So Tuesday I went to a board certified dentist to get my cats teeth extracted. I was already concerned about the surgery until the dentist came out and said she was looking through my cats history and said his kidney creatinine levels were high a year ago and two years ago. Two years ago it was 2.1 and then 2.0 a year ago. She went and did another blood test to make sure he was safe for surgery. Creatinine levels were 1.6. Now I’m confused. If it was kidney disease wouldn’t it get progressively worse? She told me she tested his urine and said it was slightly dehydrated and that maybe what it is. She said just to keep an eye on it as he gets older. I’m confused because I called my regular vet and asked why I wasn’t told about this and they said up to 2.4 is normal. Then I read online that stage one is 1.6 to 2.8. Other places said 2.4 was normal. It’s very confusing.Then I also read that high quality foods and protein can cause the levels to be higher naturally especially raw. He isn’t fed raw but fed ziwi peak venison which is a high quality wet food. It mimics raw. I know not everyone here is a vet but anyone have experience with this? He’s only 3 years old and I’m wondering how the hell can he have kidney disease.
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Question about creatinine and CKD
- Thread starter Dave8014
- Start Date
Hi. Just got into the whole CKD thing with my cat. From what I have learned so far, muscular cats, cats who eat high protein diets, and/or cats who are dehydrated can all impact creatinine levels. The fact that your cat's level went down suggests the dehydration probably played a role. Although, you will hear from members on this site who have had cats with kidney disease at an early age, I suspect that given your cat's age, this isn't the issue.
I personally, from what I know so far, think your cat is fine, and your vet is correct in that you should just continue to keep an eye on it as he ages. That is actually true for all cat owners, as kidney disease seems to be a common old age ailment in cats.
EDIT: If you are truly concerned - there is also a fairly new test called SDMA, offered by IDEXX labs, which can indicate the presence of kidney disease even before creatinine levels are high. A high SDMA level can prompt further diagnostics and increased monitoring of a cat, so kidney failure can be slowed down as much as possible. This test is often done yearly, as a routine to catch a problem early. You could ask your vet about that.
I personally, from what I know so far, think your cat is fine, and your vet is correct in that you should just continue to keep an eye on it as he ages. That is actually true for all cat owners, as kidney disease seems to be a common old age ailment in cats.
EDIT: If you are truly concerned - there is also a fairly new test called SDMA, offered by IDEXX labs, which can indicate the presence of kidney disease even before creatinine levels are high. A high SDMA level can prompt further diagnostics and increased monitoring of a cat, so kidney failure can be slowed down as much as possible. This test is often done yearly, as a routine to catch a problem early. You could ask your vet about that.
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thanks for the reply. I saw the chart here: The Ins and Outs of Managing Feline Chronic Kidney Disease | Today's Veterinary Nurse it actually says stage 2. Maybe I’m reading it wrong or is unreliable?
It really sucks that cats are prone to kidney disease. I really hope it was dehydration. I mean it must be a good sign it went down.
It really sucks that cats are prone to kidney disease. I really hope it was dehydration. I mean it must be a good sign it went down.
I edited my post - info on a newer test that you could mention to your vet - see the edit above.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Come to think of it....it may very well be dehydration. In the summer when i did the blood test where the creatine was 2.0 he was eating less food. Not drinking as much because he gets water from wet food. For some reason he eats less during the summer. When the creatinine was 1.6 a week ago he was eating a healthy amount. 2 and half cans compared to the 1 can he was eating when getting the blood test in July of last year.
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I think the kidney disease is a 3-fold problem. 1 cats tend to not drink water. 2. Some cats only eat dry increasing the water issue. 3. Most store bought cat folds grind the entire animal into the food leaving a high phosphorus level that makes feline kidneys work extra hard.
I was on the same boat recently. My cat's creatinine came out to be 2 mg and our vet was quick to jump on diagnosing her with kidney disease. I did my research though and found out,
Any creatinine elevation less than 1 mg is not reliable. It might very well be a temporary increase. So if we go with 1,6 mg being the highest of the normal range, if the creatinine is less than 2,6 mg, it should be re-tested another day. (And like FeebysOwner said, what the highest range should be is about other factors as well and seems to be a bit controversial among different vets, but not every clinic takes it into consideration.)
BUN usually increases before CREA. Not a rule but in our case for example that was one of the things that made me think "if she had kidney disease, everything on the labwork is going unusual."
More importantly, urine test is the golden standard for kidney disease test. If creatinine is still high, they recommend SDMA + urine test + ultrasound. I myself would not accept a diagnosis without getting all these tests done.
Any creatinine elevation less than 1 mg is not reliable. It might very well be a temporary increase. So if we go with 1,6 mg being the highest of the normal range, if the creatinine is less than 2,6 mg, it should be re-tested another day. (And like FeebysOwner said, what the highest range should be is about other factors as well and seems to be a bit controversial among different vets, but not every clinic takes it into consideration.)
BUN usually increases before CREA. Not a rule but in our case for example that was one of the things that made me think "if she had kidney disease, everything on the labwork is going unusual."
More importantly, urine test is the golden standard for kidney disease test. If creatinine is still high, they recommend SDMA + urine test + ultrasound. I myself would not accept a diagnosis without getting all these tests done.
