In Kidney disfunction is the best path to diagnosis blood/urine testing?

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Dr. Kris,

Unfortunately as we know many feline diseases share common symptoms making diagnosis that much more difficult.   In Kidney disfunction is the best path to diagnosis blood/urine testing?  I had an issue with my cat that she was vomiting heavily and so became very dehydrated.   Are the blood/urine panels still a reliable tool to diagnose kidney disfunction if the samples are taken while the cat is dehydrated?   

Thank you

 

[dr kris]

Cat’s and their secret diaries. Either hiding their symptoms, and then if and when they show them it’s a mixture of possibilities.

I am a strong believer in baseline samples (also known as wellness bloodwork). Meaning that, for many healthy cats, when they come into see me annually or whatever the frequency might be, I am always talking about baseline bloodwork. If these cats end up ill, I have a point of comparison in there recent history I can work from.

The bloodwork is still useful even if taken while they are dehydrated. There will be a few indicators that change because of the dehydration, but others that still tell the story of what is going on. Very often, I recheck blood after they are hydrated. The comparison can be valuable to figuring it all out…

As time goes on, both here and on my blog, Im going to list all the potential indicators I see in exam rooms for kidney issues in great detail!

k