My skinny senior dog has kidney disease & pancreatitis. How to feed?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Chinese Crested | Male | neutered | 14 years and 2 months old | 8 lbs
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.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 30th, 2018
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.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 4th, 2018
Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Smokey! If he is that skinny and he hasn't gained in your care it's time for a Vet exam. I would have a stool sample checked to be sure he doesn't still have worms or a different kind that needs a specific treatment. He should have blood work and his urine tested to be sure he doesn't have something serious metabolically going on like liver or kidney disease. He may have food allergies or inflammatory bowel disease that makes it hard for him to absorb nutrients. You can increase his food volume or change him to a performance breed brand of food that is more calorically dense to see if he will put on weight. But if he is a senior dog and you don't know if he has normal blood work that could be detrimental. I wish you the best!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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