Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low body temperature in dogs and cats with kidney failure
By Kabatchnick, E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·The Animal Medical Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypothermia in Uremic Dogs and Cats.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs and cats with kidney disease undergoing dialysis were found to have low body temperatures, a condition known as uremic hypothermia. About 20.5% of the dogs and 38% of the cats showed this symptom. The study revealed that when their kidney issues were treated with dialysis, their body temperatures improved, especially in larger cats. This suggests that if your pet has kidney disease and is feeling cold, it could be related to their condition, and treatment may help restore their normal temperature.
People also search for: dog kidney disease symptoms · cat low body temperature treatment · dialysis for dogs and cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of uremic hypothermia (UH) and the effects of improving uremia on body temperature have not been determined in veterinary patients. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of UH and correlations between uremia and body temperature in patients undergoing intermittent hemodialysis (IHD). ANIMALS: Uremic dogs (n = 122) and cats (n = 79) treated by IHD at the Bobst Hospital of the Animal Medical Center from 1997 to 2013. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypothermia was 38% in azotemic cats and 20.5% in azotemic dogs. Statistically significant temperature differences were observed between uremic and nonuremic dogs (nonuremic: mean, 100.8°F; range, 91.2-109.5°F; uremic: mean, 99.9°F; range, 95.6-103.8°F; P < .0001) and cats (nonuremic: mean, 100.6°F; range, 94.0-103.8°F; uremic: mean, 99.3°F; range, 92.3-103.4°F; P < .0001). In dog dialysis patients, significant models included (1) timing (pre-dialysis versus post-dialysis) with weight class (small [P < .0001], medium [P = .016], and large breed [P = .033] dogs), (2) timing with serum creatinine concentration (P = .021), and (3) timing with BUN concentration (P < .0001). In cat dialysis patients, there was a significant interaction between timing and weight as a categorical variable (<5 kg and ≥5 kg). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Uremic hypothermia appears to be a clinical phenomenon that occurs in cats and dogs. Uremic patients are hypothermic compared to ill nonuremic patients and body temperatures increase when uremia is corrected with IHD in dogs and in cats >5 kg. In cats, UH seems to be a more prevalent phenomenon driven by uremia. Uremic hypothermia does occur in dogs, but body weight is a more important predictor of body temperature.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27481336/