Broth & soups for renal diet cats options

[Wonderbeecats]

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear your kitty also has CKD... this site might be helpful, it gives a nutritional breakdown of foods: FoodData Central
If I read it correctly, turkey meat has similar amount of phosphorus as chicken. I would definitely check with your vet to make sure it's safe for your kitty!

Will do, thank you

 

[Wonderbeecats]

Hi everyone, new here… my kitty was newly diagnosed end of Oct/23, early stage 3. My kitty is allergic to Chicken. Does anyone know of other broths that can be made that would be beneficial (not Chicken)? Thanking you kindly in advance.

Sorry, I should have been more specific… looking for recipes.

 

[Wonderbeecats]

Hi Wonderbeecats ! Beef broth is the first that comes to mind. I have heard of pre-made mixes containing fish and duck. Some of what type you use depends on what you are using it for - hydration or to entice your cat to eat? The items I mentioned above do add some level of hydration, but they are more for enticing my cat to eat and many of them do come in flavors other than chicken.

What else are you doing for your cat in terms of managing his/her CKD?

Thanks… looking for recipes… I’d like to add it over kitty’s wet food as opposed to water…. He‘s on Phos Binder, , Slippery Elm Bark (started today) Omega 3, Appetite Stimulator, Azodyl, used Maropitant once (liquid) didn’t go down well (hence the Slippery Elm). Collecting groceries for home made food, hope to start imminently. On Royal Canin Renal (dry, only Renal diet available without Chicken, add boiling water.). Trying to sort out what works best for any given situation. This disease can be fine one day, touch and go the next. Thanks for asking. Absolutely exhausted now, tomorrow is a new day .

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't do a lot of recommending of the io group for CKD cats as they can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but they may have some ideas for you ( [email protected] | Home), or perhaps the web site that is behind them (Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org) that has a whole section on nutrition and might have some links or connections.

The other web site to try is Raw Feeding for IBD Cats - Feline IBD. I have found several areas where things overlap, especially nutrition.

 

[Wonderbeecats]

I don't do a lot of recommending of the io group for CKD cats as they can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but they may have some ideas for you ( [email protected] | Home), or perhaps the web site that is behind them (Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat (felinecrf.org) that has a whole section on nutrition and might have some links or connections.

The other web site to try is Raw Feeding for IBD Cats - Feline IBD. I have found several areas where things overlap, especially nutrition.

Thank you! Ill check it out…

 

[Cadee]

Hi, my cat also has chronic kidney disease, I’ve been making his chicken broth from scratch for years, one full soup pot lasts about 3-4 months, after cooked on low heat (between 6-10 hours, some people do it longer) and cooled in fridge overnight, the fat gets skimmed off the top and the clear liquid is frozen into cubes. I know it’s work but I buy organic chicken, and am able to know exactly what he’s eating, no spices or fat added.

His vet didn’t know how much phosphorus this would contain while I make this with the bones, but I’m also reading posts on Tanya’s CKD forum, some members commented that independent testing was done and found that there isn’t a large amount of phosphorus in the homemade broth. I would think that’s true since my boy has been eating it daily for years, and he is still in stage 2 CKD. If it were high in phosphorus, I think he would be in much worse shape by now. This is an assumption of course. He eats around 1/4 cup of it daily.

I read in the forum comments that if the bone bits/residue are strained out of the liquid before feeding it, then that would also lower the phosphorus content. It’s very hard to find actual stats concerning this, so I am going on leap of faith and based on how my cat’s health has been. He loves the broth and it helps keep him hydrated. Also has collagen which is good for his joints.

Hope this helps a little

Hello, if you don’t mind me asking, may I have the recipe for your broth? I have a 16 year old and I just found out she has chronic CKD. This is all new to me so I don’t know much yet, but I’m trying to do everything I can to help her.

 

[misterginja]

Hello, if you don’t mind me asking, may I have the recipe for your broth? I have a 16 year old and I just found out she has chronic CKD. This is all new to me so I don’t know much yet, but I’m trying to do everything I can to help her.

Hi, I’m so sorry to hear your kitty has CKD too...if you haven’t visited it yet, the Tanya crf website & forum that FeebysOwner mentioned has been a great help to navigate this disease, the best resource I’ve found!

The broth honestly isn’t for nutritionally treating CKD, it’s just something to get more fluids in, if they like the taste. And keeping a CKD cat hydrated is super important. My cat rarely drinks plain water from his bowl, so the broth has been helping us.

It’s not really a recipe, I just work with what have got in the kitchen. As you’ll read below, it’s a labor of love : ) But it’s enough for a few months at a time. I think everyone has their own way of making broth, and some pre-made ones have been mentioned in this thread. Even though what I’ve been doing isn’t instant, in the long run it has saved money over buying pre-made. And there’s no question over the quality of meat in it. It's just finding the block of time to cook it that can be a challenge sometimes.

1. My soup pot holds 16 cups (1 gallon), so I fill it with filtered water (best if fluoride filtered out), 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and add around 1 lb of organic free-range chicken with bone-in. I also leave the skin on, that’s a personal choice, since there are some nutrients in it like potassium & the fat will be skimmed off after cooking anyway. I prefer to use the less meatier parts of the chicken like the back, ribcage, neck, wings, even the feet if they are included in the chest cavity. But I’ve also used thighs/legs, it depends on what’s available here. No spices or vegetables are added.

2. The batch I made this week was cooked on low heat, not to a rolling boil, for 12 hours (since I worked from home that day). In the past, cooking for 6-8 hours worked also, depends on time available. When heat is turned off, I remove and discard any large bones from the pot. And large pieces of meat that can be taken out get saved as a treat for my boy and/or added to meals for the humans. I’ve heard that the chicken/bones can be reused for more than one pot of broth....I haven’t tried it yet, but plan to next time.

3. To prevent bacteria forming in the broth, I fill the sink with ice cold water, and let the pot cool in there for 30 minutes before putting in the fridge.

4. Then just let the pot sit overnight in fridge, and next day can skim the fat layer off the top (can even save the fat and use as “schmaltz” for cooking for humans).

5. After the fat is skimmed off, to reduce the phosphorus, I do the extra step of straining the cooled liquid through a cheese cloth. It results in a clear broth with all the tiny bone sediment removed.

6. At this point I fill ice cube trays with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the clear broth and freeze them. Should try to get all of the broth frozen within 3 days of cooking it, to avoid bacteria formation, same as any leftover food. I just store the cubes in large freezer ziplock bags, then it’s easy to melt one on the stove daily to add to his food.

About the amount to feed, this varies depending on the Dr asked. Before the CKD diagnosis, my boy's vet didn’t recommend more than 3-4 tbsp of broth a day. More could occasionally be given if it's during an acute illness and he needs extra nourishment. But for daily use, since he’s in stage 2 CKD, I’ve been giving 2-3 tbsp a day with the rest being water mixed in to his food. So far so good.

This ended up being long, sorry if you were hoping for a short recipe : )

 

[Justababy]

I’m really late answering to this, but incase you or someone else is looking for a premade soup or toppers for ckd cats, I really recommend checking out Kattovit.
They have a soup/broth and toppers specifically for cats with ckd (also for cats with other health problems). It comes in both a chicken and a duck flavor. I buy it on the zooplus website but it’s also available on Amazon.
https://amzn.eu/d/gAwV7Ja

I can also really recommend the Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet. They have an early care and an advanced care line. My cat is absolutely in love with their dry food. He also likes the wet food every now and then but I mostly feed him raw so I don’t buy it as often. He is really picky with other premade food (not just ckd food), so I recommend checking it out if you have a picky eater.
https://amzn.eu/d/hYqZyxb
https://amzn.eu/d/5FZmm7T