# Link between dry dog food and kidney disease?



## Jessac (Oct 9, 2010)

My friend put her dog down yesterday because of kidney failure and this got me thinking. Is there any link between the eating of dry dog food and kidney disease? One of my dogs died of kidney failure and I know of a number of others who have as well. If there is link it might well be that only certain types of dry food have this effect. Does anyone have any information on this?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Donald Strombeck's book on cooking for dogs and cats can be partly read on google books and he thinks it is so. I think Sassy was chronically slightly dehydrated eating kibble and I don't think that is unusual for kibble fed dogs. I am not crazy about all the processing that needs to be done or that there are so many minerals and vitamins than must be added back to make it a good diet. I don't think dog food companies know everything there is to know about nutrition either. No more kibble for my dogs.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

I think its far to much of a coincidence not to. They use a preservative that has long be banned for use in human foods which was linked to causing kidney and liver issues and stomachs cancers.

Thats why kibble is never getting anywhere near my dogs.


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## doginthedesert (Jun 18, 2010)

I have heard of this, mostly in reference to cats, because they have a lower drive to drink water than dogs do. I do think it is a real thing, and increasing water intake is a major motivator for many people who feed canned. Dehydration can contribute to kidney disease, and dry food can contribute to dehydration in some dogs, and many cats.

Here is a quote from the bag of Wellness dog food I have in the house "Wellness believes in feeding dry and wet food in combination whenever possible to help increase the level of water in your dogs diet."

My limited understanding of this problem leads me to believe that it does not matter what kibble you feed, it is mostly the fact that it is dry. I think it really depends on the dog and their drive to drink water.


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

I believe that a lot of problems are caused by kibble. It's not necessarily the ingredients, although in some cases, one could question what some companies put in their kibble (I mean if you really have to add propylene glycol to the food to make it palatable to a dog, then there's something seriously wrong). It's the processing that makes kibble not the best food. The heat required to cook the kibble destroys many important nutrients and IMHO, the whole nature of the ingredient is changed and to me, that makes it somehow 'unusable' by the dog's body or it's processed differently by the body. However, in this day and age, people don't have time or money to make their pet's food so kibble is a convenient way to feed your dog. Realistically, kibble has come a long way from Kibbles & Bits and Gaines Burgers. 

Canned food would probably be a step above kibble and it does make sense that it provides the dog with more hydration. You could always add water to the kibble too (as long as the food doesn't contain citric acid - may contribute to bloat). I feed my dog raw but still add water to increase her water intake.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

The ingredients in dog food, canned or kibble are not the freshest either. Lots of foods say they use USDA inspected meat and all but I don't ever remember reading that good hygienic practices like keeping the temperature low or how often equipment is cleaned are used. Dr. Strombeck writes that the bacteria are completely killed by the processing but the toxins are left behind. I am sure there is a limit as to how much is acceptable in dog food but it might add up over time anyway.


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## Jessac (Oct 9, 2010)

Thank you all for your input. As has been said, it would be best to prepare food daily but time constraints and budget often don't allow this. I had heard about the link between dry food and kidney failure in cats but I didn't realise that cats don't drink as readily as dogs. All interesting stuff. Thanks.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I think it just mostly has to do with water intake as well. At least with high quality kibble, I know some "bad" kibble have a lot of preservatives taht shouldn't be in there. That's why there is only a handful of kibble I like on the market. I like non-preserved meat and fish used for kibble and locally sourced ingredients as well.

that's why I always encourage Nia to drink lots of water. If she doesn't, I make her exercise for a bit to get her thirsty and then give her a lot of water. I also know some people that add a lot of water to the kibble, soak it and then feed. Since Nia won't eat that, it doesn't really work for us but if we had a dog that does eat that, I think I would do that.


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

This is an extremely broad question with no real answer. The first thing I thought of when reading was the classic line - "a cure for cancer." Like cancer, kidney disease is a gigantic umbrella of diseases that will never have one cause or one cure. Some kidney diseases have clearly been shown to be heritable. Some are only known to occur with very specific ingested toxins. Some are auto-immune. Many are considered idiopathic (meaning, we have no idea or can't prove the idea we have) and will be left at that or just chalked up to old age. Is there some link between dry dog food and this batch of idiopathic, chronic renal disease we see in dogs and cats? I wish I knew. The only literature offered up so far on the subject that I've been able to find is not much more than speculation (at best).

If there is a true link between dry dog food and renal disease in dogs and cats, I doubt if we'll know about it (at least any time soon) because of the huge number of animals that are on dry that do NOT develop it. It would take a huge study and lots of $$$$ to link any correlation with causation.


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Mr. V said:


> This is an extremely broad question with no real answer. The first thing I thought of when reading was the classic line - "a cure for cancer." Like cancer, kidney disease is a gigantic umbrella of diseases that will never have one cause or one cure. Some kidney diseases have clearly been shown to be heritable. Some are only known to occur with very specific ingested toxins. Some are auto-immune. Many are considered idiopathic (meaning, we have no idea or can't prove the idea we have) and will be left at that or just chalked up to old age. Is there some link between dry dog food and this batch of idiopathic, chronic renal disease we see in dogs and cats? I wish I knew. The only literature offered up so far on the subject that I've been able to find is not much more than speculation (at best).
> 
> If there is a true link between dry dog food and renal disease in dogs and cats, I doubt if we'll know about it (at least any time soon) because of the huge number of animals that are on dry that do NOT develop it. It would take a huge study and lots of $$$$ to link any correlation with causation.


Yes, very good points Mr. V. There's no definite answer; it is just my intuition telling me that processed foods, human or canine, will have a different effect on a body than whole, natural foods. However, genetics and possibly environmental factors play a role as well. 

To the OP, regarding cats, they were originally desert dwellers so they derive their moisture from the food they eat. They are not natural drinkers, although some cats do drink quite a bit. That is why it's important to feed them canned or raw food as opposed to dry. Being chronically dehydrated not only has detrimental effects on the kidneys, it could also lead to urinary blockages, especially in male cats, which costs a lot to treat. Dogs do drink so they will hydrate themselves when eating dry food, for the most part. 

However, no matter what you feed, your animal could develop anything. Regardless, I feel it's important to feed the best food you can afford. If you can afford kibble, then maybe adding water or broth to the kibble or giving him half kibble, half canned would provide more hydration for your dog.


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

There are many preservatives; bht, bhp? in lower quality foods that have been linked to causing issues such as cancer and kidney disease. I wish I had the article.


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