From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2001-12-18 18:16:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Kidney Failure ? How Do I Stop It?
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "lmcaselman" <caselman@g...> wrote:
> I have an 7 year old female ferret named Mary. She has had some
> insulinoma problems and is on .5 cc pediapred twice a day. Last week
> Mary took a bad turn and has not gotten over it and is getting
worse.
> I took her to the vet and was told that her fasting sugar was 98
and
> that she didn't see anything wrong. Mary has kept eating and
drinking
> very well even tho one day she couldn't keep her head up. Anyway...
> the vet asked me if her urine was clear which it hadn't been. She
> told me that if it was it was probably her kidneys shutting down
but
> she didn't tell me what to do if it happened and now it has and my
> vet is unavailable due to a family emergency. I live in a small
area
> and the vets here don't know anything about ferrets. I have to
drive
> 100 miles one way to get to my vet and I'm afraid that at this
point
> Mary won't be able to take the drive if I can find another vet. Any
> idea what I can do for my baby? If not to cure her then to make her
> more comfortable? Thank you for your time and any help that you
have.
Dear Lois:
Let's not jump to a hasty conclusion, especially when the vet is out
o town. You can't assess the function of the kidneys by the color of
the urine - we need to look at the blood and analyze the urine itself
to see if there is a problem. If the kidneys are truly shutting
down, then no urine will be produced, or only a few very small dark
drops.
There are certain substances that increase in concentration in the
blood when the kidney stops function, as the kidney is what filters
it out of the body. BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and creatinine are the
two most commonly used, but phosphorus can also give a lot of
information. Elevated levels of these compounds are very suggestive
of failing kidneys, and coupled with a dilute urine - then we start
talking about renal failure. While we are analyzing the urine, we
also look at it under the microscope for evidence of inflammation or
blood, which may suggest an infection.
Generally if urine is produced in sufficient amounts, even if it is
totally clear, we can support the animal by giving it fluids - you
simply match the amount of fluids going in with the amount coming
out. This works for the short term, at least until an appropriate
diagnosis is made. Let's not rush to a decision unless its absolutely
necessary. With animals in renal failure, we usually make a decision
to euthanize based on the lack of hope for ever improving, rather
than immediate emergency.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM