If the condition you are looking for is not found or listed, it may go by another name, not be traditionally managed with nutrition, and/or we do not have a recipe for the condition as specifically noted below. If you need assistance knowing which condition(s) to select or manage nutritionally, please speak with your veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® that offers individualized consultations.

ADDISON’S DISEASE OR HYPOADRENOCORTICISM:

There are currently no specific nutritional management strategies for this less common canine endocrinopathy. The higher blood potassium concentration (hyperkalemia) and lower blood sodium concentration (hyponatremia), that can be seen with this hormonal disease, are not treated through the feeding of a lower dietary concentration of potassium and/or a higher dietary sodium concentration. Rather, hormone replacement therapy (i.e., mineralocorticoids (and glucocorticoids)) needs to be instituted to restore the blood concentrations of these essential nutrients/electrolytes.

CANCER:

We do not currently have any homemade recipes for the nutritional management of cancer. This area of treatment is quite controversial with some popular strategies like lower dietary carbohydrate level being unproven or called into question due to potential data falsification by a former veterinary school researcher. Some veterinarians may recommend diets that have lower n-6 to long-chain n-3 fatty acid ratios which are available on the site with their recommendation and approval. Overall, we suggest that an individualized consultation with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® be pursued if a non-healthy adult recipe isn’t appropriate or you or your veterinarian are unsure how best to address a particular patient.

CANINE SILICA UROLITHIASIS:

We do not currently have any homemade recipes formulated specifically for the nutritional management of silica urolithiasis. This condition is so rare that we suggest that a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® that offers individualized consultations be contacted for assistance. They typically will advise avoiding cereal grains that can be richer in silica and adding water to the meal (to achieve a stew or soup like consistency) to increase water intake and dilute urine (typically a urine specific gravity of 1.020 or less). They will also discuss the likelihood of recurrence which is reported to be low in many cases.

CANINE STRUVITE UROLITHIASIS:

We do not currently have any homemade recipes for the dissolution of struvite stones or uroliths in the dog (or cat). We also do not have any homemade recipes for the prevention of struvite crystals or stones in the dog as the management is now focused on antibiotics (see http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.14559/full for ACVIM Consensus Statement Recommendation 3.2) not first or primarily diet unlike in the cat. The need for antibiotics is related to the abnormal bacteria that can hide within the urinary tract and produce a special enzyme that breaks down urine and releases one of the struvite precursors. There doesn’t appear to be any cases of sterile struvite urolithiasis in the dog that would dictate a change in diet to prevent recurrence. We suggest that an individualized consultation with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® be pursued if a non-healthy adult recipe isn’t appropriate for a particular patient.

CUSHING’S DISEASE OR HYPERADRENOCORTICISM:

There are currently no specific nutritional management strategies for this common canine endocrinopathy. It has been suggested that lower energy density foods (i.e., less calories per unit of volume) can help with satiety or the sense of fullness. This can be achieved by using lower fat foods or increasing the content of safe vegetables and fruits in a recipe. Care should be taken if the patient is concurrently diabetic as decreasing energy density can increase the amount of dietary carbohydrate. Or if calcium oxalate urolithiasis (i.e., crystals/stones) is a concern, vegetables and fruits may need to be selected carefully as many can be rich in oxalate.

ELEVATED LIVER ENZYMES:

There are no current specific nutritional management strategies for elevated liver enzymes, though if it persists/progresses and a specific diagnosis is made, we do have strategies for copper hepatopathy, liver vascular anomaly, and/or hepatic encephalopathy nutritional management. A consultation with one’s veterinarian and/or an internist and/or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® is recommended in cases of elevated liver enzymes. They can review your animal companion’s medical records and diet history to come up with the best medical/surgical diagnostics & treatment and/or nutritional management approach(es).

EXOCRINE PANCREATIC INSUFFICIENCY (EPI):

We do not have any recipe options specifically listed for the nutritional management of EPI. With pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, patients with EPI can eat and do well on regular growth and maintenance foods. If clinical signs such as loose or voluminous stools or ongoing underweightedness exist, then the dose of pancreatic enzymes typically needs to be increased under the guidance of one’s veterinarian. At times, a lower fat diet may be suggested to reduce the amount of pancreatic enzymes needed, as the fat digesting enzyme, lipase, is usually limiting, and this medication can be expensive. This is not to say that all EPI patients need dietary fat reduction or restriction and helps explain why there are no EPI specific recipes on the site currently.