Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a progressive disease involving long-term insult to the kidneys which, over time, damages their ability to concentrate urine and remove nitrogenous wastes from circulation. Unfortunately, the clinical signs of chronic renal failure usually are not apparent until the dogs’ kidneys are severely and irreversibly damaged.Chronic renal failure can be present but asymptomatic for a very long time. Among the first changes noticed by owners of dogs with CRF are a
Chronic renal failure (CRF) in dogs is caused by primary kidney (renal) disease that has persisted for months to years, resulting in inadequately concentrated urine and abnormally elevated levels of urea nitrogen in the dog’s blood. CRF can be present without overt clinical signs; this form usually is called renal insufficiency rather than failure. Overt CRF, with clinical signs, reflects uremia and severe, irreversible kidney damage.The precise causes of most cases of CRF are never
Chronic renal failure (CRF) in dogs results from long-term insult to the kidneys which, over time, damages their ability to adequately concentrate urine and remove nitrogenous wastes from circulation. CRF can be present without overt clinical signs; this form usually is called renal “insufficiency” rather than “failure”. Unfortunately, once prolonged clinical signs appear, the kidneys normally have lost most of the ability to perform their normal functions of filtering the blood, excreting the end-products of
Chronic renal failure can be present but asymptomatic for a long, long time. Normally, by the time an owner notices signs of chronic renal failure and a diagnosis is made, enough kidney tissue has been damaged to make the condition irreversible. Nevertheless, there are a number of supportive treatments and management techniques that can delay progression of the disease and enhance the dog’s quality of life.The goals of treating canine renal failure are to alleviate