Using combination diets to tackle joints, derm, and kidneys together

Caitlyn Getty, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition), reveals how targeted diets help manage renal disease in pets with comorbid joint or skin conditions. She highlights combination formulas that use omega-3s and novel or hydrolyzed proteins to reduce tradeoffs between competing problems.

Below is the transcript, which has been edited for clarity.

dvm360: How can clinicians safely manage nutrition in patients with kidney disease, who often have multiple health issues?

Getty: We know that nutrition is one of the biggest things that you can do to help support a patient with renal disease, and so then when they get something else like joint disease or a derm condition, we're like, okay, so which one do we have to prioritize? And there's a lot of cases where maybe we don't have to prioritize those things.

Fortunately, for things like joint disease and renal disease, they both benefit from something like omega three fatty acid supplementation. A product that [Hill’s] makes, like k/d + j/d, really works synergistically to support those patients with osteoarthritis and renal disease.

But then derm, right? There's very few products on the market that are going to be either a novel protein or a hydrolyzed protein. But now we have things like k/d + z/d for cats or k/d + Derm Complete for dogs. It can really help manage something that's been a big challenge for veterinarians in one food, and so I think looking for products that are specifically tailored for those comorbidities. Or, if those products aren't available, then really looking at your problem list and the nutrient profile of the food, and picking what meets your patient's needs the best.

Caitlyn Getty, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition), is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and PhD Scientist working to improve the health and wellbeing of dogs and cats through nutrition.