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FOREST TRAILS ANIMAL HOSPITAL
Paul L. Welch,DVM / Lisa K. Munson,DVM / Michael A. Rhodes,DVM / Kerry J. Jones,DVM / Michelle Smith,DVM
6528 E. 101st St. / Tulsa, OK 74133 / 918-299-8448
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KIDNEY DISEASE
As you know, kidneys are extremely important organs in sustaining life in humans or
animals. If the kidneys don’t work, life will be short unless they can be replaced. Kidney
transplants are being done in animals although they are not readily available and are extremely
expensive with questionable success. Most owners have the greatest of intentions and want to
do what’s best for their pet, so it’s our responsibility to help you understand this disease so you
can make informed decisions on how to treat your pet.
Kidneys serve many functions in the body. They are primarily responsible for maintaining
hydration as well as balancing the electrolytes and acid-base status. But they also produce a
hormone called erythropoietin which stimulates the production of red blood cells. Another very
important function is the elimination of metabolic waste products from the blood stream. So when
the kidneys fail, the clinical signs are a result of a lack of these functions. We also know that
when we see clinical signs of kidney failure, at least 2/3 or ¾ of both kidneys are damaged.
Therefore, short of a transplant, our only treatment option is supportive care.
CLINICAL SIGNS
The most common clinical signs associated with kidney disease are a lack of or decrease
in appetite, weight loss, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. These are caused by an increase in toxic
metabolic wastes building up in the blood stream because the kidneys are not eliminating them
as they should. When the toxic products become too high they make the animal feel nauseated.
You will also notice an increase in water drinking as well as urination. As we said earlier, kidneys
are responsible for regulating the amount of fluid in the body but when they can’t, fluid just goes
through the kidneys like a sieve. Instead of concentrating the urine (conserving fluid) in times of
dehydration, it runs through them resulting in further dehydration. Owners think it’s good when
they drink a lot of water but in essence it may not be helping at all. Other signs are weakness
due to anemia and weight loss due to dehydration and anorexia.
TESTING FOR DISEASE
Short of clinical signs, the only other noninvasive method of evaluating kidney function is
testing the blood for particular waste products. The values will be higher in kidney disease
because the kidneys are not filtering them out well. There are 4 values we use to evaluate
kidneys. These are Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine, Phosphorus, and Packed Cell
Volume (PCV). When all of these values are abnormal, then we can usually diagnose kidney
disease. Without doing a biopsy of the kidneys, we cannot ascertain the definite cause of the
failure. Causes may include geriatric atrophy (old age), toxins (poisons), drug reactions, or
cancer (tumor). None of which can be cured effectively. We can also see elevations of the BUN,
Creatinine, +/- Phosphorus due to acutely significant dehydration of the animal or in cases of
shock when acute low blood pressure may result; therefore, we must evaluate hydration and
blood pressure on physical exam.
TREATMENT
Again, if kidney disease is present we know that it can’t be repaired. Therefore,
symptomatic therapy is all we can offer. This includes giving either intravenous (in vein) or
subcutaneous (under skin) fluids. These fluids are used primarily to flush the toxins out of the
bloodstream and to rehydrate the animal. The patient can either be hospitalized and monitored
by the veterinarian or treated as an outpatient and brought back each day. Other medications
can be used such as Epogen (erythropoetin) to help stimulate red blood cell production in anemic
patients. Sometimes potassium needs to be supplemented due to excess loss in the urine.
Another mode of therapy is the diet. If we can decrease the amount of protein in the diet
sometimes we can hope to decrease the amount of work the kidneys have to do to filter/process
the protein. There are a couple of prescription diets available now that can help with this. If your
pet is too finicky then diet change may not work. Sometimes chicken baby food works when
nothing else does.
The length and extent of treatment will depend on how well your pet responds to
treatment. If there is no response or eventually the response decreases, then sometimes as a
responsible pet owner, we need to consider their quality of life.
CONCLUSION
Our main goal is to make sure your pet is comfortable and happy. When an animal is
suffering from kidney failure, they generally just feel lousy—not necessarily painful; however,
suffering is not always painful. Knowing what your pet has and understanding how they feel will
help you to make the right decisions. If you have any further questions about this disease, please
don’t hesitate to ask.
POSSIBLE ESTIMATED COSTS
Initial exam
$49
Bloodwork-cats
$109-149.50
Bloodwork-dogs
$88-149.50
IV catheter placement
$35.50
IV fluid therapy
$60 (add’l liter $34.50)
Subcutaneous Fluids (under skin)
$41 per occurrence
Hospitalization / night (optional)
$55.50-60.50
Recheck Exam (as needed)
$40.50