Urology

Kidney diseases are, in both animals and humans, among the most serious diseases. Their treatment in animals requires both veterinary expertise, years of experience and appropriate diagnostic facilities. All of this is available at the KUROSZ Clinic. On site, taking only a few minutes, we can perform a number of necessary tests on the patient, which is crucial in the case of metabolic disorders that threaten the animal’s life.

This is because it is a prerequisite for adequate treatment. The hospital facilities available at the KUROSZ Clinic also give our specialists the opportunity to provide inpatient treatment. This is particularly important in the case of urological and nephrological diseases, as it allows the patient’s condition to be effectively monitored through continuous monitoring of selected blood parameters.

Monitoring kidney status and treating any signs of disease early is particularly important. Indeed, untreated diseases of this organ can lead to various forms of failure.

• Acute renal failure – this is a sudden impairment of kidney function as a result of a toxic or ischaemic injury lasting from a few hours to a few days. Treatment undertaken in the first phase mitigates organ damage and may prevent further development of acute renal failure. This is because in the second phase, damage to the renal tubules and disruption of nephron function already occurs. This phase can last for weeks or months. Most animals, without receiving appropriate treatment, die during this time.
• Chronic renal failure – is a syndrome that develops as a result of progressive destruction of the nephrons in the course of chronic kidney conditions. Its hallmark is the slow build-up of renal dysfunction. If approximately 70% of the nephrons are damaged, the disease will progress to the uremic phase (chronic uremia) and very often, it is only at this point that the clinical signs of the disease become clearly visible in the animal.
• Acute chronic renal failure – this is a sudden exacerbation of the symptoms of chronic renal failure. Renal function ceases, urine production stops and severe metabolic disturbances occur. Immediate treatment to force diuresis (i.e. to get the kidneys working) can make the kidneys work. However, mortality in this phase of the disease is quite high.

The KUROSZ Clinic’s Diagnostic Centre has sufficient facilities to provide on-site results of all the tests needed to diagnose lesions in the animal’s kidneys. When such diseases are suspected and in their course, we perform the following analyses and tests:

• Urea, creatinine or indicators of azotaemia. Testing their levels tells us about the progress of flushing toxins out of the body.
•  Potassium We test potassium, a deficiency of which is a serious threat to life. Reduced potassium levels are due to an insufficient supply in the diet and increased loss through excretion in the urine. Also, an excess of this element is very dangerous. In the last phase of chronic kidney disease, the kidneys are no longer able to excrete the daily portion of this element.
• Calcium, phosphorus and sodium levels, excess of which can cause impaired kidney function.
• ABB is a study of acid-base balance. It allows us to control metabolic acidosis, which results from impaired renal excretion of hydrogen ion or bicarbonate reabsorption. Metabolic acidosis is a life-threatening condition.
• General urine examination. This is one of the most important tests. It allows us to detect kidney disease before changes appear in the blood. Each of the parameters tested provides valuable information regarding kidney disease. When we have a suspicion of kidney cancer, we look for cancer cells in specially prepared preparations (urine cytology).
• Urine culture. When dealing with purulent nephritis, this test is particularly valuable as it allows the selection of targeted treatment for a given pathogen. With this study, we can accurately determine the duration of treatment.
• Protein/creatinine ratio. This allows an accurate assessment of the severity of proteinuria, which provides information on damage to the basement membranes of the glomeruli and, therefore, the severity of the disease.
• ULTRASOUND This gives us a picture regarding the appearance of the cortical and medullary layers, the size of the kidneys. We can use these tests to find hydronephrosis, cysts, tumours.
• X-ray giving a review image of the abdominal cavity.
•  Measuring blood pressure A very common problem with renal failure is the presence of hypertension. Measuring blood pressure allows us to treat it appropriately and thus prevent the development of hypertensive retinopathy. Animals with normalised pressure feel much better.
•  Kidney biopsy It is performed when a definitive diagnosis cannot be made on the basis of previous examinations.