Diagnosis of the cat with early chronic kidney disease

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a highly prevalent disease and common cause of morbidity and mortality in older cats. Early diagnosis and management of CKD is thought to be able to slow disease progression and impact positively on quality of life and longevity. Dietary management with a therapeutic renal diet is regarded as the mainstay of treatment for feline CKD from International Renal Interest Society stage 2 onwards. However, since the advent of markers such as symmetric dimethylarginine that have enabled clinicians to detect non-azotaemic CKD, there has been growing debate about how to best manage these patients. At this stage there are a limited number of studies investigating this. This article covers the current diagnostics used to identify renal disease. A second article looks at current understanding of therapeutic strategies and the impact this can have on progression of the disease, focusing on dietary management.