Chronic Kidney Failure in Pets

Importance of kidney :

  Kidneys are very important organs they :

1- Regulate your dog or cat's blood pressure ,blood volume water consumption in the blood as well as pH levels .

2- The kidneys also produce a variety of hormones including Erythropoietin that stimulates red blood cell production.

3- As blood flows through your pets kidneys they filter out waste products generated from the breakdown of food old cells and metabolic byproducts toxins or poisons and many drugs.

 The wastes are removed when your dog or cat urinate.

4- Kidneys actually also act as filters to trap good substances like proteins back in the body and the bloodstream .

5- Kidneys also help regulate calcium and vitamin D levels .

What is Chronic Kidney Disease : 

Chronic kidney disease which is abbreviated as CKD in pets is kidney disease in a dog or a cat that has been present for months to years it's also called chronic renal disease which is C Rd or chronic renal failure which is abbreviated as CRF as well as chronic renal insufficiency so there's lots of names for the same syndrome .

Dogs and cats of any age can develop chronic kidney failure but it's more commonly seen in older pets .

Kidney failure often happens so gradually that by the time the symptoms become obvious .

It's really too late to treat the problem effectively.

The kidneys actually find amazing ways to compensate as they slowly lose function over a period of months to years which is why obvious symptoms don't oftentimes appear until very late in the disease process .

Causes of chronic kidney disease :

There are many different causes of kidney disease including  :

1- congenital or at Birth malformation of the kidneys .

2- chronic bacterial infections of the kidneys .

3- high blood pressure.

4- Urinary blockage .

5- Certain drugs .

6- Diabetes lymphoma which is a type of cancer and immune-mediated disease,

7- An episode of acute kidney disease for example from a poisoning that permanently damages and animals kidneys can actually lead to a chronic form of kidney disease as well .

8- And many times no cause can be found for a dog or cat's kidney problems .

Dog breeds that are prone to kidney failure include the Samoyed, the Bull Terrier , Cairn Terrier ,German Shepherd and English Cocker Spaniel , Abyssinian and Persian cats are also more prone to CKD than other breeds .

But in general cats are much more prone to chronic kidney disease than dogs.

In fact it's one of the leading causes of deaths for kitties.

Symptoms of a Chronic Kidney Failure :

Symptoms of a chronic kidney failure typically occur gradually over a long period of time but they can include:

 Vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea or constipation ,depression gradual but consistent weight loss, increased thirst ,anorexia ,acute blindness ,seizures or coma ,blood in the urine ,decrease frequency or amount of urine in some situations as well less common signs include oral ulcerations and bruising ,weakness or actually pathologic bone fractures that can result in animals breaking bones out of the blue or spontaneously .

There actually is also a weird symptom of itchy skin from calcium and phosphorus deposition in the skin and actually GI ulcers are bleeding into the stomach or gut can also be a rare symptom .

Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Failure in Pets :

1-Your veterinarian will need to run a complete blood profile that includes a chemical blood profile, complete CBC and urinalysis.

 2- Pets with chronic renal failure may have anemia ,abnormal electrolyte levels ,abnormal or elevated blood pressure and abnormally high levels of creatinine and BUN or blood urea nitrogen .

3- One of the primary indicators of CKD is dilute urine so on your analysis the specific gravity will be low which means the kidneys aren't capable of recycling water normally .

4- Other tests may include x-rays or ultrasound imaging to check the size and shape of the kidneys for obvious abnormalities as small kidney size an ultrasound or x-ray is another indicator of chronic kidney disease .

Treatment of chronic kidney disease :

The severity of CKD can be estimated based on blood waste production levels or BUN and abnormalities in the urine such as the presence of protein a method exists to estimate the stages of CKD and the stages are numbered one through four:

•  One is the least severe and four is the most severe .
• The higher the stage number typically the greater symptoms that are seen but that's not always the case occasionally especially when the kidneys are enlarged instead of abnormally small .
• A kidney biopsy may be performed to look for a definitive cause for why the kidneys are dysfunctioning.
•  If your pets kidney disease is caused by some factor other than damaged kidneys for example a disease that decreases blood flow to the kidneys or a urinary tract obstruction it's possible the problem with the kidneys can be reversed with appropriate treatment of the underlying disease process.
•  If the kidney disease is a result of irreversible kidney damage in many cases renal function will stabilize for weeks or even months at a time. the disease will continue to progress over time though and kidney function will continue to deteriorate but your pet symptoms can be minimized with supportive treatment.
•  Fluid therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for animals with kidney failure primarily to prevent dehydration subcutaneous or under the skin fluid delivery will be necessary and many pet owners can learn to do this at home. 
• Potassium is often added to the fluids or the animals diet to safeguard against muscle weakness and heart rhythm disturbances that can result from a low electrolyte levels .
• In some cases IV fluids may also be necessary .
• Your dog or cat should have round-the-clock access to fresh water and clean water withholding water for example overnight will not solve your pets need to pee more in the middle of the night and actually can cause terrible additional stress on your pets kidneys.

Prevention of chronic kidney disease in dogs and cats :

•  You'll need to keep careful track of the amount of food and water your pet consumes each day if consumption decreases additional fluids may need to be administered subcutaneous or i.v to prevent dehydration.
• You should also weight your pet at least weakly to make sure that he is getting enough calories to maintain her weight.
• The food you feed your pet with chronic kidney failure is also very important for disease management and overall well-being i advocate an organic fresh food diet for animals with kidney dysfunction .
• A reduced amount of high-quality human gait grade protein is really essential as is eliminating all dry foods which actually can exacerbate your pets dehydration.
•  Feeding a high moisture reduced phosphorus diet is really essential and an integrative or holistic veterinarian is really your best resource for advice on all the right supplements as well as medications if necessary as well as a whole host of other therapies that can help sustain your pets health and quality of life through chronic kidney disease.
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