My skinny senior dog has kidney disease & pancreatitis. How to feed?

Question

My dog is a 14 years old Chinese crested. He has been diagnosed with beginning kidney failure and episodic pancreatitis. He is on 100% human food (lean protein-rice-veggies) He is doing really good but extremely skinny- his bones show. The thing that has me perplexes me is that he Eats 1 cup of food in the morning and 1 cup at night. He weighs only 8 pounds. At his healthiest- as a young dog he Was 12 pounds. I’m afraid his organs will stop if I can’t get him to gain some weight. Pet's info: Dog | Chinese Crested | Male | neutered | 14 years and 2 months old | 8 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

I would be concerned that his diet is lacking in the micro nutrients, minerals and fatty acids. Lean meat, veggies and rice do not contain significant amounts of calcium, fatty acids...etc. This could contribute to his low weight. Dogs who have kidney disease will also commonly lose body condition as well. I would recommend to reach out to a veterinary nutritionist who can formulate a complete and balanced diet for Bingo that will meet his body calorie needs as well as address the vitamins/mineral/other nutrients. The diet will also address his pancreatitis and kidney disease. The kidney disease needs to be controlled by having low Phosphorus and low protein so this can be tricky. You veterinarian may have a recommendation for a nutritionist or you can look online. May nutritionist offer online consultations or phone consultations making the process easy. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My skinny senior dog has kidney disease & pancreatitis. How to feed?

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