Thursday 9th March is World Kidney Day. Although designed to raise awareness of the disease in humans, we wanted to take the opportunity to educate about kidney disease in dogs and cats.
We see kidney disease most commonly in older cats, but we also see it in dogs and younger pets too. Usually we see chronic disease, which means it happens over a long period of time.
Symptoms of chronic kidney disease
Early in the process your pet will appear normal. It is only as the disease progresses that you will start to see symptoms. These may include:
- Increased thirst and urination.
- Loss of appetite.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Weight loss.
- Sleeping more.
Diagnosis of kidney disease
Diagnosis includes blood tests and urine tests. The vet may also advise blood pressure assessment, and sometimes an ultrasound scan to assess the kidneys for an obvious cause of the disease e.g. kidney stones.
Treatment
Often specific treatment isn’t possible, but we can slow the progression of the disease and improve your pet’s quality of life. One of the mainstays of treatment is a special diet to reduce pressure on the kidneys
Screening for kidney disease
Starting treatment early in the disease process can improve outcome. As symptoms aren’t obvious until later on, screening can be used to pick up the disease earlier. Screening includes urine tests, blood tests and blood pressure assessment and is advised annually in older cats. Speak to our team to find out more.
Acute kidney disease
Rarely we see sudden (acute) serious kidney injury. One of the causes of this is toxin ingestion e.g. lilies in cats, antifreeze poisoning, and raisins/grape toxicity in dogs. If your pet has eaten something they shouldn’t, please contact us straight away for advice.