Is your dog or cat a Senior pet?

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Did you know that 1 in 3 cats, and 1 in 4 dogs over the age of 12 will have kidney disease?

I find that such a scary fact.

I’ve seen two cats recently who came to me at such a late stage, I was unfortunately only able to help one of them for a few weeks before their kidneys just stopped working at all.

The other little cat is on medication to help with kidney function and control of a mineral called phosphate. He is also being fed food specifically designed to help with kidney disease. I'm keeping a close eye on him.

The frustrating thing is that it is a silent condition, cats and dogs simply don’t tell us that they are poorly.

Kidneys are responsible for filtering waste products out of the body, however, if their kidneys are slowly losing the ability to function, then waste products will build up and cause a lot of problems.

Symptoms will eventually be shown, however this only happens when there is significantly reduced kidney function.

What do we see:

- Increased drinking

- Vomiting and diarrhoea

- Weight loss

- Stumbling

- Lethargy

At this late stage, sometimes there’s nothing more that we can do except provide supportive treatment.

So that's why I would recommend an annual mini blood test for ALL senior pets, its quick, its easy, its not costly either, and because if kidney disease is caught early, we can help to significantly prolong their life.

Find out more about pet care at www.woodhamlanevets.co.uk

#catkidneydisease #dog #cat #sarahthevet

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