Issue number 30.1 Other Scientific
Detection of early chronic kidney disease in cats
Published 09/07/2020
Also available in Français , Deutsch , Italiano , Română and Español
Kidney disease is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in older cats; Hannah Sargent and Jonathan Elliott review the best methods for early detection of the disease.
Key Points
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition of older cats and has been reported as the second most common cause of death in cats over 5 years of age.
Early diagnosis of feline CKD is important to allow timely appropriate therapeutic intervention as well as identification and treatment of underlying primary renal disease.
Early diagnosis of CKD requires the use of plasma or serum creatinine, SDMA concentrations and urinalysis, rather than considering one parameter in isolation.
Cats in early CKD may not present with clinical signs of disease and physical examination findings can also be normal, highlighting the importance of screening, particularly in geriatric cats.