Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
reported previously. The high prevalence of CKD found in this study may be due
both to the application of more accurate diagnostic procedures and to a greater
sensitivity of pet owners to CKD. The elevated prevalence of CKD in our popula-
tion of dogs may also have been influenced by the fact that the Veterinary Teaching
Hospital is a referring center for renal diseases.
The significantly higher prevalence (52.97%) of CKD in IRIS stage 3 patients as
compared to IRIS stage 2 and 4 patients may be due to the more evident symptom-
atology that was easily recognized by the pet owners. The elevated prevalence of
IRIS stage 3 dogs may also reflect a chronic trend of the disease and an ability of
CKD to develop a balance between the patient and the disease.
Although the present results are similar to previous data that showed a higher
prevalence of CKD in advanced age subjects, here, the highest prevalence of
disease (42.12%) was found in group 2 (6-10 years old). Difficulties in finding
hemodialysis centers and the attention of veterinarians and owners to CKD have
increased the use of early diagnosis tests even in nongeriatric patients. Although
CKD is more typical in advanced age, the significantly higher prevalence of the
disease (28.40%) in group 1 subjects (
5 years old) should be further investigated
to evaluate the prevalence of congenital and acquired types.
Data concerning the prevalence of CKD in different breeds indicated the highest
prevalence of CKD to be in mixed-breed (31.38%) dogs, followed by boxers,
German shepherds, and setters (each with a prevalence of greater than 5%).
Although mixed-breed dogs can include both small and large subjects, the signifi-
cantly elevated prevalence of CKD in boxers, German shepherds, and setters may
reflect a major prevalence of renal disease in medium and large dogs. Although the
present data showed that CKD represents a more frequent reason of consultation
as compared to that reported previously, it remains unknown if this is caused by an
effective increase in prevalence or by more accurate diagnostic procedures.
References
Brown SA (2007) Management of chronic kidney disease. In: Elliot J, Grauer GF (eds) BSAVA
Manual of canine and feline nephrology and urology, 2nd edn. British Small Animal Veteri-
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Brown SA, Finco DR, Brown CA (1998) Is there a role for dietary polyunsatured fatty acid
supplementation in canine renal disease? J Nutr 128:655-675
Grauer GF (2009) Glomerulonephropathies. In: Nelson RW, Couto CG (eds) Small animal internal
medicine, 4th edn. Mosby Elsevier, St. Louis, MO, pp 637-644
