Please note: Media Relations is unable to answer questions about pet health problems. Contact your veterinarian.

Source: Dr. Gregory F. Grauer, 785-532-4309, ggrauer@vet.k-state.edu
http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/MediaGuide/ggrauerbio.html
News release prepared by: Melissa Broeckelman, 785-532-6415

Friday, August 1, 2003

K-STATE VET GIVES INSIGHT, ADVICE ON PET KIDNEY FAILURE

MANHATTAN -- If your pet is getting older, you may want to talk to your veterinarian about kidney disease.

According to Dr. Greg Grauer, a professor and head of the department of clinical sciences at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, kidney failure is often cited second only to cancer as the leading cause of natural death in cats and dogs. Grauer has research interests in kidney failure and has written many articles about the topic.

Kidneys are important because they excrete waste products, control the level of water in the body by concentrating or diluting the urine, and produce hormones such as the one that stimulates bone marrow to create red blood cells, Grauer said. However, immune-mediated and degenerative diseases, congenital diseases, kidney infection and kidney stones can cause irreversible damage to the nephrons, which are the functional units of the kidney. Kidney failure occurs when three-fourths of the nephrons of both kidneys are not functioning.

"Symptoms of kidney failure may include loss of appetite and stamina, lethargy and depression, and drinking and urinating a lot. Pets may also have high blood pressure, anemia, nausea, vomiting and dehydration," Grauer said.

Grauer said pet kidney failure can be treated with kidney dialysis or transplantation, but those treatments are available only at a handful of referral centers and are often too expensive to be practical or affordable.

"Most treatments are aimed at decreasing the workload for the kidneys, reducing the severity of the symptoms, and slowing the progression of the disease process," Grauer said. "We usually put these pets on a special diet with less protein and phosphorous to reduce the amount of waste products that are excreted by the kidneys. We can also treat complications such as high blood pressure, bladder and kidney infections, kidney stones, nausea, vomiting and dehydration. It's important to make sure that the animal is able to get plenty of water, so in the later stages, IVs or subcutaneous injections of fluid may become necessary."

He said it is difficult to prevent kidney failure because there is no single specific cause. However, Grauer recommends pet owners take their middle-aged and older pets to the veterinarian for annual health exams.

"Once large breed dogs reach five years of age or smaller breed dogs and cats reach seven years of age, they should have regular exams so that the veterinarian can record data that tracks the body weight, red blood cell count, urine concentration, urine protein levels and waste product levels," Grauer said. "These may all be in the normal range, but by having regular check-ups to create a flow chart, it is possible to see gradual increases that may indicate a problem.

"The key is having annual health exams for your pet once it reaches middle age. The earlier they are diagnosed, the better, because it increases our chance to do something about it. If kidney problems aren't diagnosed until late in the disease process when the symptoms become severe, these symptoms can be very hard to turn around," Grauer said.

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