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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Acute flare-ups of chronic kidney disease in dogs - signs and outlook

By Dunaevich, Asia et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Veterinary Teaching Hospital·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Acute on chronic kidney disease in dogs: Etiology, clinical and clinicopathologic findings, prognostic markers, and survival.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A group of 100 dogs with acute on chronic kidney disease (ACKD) showed symptoms like loss of appetite, tiredness, vomiting, and diarrhea. The dogs were hospitalized for an average of 5 days, with those that survived staying longer than those that did not. The study found that certain factors, like respiratory rate and blood tests, could help predict short-term survival. While 35% of the dogs passed away during treatment, those that were discharged had a median survival time of about 105 days. Unfortunately, the long-term outlook for these dogs remains uncertain.

People also search for: dog kidney disease symptoms · acute kidney disease treatment in dogs · what to expect with dog kidney disease

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute exacerbation of CKD (ACKD) are common in dogs. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the etiology, clinical and laboratory findings, and short- and long-term prognosis of dogs with ACKD. ANIMALS: One hundred dogs with ACKD. METHODS: Medical records of dogs diagnosed with ACKD admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The most common clinical signs included anorexia (84%), lethargy (77%), vomiting (55%) and diarrhea (37%). Presumptive etiology included inflammatory causes (30%), pyelonephritis (15%), ischemic causes (7%), other (3%), or unknown (45%). Median hospitalization time was 5&#x2009;days (range, 2-29&#x2009;days) and was significantly longer in survivors (6&#x2009;days; range, 2-29&#x2009;days) compared with nonsurvivors (4&#x2009;days; range, 2-20&#x2009;days; P <&#x2009;.001). Mortality rate was 35%. International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) acute kidney injury (AKI) grade at presentation was associated (P =&#x2009;.009) with short-term survival, but presumptive etiology was not (P =&#x2009;.46). On multivariable analysis; respiratory rate (P =&#x2009;.01), creatine kinase (CK) activity (P =&#x2009;.005) and serum creatinine concentration (SCR; P =&#x2009;.04) at presentation were associated with short-term outcome. Median survival time of dogs discharged was 105&#x2009;days (95% confidence interval [CI], 25-184), with 35 and 8 dogs surviving up to 6 and 12&#x2009;months, respectively. Presumptive etiology (P =&#x2009;.16) and SCR (P =&#x2009;.59) at discharge were not predictors of long-term survival. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Short-term outcome of dogs with ACKD is comparable to those with AKI but long-term prognosis is guarded. The IRIS AKI grade at presentation is a prognostic indicator of short-term outcome.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33044036/