How to Make Low‐Protein Dog Food

Co-authored by Brian Bourquin, DVM

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

Making basic, low protein food for a dog with early stage kidney disease.^{[1]
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Research source} It is important to restrict protein in your dog's diet when kidney disease is present.

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Drain any fat. You can substitute 1 pound of ground beef (80% lean).
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Choose a vegetable. You can use canned (no sodium/salt added) or you can steam or boil any of these. Prepare 3 cups cooked.^{[2]
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- Carrots (diced or sliced)
- Sweet potato (diced or sliced)
- Green beans
- Beets (diced or sliced)
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Choose a starch. Cook according to package directions. Prepare 2 cups cooked.^{[3]
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- Rice (white)
- Macaroni
- Malt O Meal (original not chocolate flavor)
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Choose an organ meat. Organ meat is an essential part of this diet. It contains vitamins, nutrients and minerals your dog needs. You need 3 ounces total. Dice finely before or after cooking. You can cook this with the ground meat.^{[4]
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- Beef or calves liver
- Chicken livers
- Pork liver
Go to the human vitamin section of your store. You need a total of 1,000 mg in this recipe. You can use one TUMS ULTRA in place of calcium. Crush the tablet in between two spoons until it is fine powder.
You can get this in the same place you got the calcium. Do not use cod liver fish oil capsules. These capsules are coated with gelatin and liquid inside. You need 1,000 mg in this recipe. Take a push pin, safety pin, needle and poke a hole in the end of it. Squeeze contents into meat mixture.
Store in refrigerator. Feed 1/2 cup of this daily for every 8 pounds of dog. If your dog weighs 5 pounds, feed him half a cup. If he weighs 10 pounds, feed 1 cup. Every dog is different and you will need to adjust according to each. Some dogs may need less to maintain weight, some may need more.^{[5]
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Do you mix the calcium and fish oil in each serving or is it mixed into the entire recipe?

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You will need 1,000 each of the calcium and fish oil for the whole recipe, not each individual serving.

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Is this a diet approved by vets?

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As a vet, I can tell you that I do not approve of this diet. It is not complete and there are some nutrients that are too high and some that are too low. A good kidney diet for dogs does not only consist of low protein but, for example, low phosphate. I suggest you contact a vet near to you who will be happy to provide you with more information!

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Can brown rice be used instead of white?

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Yes. there is more nutrition in brown rice, though the extra fiber it contains may cause digestive problems initially.

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Tips

You can add flavor by using 1/2 cup of low or no sodium canned chicken broth.

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If your dog is not over weight you can also add 1 TB of bacon fat or butter. Do not add if you are restricting fat.

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You can warm this meal slightly or serve it cold.

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