The Best Dog Food for Kidney Disease in 2022

The Royal Canin canned dog food is specifically designed with small dogs and toy breeds, who are over the age of 8 years old. With a high level of moisture, this can easily be digested by your pup, and makes their kidney’s job much easier in processing the food. As well as this, a good level of protein is used within the ingredients, to keep your dog active and healthy.

Reduced phosphorus also does a great job of helping their kidneys maintain optimal digestive processes. As an added benefit, the food itself is highly palatable and many customers found that their pooches loved this senior dog food.

For more information on the brand, check out our Royal Canin Dog Food Review.

If your pooch loves dry dog foods the most, there’s no reason to stop serving them just because of his condition. However, it’s important to pick the right kind of kibble – low in protein, sodium, and phosphorus, but high in other macro and micronutrients. The Blue Natural KS diet is that kind of a kibble – highly palatable, easily digestible but low in protein and moderately low in phosphorus to support kidney health. It’s also veterinarian-recommended, so it’s a perfect choice for all pet parents who are looking for safe, tasty foods for their dogs.

Although it’s low in protein (14%), this dog food for kidney disease contains high-quality animal and plant protein sources, including deboned chicken as the first ingredient, potatoes, peas, dried eggs, pea protein, sweet potatoes, and others veggies. Flaxseed, which is a great source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is also present, as well as fish oil for a shiny coat and healthy skin, dried chicory root for fiber, and some carrots, blueberries, cranberries, barley grass and parsley for increased antioxidant content. The kibble also contains added vitamins and minerals, but is grain-free, meaning suitable for pups with sensitive stomachs.

Check out our review of Blue Buffalo Dog Food.

If you’re looking for a moist low-protein dog food that supports dog’s overall health and wellbeing, especially the mobility and muscle mass of senior dogs, you need to check out this Adult 7+ Beef & Barley entree by Hill’s Science Diet. Containing balanced nutrition for older dogs, including lowered levels of sodium and phosphorus for kidney health, this wet food is a great choice for pets with kidney disease. And thanks to the quality ingredients it contains, it’s also delicious and perfect as a topper, mixed with kibble or as a stand-alone meal.

The first ingredient in this canned dog food is water, which is a good thing for dogs with kidney disease. This is followed by real beef and cracked pearled barley and some whole grain corn. Although this is a low protein dog food (4%), it contains good quality animal and plant protein sources, including beef, pork liver, dried whey, fish meal, and corn. The formula is also enriched with all the necessary minerals and vitamins, including vitamins B12, D3, C and E, as well as zinc, manganese, copper, and others.

Read in-depth Hill’s Science Diet Dog Food Review.

Made of quality but a restricted amount of protein, as well as reduced levels of phosphorus and sodium, this canned dog food is a good choice for most canines who suffer from kidney disease. It’s a veterinarian-recommended pet food that’s specially formulated to support kidney function and health while providing optimal nutrition for adult dogs. Since this is a canned dog food, it’s high in water (first ingredient), which is vital for helping the kidneys remove toxins.

Besides water, this renal dog food contains some meat by-products, beef, liver and chicken by-products as its main protein sources. There are also rice and corn present which increase the nutrient and fiber content, as well as fish oil which is great for overall canine health, including skin and coat health. The formula is also fortified with all the necessary micronutrients, including vitamin E which acts as an antioxidant, vitamin D3, an array of B vitamins, as well as zinc, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and others. This food can be used as a topper to increase your dog’s appetite, or as a stand-alone meal, as it’s balanced and complete.

Find out more about Purina Pro Plan Dog Food.

Looking for tasty dry dog food that supports kidney health? Check out this Veterinary Diet Urinary SO food by Royal Canine, which is specially crafted to support the urinary health of canines. Made with low amounts of protein and reduced magnesium levels to help increase urine volume and reduce the concentration of the minerals that create kidney stones, this kibble is a good choice for most dogs with kidney disease. Since this is a complete everyday diet, it can be served alone, mixed with water or with other wet dog foods.

To decrease the amount of protein, nutrition experts at Royal Canin have put animal-based protein (chicken by-product meal) as the third ingredient. The first two are brewers rice and corn which contain some vitamins and minerals and help increase the fiber content. There are other ingredients mixed in as well, including chicken fat, eggs, and fish oil which all up to the fat content and help improve the look of your dog’s skin and coat. The recipe is also enriched with vitamins and minerals and includes everything an adult dog needs to be healthy. But most importantly, the formulation helps increase urine volume, decreasing struvite and calcium oxalate levels.

If your pooch is still quite active and energetic, dog foods that are not only low in protein but other macronutrients too may not be enough to support his well-being. That’s why it’s a good idea to opt for low-protein but high-fat foods that not only support kidney health and function but your pet’s high energy levels as well. In fact, this tasty kibble was developed by Hill’s veterinarians and nutritionists exactly with that in mind – to help improve canine kidney function, sustain muscle mass and improve quality of life.

With the ingredients such as brown and brewers rice, pork fat, chicken, eggs, barley, whole grain sorghum, and others, this renal diet for dogs is delicious, easily digestible and nutritious. The recipe also contains fish oil which helps increase omega-3 fatty acid content, so necessary for dog’s skin and coat health. Of course, there are added supplements as well, which help make this kibble a complete and balanced everyday diet. As for sodium and phosphorus content, it’s quite low,  which is always a plus for kidney care diets.

Another Veterinary Diets NF Kidney Function formula by Purina ProPlan, but this one a dry version, for dogs who prefer kibble over wet foods. Like the canned recipe, this dry food is also made with a restricted amount of protein and phosphorus, as well as sodium levels. It’s a good choice for most dogs with kidney problems, as it’s specially crafted to support renal health while providing optimal nutrition for adult dogs.

To reduce the amount of protein, this kidney diet for dogs contains no meat-based protein sources. Instead, whole grains like corn and rice, eggs and dried whey make up the protein content, while fish and vegetable oil help increase the healthy fats, especially omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which are necessary for your dog’s overall health and wellbeing, as well as his skin and coat. To help support kidney health, sodium and phosphorus levels are reduced. The recipe also contains added vitamins and minerals, so it provides a complete nutrition which can be used alone, mixed with water (highly recommended) or other kidney-friendly wet dog foods.

If your pooch is showing some serious signs of kidney disease, avoiding meat-based dog foods may be a good idea. This dry dog food by Royal Canin is a good choice is it doesn’t contain any meat, but quality vegetable-based protein that is easily digestible and gentle on the liver and kidneys. The kibble contains a precise blend of nutrients, including a lowered amount of copper for healthy kidney and liver function, but still manages to provide a complete and balanced nutrition for adult dogs.

Grains such as brewers and brown rice, as well as corn make up the basis of this recipe. Other ingredients, including chicken fat, vegetable and fish oil up the fat content, especially the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which are not only vital for many biological functions but your pet’s skin and coat health too.  The recipe also contains added minerals and vitamins, so it provides a complete everyday nutrition which can be served alone, mixed with water or your dog’s favorite wet food. L-carnitine is also present which helps dogs maintain a healthy weight.

Containing quality animal protein but in low amounts, this beef and veggies stew by Hill’s Prescription Diet is a perfect choice for canines with kidney disease. Developed by Hil’s nutritionists and veterinarians, this wet dog food is clinically proven to support kidney health on one hand, while improving and lengthening quality of life on another. So how does his food do that? By being low in protein, sodium, and phosphorus, but moderately rich in healthy fats and fiber.

The first ingredient in this tasty stew is water, which is followed by real beef and carrots. Other ingredients, including rice, green peas, dried eggs, dried beet pulp, and flaxseed are also part of the recipe, which all help increase the nutrient and antioxidant content. Fish oil is also there which boosts the fat content and helps improve the look of your pet’s coat and skin. The formula is also enriched with all important minerals and vitamins, and even contains L-carnitine for healthy metabolism, so it’s a balanced everyday diet which can be served alone or mixed with your pup’s favorite kibble.

If your pooch’s appetite has been decreasing due to the disease, aromatic, flavorful kibbles specially crafted to support kidney health are the way to go. This particular recipe from Royal Canin is a great choice as it’s formulated with optimal nutrient levels, including low amounts of sodium, phosphorus, and protein, but high amounts of antioxidants. Plus, it’s packed with natural flavors which help stimulate dog’s appetite – an important aspect of kidney care dog foods, as canines with kidney disease tend to have poor appetites.

With only 10.5% of protein, this kibble contains the lowest amount of protein per dry basis on our Top 10 list. Chicken by-product meal, the only meat-based protein source, comes as the fifth ingredient, as corn, brown and white rice and chicken fat are the first four ingredients. Other foods, including dried beet pulp and psyllium seed husk help, increase fiber content, while fish oil helps to boost the omega-3 fatty acids which are necessary for canine overall health, as well as healthy skin and coat. The Royal Canin Renal dog food is also enriched with all important minerals and vitamins, so it’s a complete and balanced diet.