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Pyelonephritis Pyelonephritis is the inflammation of the kidney, usually created by bacterial infection. When the infection is active the cat may be fevered, inappetant and lethargic. Some cats will maintain chronic infection within the kidney for a long period of time and eventually develop renal failure as a result. If the cat is presented with an episode of acute bacterial infection it usually has painful kidneys and blood, protein, or pus detectable within the urine. Culture of the urine to identify the bacterial infection is important. Cases of chronic infection may present in renal failure with specific abnormalities to be found on blood tests. Ultrasound of the kidney is useful. Treatment depends on the severity of the problem, mild cases may only require lengthy courses of antibiotics, cats in renal failure may require intravenous fluids, electrolyte supplementation, B vitamins, and anabolic steroids. Some acute cases will not have functioning kidneys and may fail to properly produce urine, re-establishing urine flow in these cases is a priority and may require diuretics and intravenous fluids. Once apparent recovery has been achieved and the antibiotic course is finished the urine should be sent for bacterial culture to ensure the infection is eliminated. Some cats are left with permanent kidney damage which can lead to chronic renal failure later in life. |
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