Kidney Disease

Kidney disease is any destructive process within the kidney. Kidney disease is not limited to any particular age or breed, but is one of the most common medical problems of older dogs and cats and is a leading cause of death for these pets.

Your pet's kidneys filter and remove "waste materials" from the blood stream. The kidneys also regulate the volume and composition of your pet's body fluids.

Signs and recognition of decreased kidney function are not evident until more than two thirds of the total kidney function has been lost. The majority of adult dogs and cats have some kidney damage present. Once kidney damage is present, regeneration of kidney tissue does not occur. Kidney damage is usually progressive. Any measure that helps prevent the disease, delays the age of occurrence, and/or slows the progression of this disease, will help a pet live longer.

Signs of Kidney Disease

If kidney disease destroys the kidney's ability to perform properly, waste materials accumulate in the blood. Signs associated with kidney failure are:

Loss of appetite
Increased thirst
Frequent urination or increased volume
Poor hair coat
Depression and/or vomiting

These signs may appear suddenly or develop slowly over time, and they may be produced by other disease.

Causes

Kidney disease may have many different causes, including inherited defects, infections and toxic substances. Frequently, the cause cannot be determined, but with careful examination and testing, the severity of the disease can be evaluated and the best method of management prescribed.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will make a diagnosis of kidney disease based on your pet's health history, clinical signs, and clinical evaluation. Clinical evaluation includes blood tests and urinalyses to determine how well the kidney is functioning. Other more specific clinical evaluations include abdominal radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, and kidney biopsies.

After treatment is initiated, many of these tests may have to be repeated in order for your veterinarian to assess the effectiveness of treatment. Your veterinarian may ask you to bring a urine sample periodically to the clinic for evaluation.

Treatment

Your veterinarian will determine the proper treatment for your individual pet, which may include hospitalization, fluid therapy, as well as diet and medication. High blood pressure is the most common complications of chronic kidney failure. Blood pressure monitoring may be indicated as part of follow up.

Home Management

Once your pet returns home, he needs special attention and care. It is very important that you provide free access to fresh, clean water.

Follow instructions carefully if your pet has been prescribed medication.

Your veterinarian will also recommend a well balanced diet with a reduced amount of phosphorus, sodium and high-quality protein. This helps prevent the accumulation of waste materials in the blood and reduces the work load on the kidney.

Diet Recommendations

Dietary management is an important part of therapy for all animals with kidney disease. The goal of proper diet is to reduce the workload on the kidney while supplying the nutritional needs of the pet.

Reduced dietary sodium has been shown to help control the high blood pressure that frequently occurs with kidney disease.

Feeding Directions

Follow the directions of your veterinarian when feeding any prescribed dietary pet food. The foods are readily accepted by most pets. Unless recommended otherwise by your veterinarian, gradually introduce any new diet over a five to ten day period. Mix the new food with your pet's former food, gradually increasing its proportion until only the new food is fed.

If your pet is one of the few that doesn't readily accept a new food, try warming the canned food to body temperature, hand feeding for the first few days, or mixing the dry food with warm water (and wait ten minutes before serving). Feed only the recommended food. Be patient but firm with your pet. This is important because the success or failure of treatment depends to a large degree on strict adherence to the new food.

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