I HOPE everyone and their fur babies had a lovely festive time, keeping safe and sound, and clear of any nasty bugs and poisonous items.

At Dunedin Vets, we ran our senior pet wellness campaign in the run-up to Christmas. Many people got involved and had their elderly pets given health checks, with blood and urine samples being examined for any signs of ill health.

We had a good number of feline patients where we discovered early signs of kidney disease, which is a very common problem in cats as they get older. Finding out that they have early stages of kidney disease allows us as vets to tailor treatment to your cat, to try to reduce the severity and progression of kidney disease.

One such cat was Kyla, brought to our Dunedin Vets Tranent branch by her owner Mags Gillan, a long-standing regular client of the practice. Kyla is just over 12 years old, a beautiful black, short-haired cat and in seemingly good health, although at the beginning of last year she had a very severe illness, from which she recovered fully.

Now Miss Gillan thought our senior wellbeing checks were a great idea. We took blood from Kyla, who was a very tolerant patient, which was sent off to a veterinary laboratory to check how her internal organs were functioning and to check her blood cell count.

The results showed that Kyla was indeed in good health, apart from a slight increase in her blood urinary nitrogen (BUN) level. Kidney disease in cats is staged according to the blood results and signs exhibited by the cat. Kyla was in stage one of chronic kidney disease, so any treatment given is aimed at slowing progression of the problem.

We would always check at this point whether the patient is on any medication which could be increasing the severity of kidney disease. This may be older cats who are on certain medications to ease osteoarthritic problems. Fortunately, Kyla was not on any medication which may have been detrimental to her kidneys.

We like to check urine samples as well, to rule out infections and measure concentrations of substances in the urine which can give a better understanding of how severe the kidney disease is. Kyla’s measurements were all in the normal range.

Miss Gillan sent us the following message on Facebook: “Kyla 12 years old got hers done and glad she did as she has a wee health problem I would not have known about and could have got a lot worse. Thanks to Margot she got her checked and will be just fine with some small diet changes so if you can get your pet done ASAP xx.”

Had there been an increase in urine chemical levels, Kyla would have undergone more tests. Fortunately the only change we made for Kyla was to recommend she was fed a cat food with a lower protein content than standard cat food, to ensure her kidneys were able to process the products of protein digestion. We also advised that Kyla had a supply of fresh water at all times. We are hoping this dietary change will prevent Kyla’s kidney disease from progressing further.

Many cats develop chronic kidney disease as a result of increased blood pressure or hypertension. Does this sound familiar? Yes, just like humans, cats can develop high blood pressure for many reasons, which in turn can cause problems with many body systems.

We do measure cats’ blood pressure, in much the same way as we have our blood pressure taken. A small cuff is placed round the fore limb which can be inflated and the blood pressure measured via an amplifier placed on the lower limb behind the carpus (wrist) area – just like humans feeling for a pulse.

If the blood pressure is over 160 (mm Hg) and consistently so, there is a likelihood of the cat developing chronic kidney disease. Not only can that occur, but heart conditions, neurological problems and concerns regarding the retina in the eyes may develop. If cats have persistently high blood pressure then we advise giving antihypertensive medication, which may be in the form of tablets or liquid, or given in combination.

If the cat remains hypertensive, there may be the likelihood of thrombus (blood clot) formation. These cats then require further medication to try to prevent clot formation. In humans, aspirin is often the drug of choice but cats lack an enzyme which helps to eliminate aspirin from the body so it can be very toxic for cats unless given in very low doses every three days. There are, fortunately, specific drugs which are safe for cats.

Other indicators we look for in a blood sample from cats with chronic kidney disease are creatinine and phosphate. These levels rise as cats unfortunately progress into stages three and four of chronic kidney disease. Further medications are required to reduce these levels, otherwise they contribute to the further deterioration of the cat’s health.

Chronic kidney disease in cats is very common, especially with advancing years. The early stages are very difficult to diagnose without the aid of blood and urine samples. Our senior wellness campaign brought to our attention many cats at stage one kidney disease, who are now happily enjoying a lower protein diet and hopefully their kidneys are not deteriorating further, but we will continue to monitor them in the future.

So you see, a vet’s life is not all about treating emergencies or giving routine vaccinations. Practising preventative and wellness medicine ensures our patients have the healthiest lifestyle possible and hopefully live to a ripe old age. We do see more and more cats reaching 20 years of age, which is quite a milestone. I also do know a 19-and-a-half-year-old Jack Russell terrier who is still going strong!