Learning that your cat has kidney disease can be devastating. The disease currently has no cure, and although steps can be taken to prolong your cat's life and improve its quality of life, it is ultimately a death sentence. However, scientists and doctors are working hard to provide pet owners and their cats a way out. If you're looking for a way to change your cat's fate, read on to learn about the latest options pet parents have.
How Kidney Disease Works
Scientists and doctors aren't entirely sure what causes genetic kidney disease. While some cats will develop kidney disease due to physical damage done to their kidneys, many more will develop it for no apparent reason. Up to 1 in 3 cats will develop kidney disease, so it's a big problem for cat parents everywhere.
While the cause isn't known, the way that kidney disease causes problems is. If a cat has kidney disease, the nephrons in their kidneys will gradually start to fail. These nephrons are responsible for filtering toxins out of the blood and processing urine. If enough nephrons fail, your cat's blood toxicity will build up, causing nausea, weakness, and, at worst, death.
Kidney Disease Can't Be Cured
Veterinarians can take many steps to help prolong a cat's life if they have kidney disease. For example, IV fluid therapy, subcutaneous fluids, and appetite stimulants can help to keep your cat comfortable and well-fed. However, this is only a temporary solution, since the kidneys will continue to weaken as time passes.
Transplant Programs
Although there's no known way to fix kidneys with kidney disease, switching to a new kidney can solve your cat's problems. Cat kidney transplant programs are becoming more common. Like humans, cats will need to have their blood type tested to find an eligible donor. Most programs search for a match among shelter cats. Since the shelter cat will have its kidney taken and needs a home, pet parents are generally required to adopt the donor cat in order to have the procedure.
The surgery is a relatively easy process, although there is some risk to your cat's health if they're already ill from kidney disease. In this instance, your cat may need to be hospitalized for a time prior to their surgery to improve their blood toxicity levels as much as possible and to increase their weight if they're too thin.
With a new, functioning kidney, cats can continue living for many years. They may need immune system suppressing medication to help prevent organ rejection, but otherwise, your cat will return to its healthy, happy self very quickly.
For more information about cat kidney disease and how to treat it, contact a pet hospital near you, such as Miramonte Veterinary Hospital.
Share31 March 2017
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