Renal Failure in Cats: Causes and Treatment
Renal Failure in Cats: Causes and Treatment
Kidney failure is a serious matter. Without timely action, the chronic disease will progress and your cat may even suffer fatal kidney failure.
The cat's kidneys
The kidneys are a vital organ for your cat, which fulfils numerous tasks. In addition to maintaining the water and electrolyte balance, they play a particularly important role as a detoxification organ.
The cat's kidneys filter metabolic waste products and other harmful substances from the blood, which can then be excreted in the urine. They are also important for red blood cell production, blood pressure and calcium balance.
Cats have two kidneys. Each kidney is about three centimetres in size and contains thousands of tiny nephrons that are responsible for filtering the blood.
Healthy kidneys have enough reserves to compensate for dying nephrons. However, if the damage continues, although all reserves are already in use, the cat suffers and becomes kidney diseased
Kidney diseases are very common
Chronic kidney disease is one of the diseases that most frequently affect cats from the age of nine. Chronic kidney failure is not curable and can lead to fatal kidney failure if left untreated.
Possible causes of chronic renal failure in cats
To free the body of the cat from pollutants, the kidneys filter large amounts of blood every day. Most of the toxins in the blood therefore end up in the kidneys, where some of them are deposited and can cause damage in the long run.
Some of the toxins that can put a strain on your cat's kidneys and cause chronic kidney failure include heavy metals, drug residues, pesticides and solvents. In addition, your cat's kidneys can also be damaged by eating poisonous plants.
In addition to the excessive deposition of harmful substances, the performance of the kidneys can also be affected by insufficient blood circulation, urinary and kidney stones or various infectious diseases.
In some cases, kidney failure in cats is also a result of congenital kidney diseases such as Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).
Symptoms of chronic renal failure in cats
If your cat is suffering from kidney failure, this can be manifested by a number of symptoms. However, the symptoms will usually only become apparent when the cat's kidney disease is very advanced.
In addition, some of the symptoms are quite unspecific and can be easily overlooked. For this reason, chronic renal insufficiency in cats is usually diagnosed very late and can therefore be treated very late.
In particular the following symptoms can indicate a kidney disease in your cat:
- The cat does not eat and loses weight.
- The quadruped appears increasingly weak and tired.
- The cat has bad breath, which often reminds of urine.
- The cat has dandruff and the coat loses its shine.
- Infections such as colds are more frequent.
- The cat drinks a lot and at the same time urinates very often.
In the further course of the disease, the cat's kidney disease can lead to high blood pressure, among other things. In addition, frequent vomiting, calcification of the organs and brittle bones are also possible consequences of kidney failure.
Diagnosis of chronic kidney disease in cats
Since the symptoms of renal insufficiency usually become noticeable insidiously, many owners often do not recognize at first that there is a serious illness behind the alleged age-related complaints of their four-legged friend.
Since the prognosis for affected animals is the better, the earlier treatment measures are started, it is important to consult a veterinarian as early as possible.
To diagnose chronic renal failure, the vet will carry out a blood test on your cat. This includes checking the levels of creatinine, urea and SDMA in the blood.
The SDMA level in particular is an important indicator, as it increases when the cat's kidneys have lost about a third of their capacity. However, abnormalities in the creatinine and urea values can only be detected much later, which makes it difficult to treat the cat with renal insufficiency promptly.
If your cat's kidney disease is already very advanced at the time of the examination, other blood values may also show changes. In addition to anaemia, there may be an acidosis of the blood and abnormal levels of phosphorus, potassium and calcium.
Treatment of a cat with renal insufficiency
Once kidney tissue has died, it can no longer regenerate. The treatment of cats with renal insufficiency is therefore always about supporting the remaining nephrons and preventing the damage from progressing.
Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the quadruped may have to be temporarily placed in a veterinary clinic. There he will receive infusions to compensate for any existing fluid deficiency.
Apart from that, the most important thing in the treatment of cats with kidney disease is the choice of a suitable food. With the help of a special kidney diet the kidneys of the quadruped can be relieved. In addition, a cat with kidney disease should always have sufficient fresh drinking water available.
If necessary, the veterinarian can support the cat's kidney diet with medication, such as phosphate-binding preparations.
Cat food for cats with kidney failure
A good dietary feed is characterised in particular by a moderate content of particularly high-quality proteins and a reduced content of phosphorus and salt.
We therefore recommend feeding our varieties with insect protein for cats with kidney disease. This is because the protein contained is particularly well-tolerated and has a high biological value.
Prognosis for cats with kidney disease
Provided that your cat's renal failure is detected early enough and you follow the vet's instructions, the progression of chronic kidney disease can usually be stopped quite well.
So chances are that your cat will have a few good years of life without too much loss of quality of life despite the condition.
Kidney Power Powder from I love my cat
Given the serious consequences chronic renal failure can have for your cat, you should not neglect the issue of prevention. In order to avoid unnecessarily overloading your cat's kidneys, we recommend that you always give preference to high-quality cat food such as the products from I love my cat.
In addition, it is advisable to support your cat's kidneys from time to time in the detoxification process. For this purpose we have developed a natural food supplement with our kidney power powder.
The selected herbal mixture in I love my cat Nierenkraft effectively stimulates the detoxification processes of the kidneys and can thus help to prevent kidney failure in your cat from the outset.
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