Ruby the fourteen-year-old Cavoodle visited the Berwick clinic a couple of months ago for some vomiting and inappetence. After some initial bloodwork was performed, it was clear due to her elevated hepatic markers that she was suffering from kidney disease and based on her levels, she was on the cusp of Stage 3 of the disease according to the IRIS guidelines. The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS), provides guidelines for the staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dogs. This staging system helps veterinarians assess the severity of CKD and guide treatment. The IRIS staging system is based on serum creatinine concentrations and is divided into four stages. In addition to the primary stages, IRIS also recommends sub-staging based on proteinuria (established through a UPC) and frequent blood pressure monitoring. UPC (Urine Protein-to-Creatinine) testing is a valuable diagnostic tool used to assess proteinuria (the presence of excess protein in the urine) in animals. Proteinuria can be an indicator of early kidney disease and allows for timely intervention, which can slow disease progression. In animals with diagnosed kidney disease, UPC testing helps monitor the severity of proteinuria over time, providing information on disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
Whilst we planned to take this urine sample for Ruby to send off to the pathologist, she ended up contracting a very nasty urinary tract infection which meant that her results would be skewed if we sent it away at the same time! After it was established she was on the correct medications to treat her UTI and her course of antibiotics were completed, her UPC would then be sent away and her blood pressure tested in house.
During this time Ruby was on and off her regular food and was also receiving medications to help her gut and inappetence. However, once offered it, she seemed to be responding very well to her new renal diet which is a critical component of managing kidney disease in animals. A renal diet helps to reduce the workload on the kidneys, control the levels of harmful substances in the blood, and provides essential nutrients in a form that is easier for compromised kidneys to handle. By adhering to a renal diet, pet owners can help improve their pet’s quality of life, and potentially slow the progression of kidney disease.
Once we had established that her UTI was gone through a urinalysis, her other testing was completed so that we could form a complete picture of her current health status. When the results came in, we were delighted to relay to her owners that due to their fast response to Ruby’s decline in health and getting her on the right medications and diet quickly, a more accurate estimate of Ruby’s renal disease was in fact Stage 1!! Though her kidney disease will always be present in some form, and she will continue to visit us frequently for tests for us to monitor its progression, we couldn’t be prouder of Ruby and her family and hope she has been gifted some extra happy years where they can all be together!