Your veterinary surgeon is the specialist and is best placed to make the diagnosis of Chronic Renal Failure and decide on the most appropriate course of treatment. Do not hesitate to ask him/her questions about your specific circumstances.
Diagnosis
This is one of the more critical point when handling the disease. CRF can only be recognised when it is at a quite advanced stage, once the symptoms have become evident.
The symptoms of Chronic Renal Failure are not specific to the disease. That is the reason why your veterinary surgeon needs to take a blood sample and measure certain biochemical parameters.
He/she will usually measure urea and creatinine concentrations in the blood.
In cases of mild CRF the results may not be conclusive and your practitioner may require further tests to secure the diagnosis.
Additional tests include:
- Urine specific gravity. When the kidneys fail to perform their normal functions, they also loose their ability to properly concentrate urine. A low specific gravity indicates kidney failure.
- The UPC ratio (Urine Protein:Creatinine ratio) is a good measure of the stage of the disease. New tests have been designed recently to facilitate this measure.
