Hannah Zulueta Where the Calories Come From When Protein Comes Down
Low-phosphorus fat sources for dogs with kidney disease, ranked, with how much to add and how fast.
A kidney recipe measures protein and limits phosphorus. Your dog still needs the same number of calories to hold his weight. Fat is how most of that gap gets filled.
How do I keep my kidney dog’s weight up without adding phosphorus?
Add fat. Pure oils and rendered animal fats carry essentially no phosphorus, and fat is the most calorie-dense food there is. It fills the calorie gap left when protein is measured more carefully.
- Lowest in phosphorus: fish oil, olive oil, coconut oil, beef fat, chicken fat, ghee, and butter.
- Highest: sardines, lean meat, whole egg, egg yolk, and salmon.
- Add fat slowly over one to two weeks, and have the recipe recalculated first.
- Not for every dog: no extra fat for a dog with a pancreas, liver, gallbladder, blood-fat, or gut condition.
Which dogs should not get extra fat?
If your dog has any of the conditions below, do not add extra fat. The fat level in his recipe has to be set by a nutritionist qualified to formulate for his condition, and the ideas in the rest of this guide come second to that.
- Pancreatitis, now or in the past
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)
- Diabetes
- Liver disease or raised liver enzymes
- Gallbladder sludge
- Gallbladder mucocele
- High triglycerides or cholesterol on bloodwork
- Breeds prone to high blood fats, such as Miniature Schnauzers
- Hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease, which can raise blood fats
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Lymphangiectasia or protein-losing enteropathy
- Loose or greasy stool after rich food
Signs fat isn’t agreeing with your dog: vomiting, belly pain or a hunched “praying” stance, loose or greasy stool, or refusing food after a rich meal. Call your vet if you see any of them.
Why does a kidney dog need more fat?
Every calorie in a dog’s bowl comes from protein, fat, or carbohydrate. When protein is measured more carefully, those calories have to move somewhere. Fat and carbohydrate take them over.
Weight loss in a kidney dog is almost always muscle loss. A dog who runs short on calories burns his own muscle for fuel, and muscle is hard to win back. Enough fat keeps the calories up so protein can go to muscle. More on energy and base mixes for kidney dogs.
Which fats are lowest in phosphorus?
The fair comparison is phosphorus per 100 calories, because fat is added for its calories. Tap a group to filter the chart.
Milligrams of phosphorus per 100 kcal, approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for raw or uncooked foods and rounded.
What stands out in the chart?
- Egg yolk is high in phosphorus. It is rich and fatty, and it is also one of the densest phosphorus sources in the kitchen. Egg white is the low-phosphorus part of the egg.
- A fattier cut lowers the phosphorus per calorie. 70% lean ground beef carries about a third of the phosphorus per calorie of 93% lean.
- Butter and ghee are low. They work in small amounts for a dog who tolerates dairy.
- Sardines and salmon are high. They bring valuable omega-3s along with a real phosphorus load, so they are measured, never added freely.
The fat number on my dog’s recipe looks high. Is it?
Fat can be reported three ways, and they tell very different stories.
One senior dog I formulated for had early kidney disease and a history of pancreatitis. When I raised the beef in his recipe, fat came out at 37.66% of calories. For a dog with his history, that sounded alarming.
The same recipe was 18.83% fat on a dry matter basis. Dry matter means the food with all its water removed, which is how nutrients in foods with different moisture are compared fairly. By that measure, his fat sat in the low-to-moderate range.
Fat is so calorie-dense that this number always looks high, even in a modest-fat recipe.
This is the number that places his recipe in the low-to-moderate range.
When you compare recipes, compare grams of fat per 1000 kcal, or percent dry matter.
Which fat suits my dog?
In TCM, fats carry a nature, the way foods carry warmth or coolness. Rich, greasy food in excess also creates Dampness: a heavy, sticky quality that shows up as a greasy coat, soft stool, and a sluggish dog. Choose the description closest to your dog.
Seeks cool floors at night, drinks a lot, dry coat. This is the kidney dog whose cooling reserve is running low. Duck fat nourishes Yin. Fish oil is cooling as well.
Seeks the sun or the blanket, tires quickly, cool ears and paws. Beef fat supports Qi and Blood. Small amounts of butter or ghee add richness. Increase slowly, because a tired digestion handles rich food poorly.
A greasy or yeasty coat, soft stool, and a heavy, sluggish feel. This dog needs calories without more Dampness. Favor small amounts of lighter oils, lean on cooked grain such as pearl barley for part of the calories, and raise fat in small steps.
A dog with pancreatitis in his history needs his fat level set by a nutritionist qualified to formulate for both conditions. Judge the recipe by dry matter or grams per 1000 kcal, as in the example above, and make any increase in very small steps.
How much fat do I add, and how fast?
- Have the recipe recalculated first. Added fat adds calories, which thins every vitamin and mineral per calorie. A balanced recipe with extra oil poured on top is no longer balanced. DDFR calculators.
- Increase over one to two weeks. Add the new fat in quarter steps, a few days at each step.
- Watch the stool. Loose, greasy, or pale stool means the fat went up too fast. Drop back to the last step and hold.
- Weigh your dog weekly. Same scale, same time of day. Stable weight with good muscle over the spine means the calories are right.
- Count fish oil separately. Fish oil is there for its omega-3s, which lower protein loss in the kidney (Brown et al., 1998). It adds few calories at a therapeutic dose. The Fat Factor.
What else do owners ask about fat and kidney disease?
What is the best fat source for a dog with kidney disease?
I strongly recommend that you work with a nutritionist qualified to formulate a kidney recipe for your dog. Pure oils and rendered fats such as beef fat carry essentially no phosphorus. The best choice depends on your dog’s constitution, digestion, and any pancreatitis history.
Is coconut oil good for dogs with kidney disease?
Coconut oil carries no phosphorus, so it can add calories to a kidney recipe. It is very saturated and can loosen stool when introduced quickly. Start with a small amount, raise it slowly, and skip it in a dog with pancreatitis history unless the nutritionist formulating his recipe approves it.
Are eggs good for dogs with kidney disease?
Egg white is one of the best proteins for a kidney dog: high quality and very low in phosphorus. The yolk carries most of the egg’s phosphorus, about 121 mg per 100 calories. Whole eggs can fit a recipe when measured. Egg whites fit more easily.
How do I add calories to a kidney diet without adding phosphorus?
Use pure fats and low-phosphorus grains. Oils and beef fat add calories with essentially no phosphorus. White rice and pearl barley add calories with very little. Have the recipe recalculated, because added calories dilute its vitamins and minerals.
Is it safe to raise fat for a kidney dog with a history of pancreatitis?
Excess fat, no. Any change to fat is set by the nutritionist formulating his recipe and made in very small steps. Judge the recipe by grams of fat per 1000 kcal or percent dry matter. Percent of calories from fat always looks high, even when the recipe sits in a low-to-moderate range.
Where do I go next if the extra fat upsets his stomach?
This guide covers the calorie side of a kidney recipe. The Kidney Disease hub covers the rest of it. If added fat unsettles the stomach, the Gut Health hub picks up from there, and the TCM hub explains the constitutions behind the fat choices above.
Want calories that hold his weight without the phosphorus?
I build TCM Dietetics kidney recipes with the fat source and amount matched to your dog’s constitution, digestion, and history.
References
Brown, S. A., Brown, C. A., Crowell, W. A., Barsanti, J. A., Allen, T., Cowell, C., & Finco, D. R. (1998). Beneficial effects of chronic administration of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in dogs with renal insufficiency. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine, 131(5), 447-455.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. (2024). FoodData Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
Hannah Zulueta obtained her Certificate in Canine Nutrition from CASI Institute. She is also studying for her Doctorate in Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Herbalism from the esteemed Pacific College of Health and Medicine. If you’re as keenly interested in health for yourself, visit her website for human health: Satori Acupuncture and Herbs.
She resides in San Diego with her three dogs, Maggie, Orbit, and Mr. Higgins.
She is available for one on one consultations. She develops evidence-based recipes that meet both NRC and AAFCO nutritional standards while integrating the therapeutic food principles of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine into her formulations.
Additionally, you can find her sharing free content on Instagram.
