orijen & Applaws are about 2.5%

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Tablets really arn't going to be practical

so

Hills or RC food ??