Chronic Renal disease is a common problem in cats. Blood work can detect it, but once the blood work shows abnormalities changes already were established in the kidneys and often, at that point, the treatment is for control of the disease rather than prevention.
One of the diseases that cats can have is an infection of the kidneys called pyelonephritis. It is often an insidious disease and does not become manifest until late in the disease process.
I am a strong believer in early detection and prevention. In my geriatrics cat patients, I often advise routine urine analysis. It’s a simple test and the owner can easily collect the sample at home.
I also routinely perform abdominal ultrasounds and have found pyelonephritis in cats before the kidneys suffer irreversible damage.
These geriatric cats might have nonspecific mild syndromes with slight weight loss, and just seem to the owner that they are not doing right, in a mild nonspecific way early in the disease process.
These cats usually respond nicely to antibiotics and the owner notices an improvement in their general wellbeing.
Dr. Ehud Sela
954-972-5900
The Gentle Vet-Dr. Ehud Sela: House Calls Veterinarian 