Animal Care Center & Pet Resort

800 Pulaski Highway

Joppa, MD  21085

Phone 410-676-2525         Fax 410-676-5151

 Kidney Disease

There are 2 types of kidney disease.  Acute and Chronic.  Kidney disease is often life threatening because the body can not eliminate waste products or maintain the balance of fluid and elements vital to life.  A normal kidney filters the blood and removes the waste and excretes them through urination.  Once the kidneys stop doing their job, the waste products accumulate in the bloodstream.  The continuation of re-circulation of this waste material results in illness.  About 3/4 of the kidney must be damaged before physical signs appear.

Acute Kidney disease is a general term referring to sudden onset. 

Chronic Kidney disease is often considered chronic even though the affected pet may not have shown any symptoms for a long period of time. 

Causes of kidney disease include infections, poisons, trauma, urinary tract obstruction and immune system diseases.  The damage in these cases is not always reversible.  Although there is no cure for kidney disease, it can be controlled.

The most common signs are lack of appetite , vomiting, diarrhea, increased drinking, increased or decreased urination, bad breath and/or depression.

Some stages of kidney disease can only be treated in the hospital, while others are treated on an outpatient basis. The goal of treatment is control of the disease by doing laboratory testing and evaluations on a regular basis.

ALWAYS give all medications as directed.  Call us if you cannot administer the medications or if your pet has any type of reaction to them.

A proper diet is essential in treating kidney disease.  The Homemade Cat & Dog Diet is an excellent book that includes disease specific diets that your pet can benefit from.

                 This book can be found on www.amazon.com .   

We may put you on a strict diet for several days, weeks, months or even the lifetime of your pet.  It is important to ONLY feed what is recommended for your pet with kidney disease. 

ALWAYS make sure your pet has plenty of fresh water available at all times.

Please notify us immediately if the following occur:

• Your pet refuses to eat
• Your pet is vomiting or has diarrhea
• Your pet becomes depressed
• Your pet's signs recur after an apparent recovery
• Your pet faints or acts dazed or confused
• There is a change in your pet's water intake and/or urination

Recheck Visits and Follow up blood work. 

In order to monitor your pet's kidney values, we will need to do follow up blood work as frequently as every month to every 6 months.  It depends on the progression of the disease and how your pet is doing at home.

Recheck visits with the doctor will also depend on severity of the problem and how your pet is doing.

*Images are from www.hills.com