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Juvenile Renal Disease This refers to the onset of renal failure in young dogs in the absence of an infectious cause. If it occurs in related animals it may be referred to as 'familial' in which case the condition is either known or thought to be inherited, in certain breeds (Samoyed, Cocker Spaniel, Shih Tzu) the inheritance mode has been confirmed. The condition may be congenital (present at birth), or develop later in life. Examples of congenital problems include renal agensis (absence of one kidney), aplasia (failure to develop ), and hypoplasia (incomplete development). If these problems only involve one kidney then there may be no clinicial signs. If both kidneys are involved then early onset renal failure is likely. Renal cysts arise due to abnormal development and are also thought to be familial. Most of these conditions will lead to the onset of chronic renal failure. The age at presentation can vary from a few months old to middle age, few cases will present older than 5-6 years. In those animals affected soon after birth the presenting signs will be poor growth, dullness, inappetance, and increased thirst. Anaemia and fibrous osteodystrophy may develop beyond 4 months of age. In older animals the presentation is typical of chronic renal failure with protein loss in the urine, thirst, vomiting, diarrhoea, and occasionally the development of nervous signs such as twitching or convulsions. Before any changes are registered in blood urea or creatinine levels the kidneys will have lost 65-70% of renal function. Treatment is as for chronic renal failure, with supportive therapy and low protein diets. Growing pups may struggle to gain weight on low protein food, and a compromise is to use meat free diets. Survival depends entirely on the rate of disease progression, it may be as little as a few weeks or extend beyond 18 months. |
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