Renal failure in cats - a disease, unfortunately, is quite common for these pets. In addition, it is difficult to diagnose in the early stages, as symptoms appear when kidney tissue is already affected by 60-80%. Therefore, in order to extend the life of a pet and maintain its quality, it is necessary to follow some rules and recommendations.
What is kidney failure?
The kidneys have a very important mission, requiring multifunctionality and close interaction with the whole body. This organ cleans the blood of cats from toxins and decay products. With the help of the kidneys, water is retained in the body, as well as its excess. They are regulators of blood pressure by increasing or decreasing sodium production. In the creation of minerals, hormones, enzymes and vitamins, their participation is also undeniable.
Renal failure in cats is a disease in which the kidneys, as a paired organ that performs an excretory function, begin to work insufficiently effectively. As a result, various disorders and malfunctions occur in the excretory system of the cat's body, leading to osmotic, water-salt and acid-base imbalances. Which, in turn, leads to diseases of other organs and systems through intoxication.
The saddest thing is that kidney failure is irreversible. But with timely diagnosis and proper treatment, the development of the disease can be significantly inhibited, giving the animal the opportunity to live a full-fledged cat life.
Causes of occurrence
The main cause of the disease can be called various ailments with direct damage to the kidneys. When symptoms have already arisen, then it is no longer possible to determine why this happened. Renal failure in cats has several causes. Among them:
- frequent inflammation of the kidneys;
- incorrect or incomplete treatment;
- congenital pathologies;
- glomerular lesions;
- mechanical damage;
- too high dose of toxins;
- infections
- various tumors and cysts;
- genetic predisposition;
- unilateral hypoplasia (found only in cats) is when one of the kidneys develops worse than the other.
It should be noted that with an additional examination, damage, and sometimes degeneration of renal tissue, is observed. And this is inherent in almost all renal pathologies.
Classification by current and external manifestations
Renal failure in cats is classified according to the intensity of the course and external signs as acute and chronic. Both forms of the disease are similar in symptoms, but they do not develop equally.
Acute form
Acute renal failure in cats occurs overnight and develops very quickly. Its signs are pronounced, which makes it possible to start treatment at an early stage.
The acute form of the disease, in turn, can be divided into subtypes.
- Prerenal failure. This subtype is associated with a decrease in the volume of blood that circulates through the kidneys. Moreover, as such, damage to the paired organ is not observed. The prerequisites for this kind of disease can be shock conditions, accompanied by a sharp decrease in blood pressure. This is the initial stage of the acute form of renal failure.
The causes of prerenal insufficiency include acute cardiovascular insufficiency, heat stroke, hemorrhagic shock, shock from severe trauma, shock from dehydration (hypovolemic), complex infections, as well as intoxication of the animal.
- Renal failure. This subtype of acute form, in contrast, occurs with damage to the kidney tissue.
Provoking causes can be viral damage to the kidneys, intoxication from drugs, severe infections (eg, leptospirosis), high blood coagulation syndrome, chemical intoxication.
- Postrenal failure. Here, the kidney tissue also does not undergo decay, but mechanical blockage or compression of the urinary tract occurs.
The causes may be injuries of the pelvic organs, various tumors, urolithiasis.
Symptoms in acute form
Symptoms are characterized by a sudden manifestation and rapid development. The cat becomes lethargic, often laps water, loses her appetite. The animal shows vomiting, which does not alleviate its condition.
The cat’s urine turns pink, as blood gets there. If blockage occurs, the animal often goes to the tray, but urination does not occur at all or a few drops. Urine volumes can fluctuate: either too much or not enough.
Sometimes this condition is accompanied by convulsions and tics. In case of untimely assistance, the animal falls into a coma. In this case, it may seem that the cat is just sleeping, but her body will be much colder than usual.
Veterinary examination
On examination, the veterinarian observes the smell of ammonia from the jaws of the animal. With the prerenal type, a decrease in blood pressure occurs. The temperature is often lower than normal. However, with infections, it is increased.
When the doctor feels the lumbar region of the cat, the animal shows signs of pain: crying and trying to escape. The kidneys are enlarged. The bladder is also enlarged from excess urine inside.
Blood biochemistry tests show an increase in glucose, phosphate, and creatinine relative to normal. A urinalysis - an increased protein content, the presence of red blood cells and glucose, a precipitate of blood cells.
Chronic form
Chronic kidney failure in cats develops slowly, as the kidney gradually loses its excretory function. Nephrons (structural units of the kidneys) are replaced by connective tissue, forming scars. The organ coarsens and shrinks, which can often be found in older cats.
The chronic form has several stages:
- Latent or hidden. Here, kidney function is already impaired, but there are no symptoms yet. Although through analysis it is already possible to notice deterioration.
- Initial stage. It lasts up to several months. Some symptoms appear, but they are rarely attributed to impaired renal function. However, a blood test will immediately show abnormalities.
- Conservative stage. At this stage, a diagnosis is often made, which is confirmed by the presence of nitrogen and creatinine in the blood.
- Terminal. At this stage, deviations in the work of other organs already appear. Here, the level of urea and creatinine in the blood is already too high, which requires constant hemodialysis or a kidney transplant.
Causes of Chronic Renal Failure in Cats
The probable causes of this form of the disease include:
- metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus and protein metabolism disorder (amyloidosis);
- chronic pancreatitis;
- urolithiasis disease;
- tumor neoplasms;
- pyelonephritis (a viral chronic kidney disease);
- congenital pathology of the kidneys;
- polycystic kidney disease, accompanied by the formation of cavities filled with fluid (cysts) inside the kidney.
However, at the moment when the diagnosis of the disease occurs, the cause is almost impossible to determine, since by this time the renal structures are degenerating.
Symptoms of a chronic form
The following are symptoms of chronic kidney failure in cats.
There is a complete lack of interest in food. The animal is so weak that it is constantly sleeping. The cat saliva flows, it is constantly sick, which is manifested by frequent licking of the nose and lips. She vomits even if she doesn’t eat and drink. The animal begins to eat inedible objects.
Frequent visits to the toilet are observed. There is a lot of urine, sometimes too little. Constipation appears. A cat may not walk “for the most part” for several days.
The animal becomes very nervous. He reacts sharply to sounds, often gets scared and runs away. At the thermal stage, she may be confused consciousness, convulsions, coma.
The veterinarian notes extensive swelling of the legs, chest and abdomen, a slowed heart rate, and hypertension. Cat's hair is dull and brittle, bald. Softness of the facial bones due to a decrease in calcium, pale color of the mucous membranes in the mouth, stomatitis. The doctor easily finds the kidneys and notes a change in size in the direction of increase or decrease (wrinkling).
Tests show anemia, high creatinine and glucose. In urine, sugar and protein are observed. When examining an ultrasound, the contour of the kidneys is changed, often uneven when wrinkled. The size of the organ is either increased or decreased.
Cats predisposed to kidney failure
The feline family is predisposed to kidney disease due to its physiological characteristics. Cats are much more likely than dogs to have a degeneration of renal tissue, especially with age.
But certain breeds of cats have a predisposition to this disease. For example, in Persian and Abyssinian breeds that are prone to congenital anomalies. We are talking about polycystic kidney disease, which provokes a chronic form of the disease.
With kidney failure in cats, how many live pets? The veterinarians answer this question as follows. The life expectancy of a cat after diagnosis depends on several factors: how quickly treatment is started, how responsibly the owner treats the health of his pet, how strong the immunity of the animal is, and the age of the diseased pet.
Timely diagnosis and proper treatment prolong the life of cats for many years. But if the animal is at the terminal stage of the chronic form, then its life span is reduced to one year.
Diagnostic Features
Renal failure in cats is difficult to diagnose by external signs, which can be explained by masking the symptoms for other diseases. Therefore, for the most accurate diagnosis, a number of other examinations in the complex are necessary.
For this, veterinarians carry out:
- A thorough examination and collection of a detailed medical history, including medical history, information about the cat's lifestyle.
- Laboratory studies of urine and blood tests.
- Ultrasound of the abdomen and kidneys.
- X-ray of the kidneys.
Preventative measures
Cats are recommended once a year, and at an older age and twice a year, to be examined in a veterinary clinic. During the examination, it is necessary to donate blood and urine for analysis.
Regular visits to the veterinarian must be supplemented with proper and balanced nutrition. It is recommended to give the greatest preference to wet fodder of industrial production.
Therapy
Treatment of kidney failure in cats will not completely eliminate the pathology. But it stabilizes and makes the kidney function as much as possible with the existing degree of the disease.
Symptoms and treatment of kidney failure in cats are directly related to each other. The acute or chronic form of the disease depends on which therapy will be prescribed.
In the treatment of acute renal failure, the following procedure is prescribed:
- The main cause of the disease is identified and eliminated.
- The animal is being dehydrated.
- Hemolysis is removed.
- Intoxication is removed.
- In especially complex cases, hemodialysis is prescribed.
- A diet is prescribed. For example, Renal food for cats with kidney failure.
In chronic form:
- Appetite is stimulated.
- A maintenance diet is prescribed.
- Blood pressure, water-salt, acid-base and mineral balances are normalized
- Anemia is removed.
- Vitaminization is carried out.
- If necessary, hemodialysis is prescribed.
Diet
In the treatment of kidney failure in cats, along with drugs, a certain diet is prescribed, the duration of which should not be less than six months. It is important to note that after removing the symptoms, it is forbidden to immediately switch to normal nutrition.
Food for cats with kidney failure should be limited in protein and phosphorus. In no case can animals with such a diagnosis be allowed to eat dairy products, excess meat, fish oil, products with excessive vitamin A content, salt.
Renal failure in cats is a very serious disease. Do not risk the health of the pet and independently engage in its treatment or ignore the oppressed state of the animal. At the slightest suspicion of kidney disease in a cat, you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic.