Symptoms start when the kidneys have lost 70% of their nephrons. Uraemia is the clinical state towards which all generalised renal diseases converge. The symptoms are attributed to the many uraemic toxins, most of them coming from the catabolism of proteins.
A partial list of uraemic toxins |
Urea
Creatinine
PTH
Indoles
Amines acids
Guanidine
compounds | Phenols
“Middle molecules"
Hormons
Skatols
Aliphatic amines |
The clinical symptoms are not pathognomonic for CRF. They can be different in dogs and in cats. Complementary biochemical analysis is needed to determine a more accurate diagnosis. Anorexia and digestive problems are frequent in cats: it makes it more difficult to change their diet.
Most frequent CRF symptoms (ranked by frequency) |
In cats | In dogs |
Anorexia
Lethargy
Weight loss
Polyuria – polydypsia
Vomiting | Polyuria – polydypsia
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Weight loss |
