IRIS recommends certain treatments and procedures as well as therapy for the cat in the second stage. A further distinction is made between staging before and after treatment. A cat may be considered to be in a later stage before treatment and then ideally " returns" to an earlier stage within treatment.
Chronic kidney disease in cats (and dogs) is categorised into four stages by the IRIS (International Renal Interest Society). A stage thus determines the severity of the chronic kidney disease and is also related to the prognosis. IRIS then recommends specific treatments and procedures depending on the stage. First, however, the diagnosis “chronic kidney disease” must be confirmed...
Feline chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common diseases of older cats and the leading cause of death in cats over 5 years of age. Although its etiology is usually unknown (e.g. toxic causes or viral infections and chronic inflammation), its course is progressive and associated with a variety of clinicopathological changes. This is what makes chronic kidney disease so complex...
Geriatric medicine (= medicine for the elderly) has become an indispensable speciality in human medicine. Specialisation because this field of medicine deals with age-related and age-typical diseases, but also with complex disease conditions (= multimorbidity). Similarly, geriatrics is becoming increasingly important in veterinary medicine, as our dogs and cats are aging too. Therefore...
In a Belgian study from 2015, 5,305 dogs and cats were given a free health check at the vet of their choice. This precedent-setting project revealed that of the 2,260 cats examined...
Age-related feline cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) leads to behavioural changes in the affected cat. This includes inappropriate vocalisations, especially during the night. In a new study, the reasons for these unusual vocalisations were sought.
It is not only the taste of the food that makes our domestic cats enjoy it. The eating behavior and preferences of cats are much more complex. Unfortunately, it is not the case that cats would intuitively eat the best ready-made food. Quite the opposite, the healthiest cat food is abandoned if the cat does not like its taste. CATS ARE MEAT LOVERS The cat, as an obligate carnivore, depends on an...
Innocently guilty The issue of guilt in connection with a cat with chronic kidney disease is a particularly special one. The cat owner has a lot of emotions to overcome as a caregiver of a sick cat. Some of these emotions are feelings of guilt that affect him at different points in the management of his CKD-affected pet. Guilty for the cause of chronic kidney disease It all begins with the...
Properly feeding a cat with chronic kidney disease demands a lot from the owner. Cat owners are not only stressed and guilted by the diagnosis of CKD itself, but also by feeding their beloved cat. This is mainly because the disease causes cats to lose their appetite...
The diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) often hits the owner like a blow. The diagnosis sounds terminal and therefore usually triggers intense emotions. On the one hand you don’t want to lose your beloved family member, but on the other hand you don’t want the cat to suffer either. How do you deal with such an emotional situation?