CRF Kidney Disease and other Inflammatory Problems

Holistic foods often do not make special needs medical diets, and unfortunately, animals with kidney problems, diabetes, and pancreatitis CANNOT eat the dry holistic brands because they have too much protein, carbs, fat, or phosphorus. The veterinary brands get their protein sources from grains and in that case, it’s what is needed for our poor babies.
But there is a lot of veterinary research on the use of fish oil to treat the inflammation that is often found in the the kidney, pancreas, etc., and so that is something that you CAN do for your pets.
fish oil for pets:

Fish oil is good for dogs – and cats! Veterinarians first used omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil to treat canine allergies but now recommend it for a wide variety of conditions ranging from kidney disease to arthritis and high cholesterol. Adding fish oil to your dog’s food provides anti-inflammatory effects and can help relieve itching due to atopic dermatitis, an allergy-related skin condition.

The Veterinary College at Colorado State University found that fish oil helped with toenail loss in dogs!

Toenail Loss In Dogs - Lupoid onychodystrophy is a disease in dogs that causes them to lose their toenails. A research team studied the effect of fatty acid supplementation (for example, fish oil or primrose oil) in treating dogs with this condition. This study compared the fatty acid concentrations in the blood and nails of normal and affected dogs. Studies showed an improvement in the conditions of dogs with lupoid onychodystrophy, but researchers don’t know if the improvement is due to the anti-inflammatory characteristics of fatty acids or if affected dogs developed the condition because of a fatty acid deficiency.

Thanks to medical advances, cats are now able to survive some conditions and illnesses that were once fatal. But these same problems — hyperthyroidism, heart problems, urinary tract obstruction, and diabetes can damage the kidneys. Strays are at particular risk, since they are more likely to have been exposed to toxins that can damage the kidneys, as are aging cats since their kidneys may not function very well.

Omega-3 fatty acids may help improve kidney function. Be sure to supplement with fish oil, not flax seed oil, since cats can’t convert the linoleic acid in flax seed oil to the final form, arachidonic acid.

Quality Counts

So, in the wake of all these acute kidney failures, there is at least ONE more healthy thing that you can do for your pets.

Thanks to medical advances, cats are now able to survive some conditions and illnesses that were once fatal. But these same problems -- hyperthyroidism, heart problems, urinary tract obstruction, and diabetes can damage the kidneys. Strays are at particular risk, since they are more likely to have been exposed to toxins that can damage the kidneys, as are aging cats since their kidneys may not function very well.

What causes kidney disease?

Twenty percent of the blood flows through the kidneys with every heart beat, and toxins concentrate in the kidneys so that they can be excreted. Therefore, the kidneys are exposed to more toxins than most other organs. Some of the most notable chemicals that can damage the kidneys are pesticides, herbicides, solvents, and bee venom. Use of natural products around the house will help decrease your cat's exposure to these toxins.

Of the blood going to the kidneys, most is filtered through, so little goes to nourish the kidney tissue itself. Because of this, the kidneys are damaged by anything that decreases blood flow, such as shock, heart problems, trauma, and prolonged anesthesia. Other risk factors for kidney disease are dehydration, high fever, hypotension, acidosis, and electrolyte imbalance.

Some commonly used antibiotics, insecticides, and chemotherapy can also have a damaging effect on the kidneys. Any medications that have the potential to harm the kidneys should be administered in the evening, when a cat's natural nocturnal cycle is at its strongest.

The over-vaccination problem

Over-vaccination may contribute to auto-immune problems by overstimulating the immune system. As the number of vaccines increase, the number of kinds and cases of auto-immune disease increase.

Kidney problems may be caused by a mild form of auto-immune disease. It is possible that antibody-antigen complexes may damage capillary beds in the kidneys and contribute to kidney disease. It is not unreasonable to suspect that excessive vaccination may contribute to kidney failure.

Fatty acids are among the most commonly used nutritional supplements used in treating dogs and cats. Fortunately, they have been used successfully long enough that most conventional veterinarians include their usage in the treatment of at least some diseases.

Medicinal fatty acids are divided into omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In general, omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation, whereas omega-3 fatty acids act to reduce inflammation. As such, omega-3 fatty acids are used in diseases in which anti-inflammatory activity is needed. The fatty acids can substitute for medications such as corticosteroids in the treatment of inflammation.

The most commonly used supplements that provide fatty acids are fish oil and flax seed oil. While flax seed oil contains more omega-3’s than fish oil, the omega-3’s found in flax seed oil are in an inactive form. The omega-3’s found in fish oil are in an active form. In research studies, fish oil has shown positive benefits in helping people and pets with disease, whereas flax seed oil has not been as beneficial. For this reason, fish oil is generally recommended as the omega-3 fatty acid supplement of choice.

The active omega-3’s, (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) are derived from fish oils of coldwater fish (salmon, trout, or most commonly menhaden fish.) Also called linseed oil, flaxseed oil is derived from the seeds of the flax plant and has been proposed as a less smelly alternative to fish oil. Flaxseed oil contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA,) an omega-3 fatty acid that is ultimately converted to EPA and DHA. In fact, flax seed oil contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids (ALA) than fish oil. It also contains omega-6 fatty acids.

Similar to the situation with fish oil, pets with inflammatory diseases may respond to supplementation with flax seed oil. However, many species of pets (probably including dogs and cats) and some people cannot efficiently convert ALA to the more active non-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA.) In one study in people, flax seed oil was ineffective in reducing symptoms or raising levels of EPA and DHA. In pets with kidney disease, flax seed oil was not as effective as fish oil. While flaxseed oil has been suggested as a substitute for fish oil, there is no evidence that it is effective when used for the same therapeutic purposes as fish oil. Unlike the case for fish oil, there is little evidence that flax seed oil is effective for any specific therapeutic purpose with the following exceptions. Flax seed oil can improve the coat and skin of pets. Also, the lignans contained in flax seed oil may have anti-cancer benefits.

Fish oil supplementation may be helpful for pets with inflammatory diseases including allergies, arthritis, kidney disease, heart disease, and cancers. People with diabetes may have fatty acid derangement and require supplementation; this may also be true in pets. Fish oil has demonstrated benefits in people and pets with allergies, kidney disease, and heart disease. It has also shown benefits as an anti-depressant in people with mild depression. Fish oil appears to have benefits in pets with arthritis as well. Pets with any type of inflammatory disease may benefit from fish oil supplementation. In general, more severe disease requires doses higher than those commonly recommended and often additional supplements are necessary as fish oil is not often useful as the only supplement.

Fish oil is very effective in some pets with allergic skin disease. It can reduce the amount of corticosteroid or antihistamine needed to control itching. The response is variable in other diseases (such as kidney disease) but fish oil appears effective in research studies. In pets with some types of cancer, fish oil has slowed down the growth and spread of the cancer. While more studies are needed on other types of cancer, the general recommendation is to add fish oil to the diets of all pets with cancer.

While there is concern about the contamination of fish meat with environmental contaminants such as mercury, this concern does not apply to fish oil. Supplementation with fish oil can result in decreased levels of vitamin E; therefore, fish oil supplements have extra vitamin E added to them.

Safety
Fish oil supplementation is very safe. The most common side effect seen in people and pets is a fish odor to the breath or the skin. Because fish oil has a mild “blood-thinning” effect, it should not be combined with powerful blood-thinning medications, such as Coumadin (warfarin) or heparin, except on a veterinarian's advice. Fish oil does not seem to cause bleeding problems when it is taken by itself at commonly recommended dosages. In people, a high dose of fish oil (4 grams or more each day) when combined with ginkgo biloba has caused serious bleeding problems. Fish oil does not appear to raise blood sugar levels in people or pets with diabetes despite earlier concerns about this. Flax oil does not appear to cause “blood thinning.”