Dietary management of cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) can be very complicated due to the need to balance many changed dietary needs to keep the CKD from worsening, such as keeping protein relatively low while also maintaining optimal potassium and phosphorous levels. We are examining whether feeding a hydrolyzed protein diet will provide more amino acids while also keeping protein levels low enough to help prevent muscle wasting while still optimizing the other needs.

Eligibility: Cats with IRIS Stage I or Stage II Chronic Kidney Disease

Compensation: You will receive the food for free for the duration of the study. Additionally there will be a 10% hospital discount on all study-related visits to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.

Owner Responsibilities: Your cat will be given one of three commercial diets that have been formulated to be more digestible, with two of the three utilizing the specially selected protein ± natural anti-inflammatory nutrients. You will feed this diet exclusively for a minimum of 1 month and up to a maximum of 12 months if the response is favorable. All treats and supplements must be discontinued prior to your cat’s enrollment.  You will be required to bring your cat to Cornell for the initial appointment including a brief exam, urinalysis, fecal examination and blood work and back to Cornell at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months after beginning the diet for additional brief exams, urinalysis, fecal examination and blood work (follow up at your local veterinarian may be possible in some cases). You will also fill out a survey related to your cat’s quality of life and diet performance each month during the dietary trial.

Principal Investigator: Kenneth Simpson, BVM&S, PhD, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA

Contact/Schedule an Appointment: Please contact the internal medicine service or the clinical trials coordinator at 607.253.3060, or email vet-research@cornell.edu. Your referring veterinarian may also contact the hospital to refer your pet.