Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dietary management of the cat with early chronic kidney disease
- Journal:
- Companion Animal
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Groves, Ellie
- Affiliation:
- Veterinary Technical Affairs Manager, Nestle Purina Petcare, 1 City Place, Beehive Ringroad, Gatwick, West Sussex, RH6 0PA, UK · United Kingdom
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common and serious condition in older cats that can lead to health problems and a shorter life. Early diagnosis and treatment are important because they can help slow down the disease and improve your cat's quality of life. For cats diagnosed with CKD, especially those in the later stages, a special kidney-friendly diet is often the best way to manage their condition. Recently, new tests have allowed vets to identify CKD even in its early stages, which has sparked discussions about how to best feed these cats. This research looks at the evidence for using special diets in both early and later stages of CKD and offers guidance on when and how to make dietary changes.
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 (IRIS) stage 2 onwards. However, since the advent of markers such as symmetric dimethylarginine that have enabled clinicians to detect non-azotaemic CKD (IRIS stage 1 and some early stage 2 patients) there has been growing debate about how to best manage these patients. There are a limited number of studies investigating this. Following the previous article, which explored diagnosis and staging of CKD, this part focuses on dietary management, including an overview of the evidence base for the therapeutic renal diets traditionally used from IRIS stage 2 and our current understanding and evidence to support potential dietary changes in cats with early (IRIS stage 1 or early stage 2) CKD. Discussion of how and when these should be made is also included.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2020.0013b