Early Kidney Disease

lorie d.

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My neutered male cat, Snowball, will be 12 years old this September. In September 2001, a blood test showed that Snowball's creatinine level was slightly elevated, and the vet thought he had early kidney disease. Since then, Snowball has been on a strict diet of K/D dry food, and blood tests done every six months have shown that his kidney function is within normal. So far, no other health problems have been diagnosed. My question is, can a special diet keep kidney disease from progressing indefinitely?
 

amy shojai

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If Snowball is doing well on the therapeutic food, that's great! It's also wonderful that tests caught the kidney problems very early.

By the time cats start to show signs of kidney disease--excessive urination, weight loss, etc--up to 70% of kidney function can be gone. It sounds like you and your veterinarian caught this at a very good point in time.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to kidney disease. Reducing the work of the kidneys goes a long way toward maintaining their health, and that's what the special food does. No, it probably will not hold off the condition indefinetly but it has certainly slowed down the progression of the disease.

And that's wonderful news! The ultimate goal when treating kidney disease cats is helping them feel good every single day. You're doing that.

amy
 
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