Feeding guide for dogs with early kidney disease
With CompleteMe Renal Canine
Make low phosphorus therapeutic dog food at home quickly and easily. Low fat and novel protein options available.
Formulated for dogs with IRIS stage 1-2 chronic kidney disease.
Choose the meat, vegetables and other ingredients you would like to use with our simple, flexible guide.
Makes 1 kilogram of food, which can be portioned and frozen.
Ingredients
150 grams of raw meat (2-10% fat)
600 grams of cooked starchy vegetables and/or grains
(choose from sweet potato, potato, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, buckwheat, or pearled barley. For any grains or pasta, please weigh out the required amount after cooking)
185 grams of colourful non-starchy vegetables and/or fruit
4 mL omega-3 rich oil (5 x 1000 mg capsules)
(choose from fish oil, krill oil, or marine algae oil)
25 grams of omega-6-rich seeds
(choose from hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds)
5 grams of tasty fats
(choose from unsalted butter or ghee, natural yoghurt, tasty cheese, cottage cheese, olive oil, or coconut oil)
30 grams of CompleteMe Renal Canine
Optional:
0.5-1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, bone broth, fermented vegetables, goats milk, ginger or turmeric (maximum ¼ teaspoon recommended), organic soy sauce or miso paste (maximum ½ teaspoon recommended)
Directions
- Gently pan-fry the diced meat with 50 mL water until cooked.
If using raw meat, please omit this step. - Steam or microwave the chopped vegetables until very soft.
- If using grains or pasta, cook as per the manufacturer's instructions.
- Grind the seeds in a coffee grinder.
- Combine the cooked meat (including liquid from pan), cooked vegetables and grains, diced fruit, tasty fat, seeds, and oil, and mix well.
- Allow to cool then add 30 grams of CompleteMe Canine and mix again.
- Portion and refrigerate, or freeze as desired.
Storage and safety
For homemade diets only
Do not add CompleteMe Renal Canine to any commercial dog food, or use with any other nutritional supplements (containing vitamins and/or minerals).
Raw feeding safety
For raw meat, freeze for 10 days before use to destroy parasites like Toxoplasma. In areas with Trichinella, please freeze pork for 3 weeks before use.
Storage and feeding
Larger batches can be made and frozen for convenience. Keep refrigerated food for 3 days, and frozen food for 3-4 months. Please discard any uneaten food after 30 minutes.
Feeding guidelines
Toy/mini breeds (<5 kg): 150-400 g/day
Small breeds (5-10 kg): 270-700 g/day
Medium breeds (10-25 kg): 600-1250 g/day
Large breeds (25-45 kg): 1100-2100 g/day
Giant breeds (45-80 kg): 1550-3500 g/day
Feeding quantities are estimates, and are based on fresh food which contains significantly higher moisture than dry food. The energy density of the diet will also change depending on the ingredients you select (for example, lower fat = less energy dense = more food is needed).
Adjust up or down the amount of food based on your dog's size, body condition, age, activity level, and medical conditions.
If your dog gains unwanted weight, reduce the amount you are feeding by 10-15% and reweigh after a week. If they have unwanted weight loss, increase the amount you are feeding by 10-15% and reweigh after a week. Continue to adjust until the right amount of food is determined. Please consult with your dog's veterinarian as needed.
Learn how to quickly body condition score your dog here.
Nutritional information
All possible combinations of the ingredients listed above have been checked to ensure that the diet contains moderate to low protein, moderate fat, restricted phosphorus, controlled calcium and sodium, and is enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fibre. The specifications for the diet are very similar to commercial early renal diets for dogs, like Royal Canin Early Renal and Hill's Prescription Diet k/d Early Care.
The average kcal/gram for the diet is: 1 kcal/gram
The average protein for the diet is:
On a dry matter basis: 20%
On a caloric basis: 51 grams per 1000 kcal ME (or 20% calories from protein)
The average fat for the diet is:
On a dry matter basis: 15%
On a caloric basis: 37 grams per 1000 kcal ME (or 26% calories from fat)
Average phosphorus for the diet is:
0.09% as fed basis
0.39% dry matter basis
0.9 g per 1000 kcal ME
Average calcium for the diet is:
0.16% as fed basis
0.71% dry matter basis
1.7 g per 1000 kcal ME
FAQs
What meat can I use?
A large number of meats and cuts can be used with CompleteMe Renal Canine. Variety is important; we strongly recommend feeding a range of different meat types and cuts. Don't exclusively feed very lean meats. 5% fat is a good everyday choice, with occasional higher and lower fat meats as well. Try to include different textures as well, for example, chunks, small strips, mince, etc.
- Poultry:
Skinless and boneless chicken thigh, drumstick or breast, mince (2-3% fat), gizzards, hearts (fat trimmed off)
Skinless and boneless turkey or duck breast or turkey mince (6% fat) - Pork:
Lean pork mince or diced pork loin with 5-10% fat, rump steak (untrimmed) - Lamb, beef, goat, or venison:
Extra-lean diced lamb or goat meat (including heart or tongue) with 5-10% fat
Lean venison fillet or steak (e.g. shoulder, backstrap, rump eye, leg steak)
Lean beef mince, gravy or chuck beef with 5-10% fat, blade, round or rump steak (fat trimmed off), eye fillet or topside roast or steak (fat trimmed off)
Lamb or beef heart (fat trimmed off) - Game meat:
Lean kangaroo or wallaby mince or steak with 2-3% fat
Wild or farmed boneless rabbit or hare meat
Emu fan fillet or flat fillet (1-3% fat)
Wild boar backstrap, boneless leg, or loin chops - Fish:
Skinless and boneless white fish fillets, like whiting, hoki, ling, or barramundi
Tuna, canned in springwater
(please don't feed fish exclusively)
Which vegetables and fruits are safe for dogs with kidney disease?
Important note: Some dogs with more advanced kidney disease can develop high potassium in their blood (hyperkalaemia).
If your dog has hyperkalaemia, feeding a diet with lots of potassium-rich vegetables may not be suitable. Please contact us at info@vngpets.com for more information on personalised, low-potassium recipes.
For vegetables, try pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, green peas, carrot, zucchini, squash, spinach, kale, turnips, parsnips, watercress, Asian greens, mushrooms, tomato, capsicum or cabbage.
Both fresh and frozen vegetables are fine. We recommend steaming or microwaving for most vegetables, however baking can also work well sometimes.
For fruit, try strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apple, pear, banana, mango, peach, plum, kiwifruit, guava, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, rockmelon or honeydew melon. Please be very careful to remove any pits or stones, and avoid toxic fruit like grapes, raisins or currants.
How can I store the food?
This makes just over 1 kilogram of food, which can be portioned and fed immediately, or stored in the fridge (max 3 days) or freezer (max 3 months) until needed.
Can I use raw meat?
You can include the meat raw or cooked, depending on preference. For raw human-grade meat, be sure to freeze the meat for 10 days prior to use. For pork (in areas with Trichinella), freezing for 3 weeks prior to use is sensible. Please discuss raw-feeding with your dog's veterinarian; raw feeding is not suitable for all dogs or households. Many dogs with kidney disease may do much better on a cooked diet.
My dog needs a low fat diet; which ingredients should I choose?
For a low fat renal diet, select leaner proteins. The following are the lowest fat combinations:
- Turkey breast + sweet potato or potato: 20.1% fat on a caloric basis
- Pork tenderloin/fillet (fat trimmed off) + sweet potato or potato: 21.4% calories from fat
- White fish or canned tuna + sweet potato or potato: 19.9% fat on a caloric basis
- Kangaroo fillet or steak + sweet potato or potato: 19.8% fat on a caloric basis
- Chicken breast + sweet potato or potato: 21.7% fat on a caloric basis
- Venison fillet or steak + sweet potato or potato: 21.4% fat on a caloric basis
Please include all other ingredients, as per the ingredients list above. For reference, commercial low-fat prescription diets have 17-20% calories from fat.
My dog has allergies, can I use novel proteins like emu or crocodile?
Yes, using novel proteins is fine. Please select proteins with 2-10% fat only. Some options could include:
Emu fan or flat fillet, or full rump
Crocodile tail or leg meat
Venison mince, fillet or steak
Wild boar shoulder (deboned) or mince
Lean diced boneless goat (visible fat trimmed off)
For quick and easy homemade meals
