New kidney test
Posted in: Companion Animals
Let’s get the Facts Early
- The Kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood and removing waste, as well as fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.
- As animals age, kidney function often declines.
- Chronic Kidney Disease can occur because of a variety of reasons including infection, toxicity, and hereditary conditions.
Up until recently the tests we have been relying on to diagnose kidney failure didn’t flag a problem until about 75% of the kidney function was gone.
We now have a new in-clinic test called SDMA that can detect kidney failure when there is the loss of only 25% of the kidney function. This obviously means that we can start preventative treatment (such as dietary change and medication) much earlier leading to a much improved quality of life and life expectancy for your pets.
We are already incorporating this test in many of our pre-anaesthetic tests.
We have had a number of interesting results whereby and animal appeared fine from the results of the old testing parameters but the SDMA indicated that in fact the animal was in early kidney failure and steps were then taken to slow the progression of the condition down.
Things just keep getting better for the health of your pets!