Why does my cat have low protein levels

If the protein in urine is detected it can also be an indicator of. Less protein also means less need for the excretion of protein itself through the filtration mechanism of the kidney which helps preserve kidney function.

Your veterinarian may recommend further testing if the urinalysis reveals inflammation or bleeding.

Why does my cat have low protein levels. Cats with high protein numbers might be suffering from dehydration lymphoma or infections such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. Low protein numbers in cats could indicate malnutrition anemia liver disease hemorrhage or gastrointestinal disease. Low levels can indicate liver disease insulin overdose and severe bacterial infection.

BUN stands for blood urea nitrogen and is the primary end product of protein metabolism. High levels indicate kidney failure or disease dehydration shock high protein diet certain toxin ingestions poor circulation to the kidneys and urinary obstruction. Less protein also means less need for the excretion of protein itself through the filtration mechanism of the kidney which helps preserve kidney function.

The recommended range of protein on a dry matter basis for cats with CKD is 28-35. If protein intake is too low however CKD will start to break down muscle mass. Cats have no dietary requirement or need for carbohydrate but are adapted physiologically and metabolically for high protein intake.

²³ In support of that normal cats do well when fed diets containing 70 percent protein. ²⁴²⁷ The lack of a need for dietary carbohydrates is related to the fact that cats have developed a tremendous ability to synthesize their needed. Many diets formulated for older cats have decreased protein levels due to concerns over kidney disease which is common in the aging cat population.

While protein restriction may be beneficial for certain cats with kidney disease a more conservative approach to protein restriction is now recommended and is a topic that should be discussed with your veterinarian. Proteinuria is defined as the presence of excess protein in the urine. Cats can normally have a trace amount of protein in their urine.

This represents small protein particles those tiny enough to pass through the pores of the glomeruli the kidneys microscopic filtration units. The glomeruli prevent albumin and other larger protein particles from entering the urine. Does Wet or Dry Cat Food Have More Protein.

Most vets recommend a mainly wet food diet when feeding senior cats perhaps with small amounts of added kibble. Healthy aging cats should eat a product thats 30-40 protein dry basis. Wet food appears to be low in protein because according to the label it has around 10 crude protein.

Though it is easily diagnosed with a simple laboratory test excess protein in the urine in cats can have a variety of causes that range from acute and treatable to chronic and merely manageable. Protein is filtered from the blood and the gastrointestinal system by the kidneys when they are fully functioning and excess protein in the urine can indicate a potential renal problem. On a urinalysis dilute urine would suggest kidney failure especially if the bloodwork shows elevated BUN and creatinine.

Protein may also be present in the urine. Because hypertension can cause kidney failure a veterinarian may also take a cats blood pressure to help confirm a kidney failure diagnosis. There are various factors that cause low protein in the blood and the remedies vary depending on the underlying condition.

Causes of low blood protein. Kidney diseases such as Nephrotic Syndrome cause loss of protein from the body through urine. This leads to low protein levels.

If the protein in urine is detected it can also be an indicator of. Most cats with proteinuria caused by acute inflammation or bleeding have an excellent chance of recovering. While they are at risk for recurring urinary issues in the future they often recover completely with therapy.

Cats with renal disease are often placed on a lifelong prescription diet with low protein and phosphorus. Your normal blood protein should range between 6-83 grams. By taking a blood protein test you will be able to see what your count isIf you are malnourished or your protein count is low there are a variety of options available to you to raise the protein level of your blood.

While some have questioned whether renal diets provide adequate protein and have advocated feeding higher protein diets to cats with CKD no convincing clinical trial evidence has been provided to support this proposal. Best current evidence supports the recommendation to feed cats with CKD renal diets. Low total serum protein levels can result from poor nutrition impaired liver function kidney disease gastrointestinal disorders exposure to toxins or any other condition that impairs protein synthesis or increases protein losses.

Hypoadrenocorticism Addisons disease Liver dysfunction including liver shunts There are a few other possible causes of low cholesterol including profound chronic inflammation and certain cancers like acute myeloid leukemia histiocytic sarcoma and multiple myeloma. But I consider these zebras. If proteinuria is not due to inflammation or bleeding in the urinary system then it is more likely to be a sign of true kidney disease.

Your veterinarian may recommend further testing if the urinalysis reveals inflammation or bleeding. A low total protein level can occur for a variety of reasons that fall into the general categories of dilution increased loss decreased production and malnutrition. Slightly reduced blood protein often causes no symptoms but a markedly low level can lead to weakness fatigue and leakage of fluid from your circulation into the soft tissues of.

A cats metabolism breaks down amino acids at a higher rate which means she requires more protein in her regular diet. Other animals bodies can adjust their rate of protein breakdown but cats cant. If Kitty has a low protein diet her bodys metabolism will.

Why it occurs in cases of protein deficiency is unclear but studies suggest that an impaired synthesis of fat-transporting proteins known as. Low total protein levels can be caused by underlying conditions including protein deficiency kidney and liver disease or inborn immune deficiencies. Increasing Total Protein Levels The most important thing is to work with your doctor to find out whats causing your low protein levels and to treat any underlying conditions.

Cat foods designed to be low in phosphorus are often low in protein as well since protein contains significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. The issue here is that a cats body is biologically adapted to utilizing nutrition from animal sources rather than plants protein is their primary source of energy. As a practice advocating raw food for cats we have always opted for high-quality easily-digested protein over reducing protein levels.

This is achieved using bio-appropriate protein sources eg. Rabbit hare or poultry rather than plant-based proteins or proteins that are challenging to digest such as chicken meal fish meal or corn gluten.