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Cats and Kidney Disease
Kidney disease, or chronic renal failure (CRF), is a common ailment among older cats. It is often difficult to be aware of kidney disease until significant loss of kidney function is present. This is due to the kidney's ability to compensate for the loss of function. As the kidneys lose their ability to condense urine and filter out toxins, your cat will urinate more and with more volume. This causes your cat to become dehydrated and provides less blood flow to the kidneys making the condition progress faster. It is not a curable condition, but you can take steps to slow the disease and make your cat more comfortable.
The most obvious sign your cat may have kidney disease is frequent drinking. Additionally, frequent urination, periods of lethargy, lack of appetite or vomiting can be signs. Mouth sores due to uremia show your cat has advanced kidney disease. At this point your cat probably cannot eat due to the sores in the mouth. Cats evolved in dry climates and drink little or no water by nature. Cats eating dry food will drink more due to the lack of moisture in the food. Dry food is low in moisture, about 15 to 20%, compared to 80 to 85% in a natural diet.
A simple blood test performed by your veterinarian can determine your cat's kidney values. The test will give creatinine value, with a normal range of values from about .80 to 2.40. The test will also give a BUN value with a normal ranges of values from about 16 to 36. These ranges vary slightly from lab to lab depending on the values they program the machine to read as normal range. These tests determine how effectively the kidneys are handling metabolic waste.
As kidney disease progresses the kidneys will not condense urine as effectively and your cat becomes dehydrated. This in turn negatively affects blood flow further damaging the kidneys. Sub-q fluids are used to help maintain hydration in your cat. Typically you will administer 75 to 100ccs a day for three or four days. Then you will administer fluids every two or three days thereafter. Your veterinarian will prescribe a course of treatment.
The other important aspect of managing kidney disease is diet. It is important to stress the kidneys as little as possible. This involves providing high quality protein consisting of approximately 24% of dietary make-up. This puts less stress on the kidneys by allowing them less metabolic waste (protein, phosphorous and sodium). Additionally, supplementing the water soluable vitamins B and C that get flushed out. Vitamin A can also be beneficial to the kidneys. There are many other potential symptoms that your cat may encounter as the condition progresses. Your veterinarian can address them as they arise.
There is no way to determine how long a cat can survive with kidney disease. Some cats live years, others months. Typically, 15 to 20% kidney function is mandatory for survival. Your veterinarian will help guide you through it. With fluids and a quality diet you can enable your cat to live a longer and more comfortable life.
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Robbins Pet Care. All Rights Reserved. The products sold by Robbins Pet Care are not intended to be the sole source of treatment or to take the place of expert veterinarian care. Please consult with your veterinarian and ask about using a natural and alternative approach for the treatment of your pet.
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