Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How changing phosphate in diet affects calcium in cats with kidney
By Geddes, Rebecca F et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·Department of Clinical Science and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The effect of attenuating dietary phosphate restriction on blood ionized calcium concentrations in cats with chronic kidney disease and ionized hypercalcemia.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and high calcium levels were studied to see how a less restrictive diet on phosphorus affected their health. The cats that were switched to a moderately phosphate-restricted diet showed a significant drop in their high calcium levels, with most of them normalizing within a few months. In contrast, cats that continued on a stricter diet did not see the same improvement in calcium levels. This suggests that easing dietary restrictions on phosphorus might help manage high calcium levels in cats with CKD.
People also search for: cat kidney disease diet · cat high calcium treatment · chronic kidney disease in cats · phosphorus restriction in cats with CKD
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hypercalcemia is commonly observed in cats with azotemic chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dietary phosphate restriction is considered standard of care but may contribute to the development of hypercalcemia. The optimal dietary management strategy for these cats is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To describe the effect of feeding a moderately phosphate-restricted diet (MP; 1.5 g/Mcal phosphorus; Ca : P ratio, 1.3) to cats with concurrent azotemic CKD and ionized hypercalcemia. ANIMALS: Client-owned cats with ionized hypercalcemia (ionized calcium [iCa] concentration >1.4 mmol/L) at diagnosis of CKD (n = 11; baseline hypercalcemics) or after CKD diagnosis while eating a phosphate-restricted clinical renal diet (0.8 g/Mcal phosphorus; Ca : P ratio, 1.9; n = 10; RD hypercalcemics). METHODS: Changes in variables over time, after starting MP at visit 1, were assessed using linear mixed model analysis within each group of cats. Data are reporte as median [25th, 75th percentiles]. RESULTS: At visit 1, iCa was 1.47 [1.42, 1.55] mmol/L for baseline hypercalcemics and 1.53 [1.5, 1.67] mmol/L for RD hypercalcemics. Blood iCa decreased (P < .001) when RD hypercalcemics were fed MP, with iCa <1.4 mmol/L in 8/10 cats after 2.2 [1.8, 3.7] months. Plasma phosphate concentrations did not change. In contrast, the baseline hypercalcemic group overall showed no change in iCa but a decrease in plasma phosphate concentration during 8.8 [5.5, 10.6] months on the MP diet, although 4/11 individual cats achieved iCa <1.4 mmol/L by 3.4 [1.0, 6.2] months. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Attenuation of dietary phosphate restriction could result in normalization of iCa in cats that develop hypercalcemia while eating a clinical renal diet.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33527601/