Kidney Disease

When I needed to find information on kidney disease in ferrets, I found very little.

Some common causes of kidney damage are:

  • Bacterial infections (such as E-Coli).
  • Diets too high in protein as the ferret gets older.
  • Poisoning (such as Ibuprofen toxicity -if your ferret eats Advil etc.)
  • The presence of other diseases (Adrenal, Diabetes, Lymphosarcoma etc.) which may stress the kidneys or actually spread to the kidneys (as is the case with some cancers).
  • Allergic reactions or sensitivities to certain medications (including anesthesia).
  • Old age.

Of those listed above, the most preventable causes that I am aware of are bacterial infections, diets too high in protein and obviously poisoning.

There are two numbers on the Blood Chemistry Panel (a standard overall blood test) that are indicative of kidney function. These are the Creatinine and the BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen -sometimes listed as "Urea Nitrogen.") Simply stated, these numbers indicate the amount of "stuff" in the blood that the kidneys should be filtering out. The lower these numbers are, the better the job the kidneys are doing.

The symptoms of kidney disease or decreased kidney function are not always obvious. One indicator is abnormal urination, or really anything abnormal pertaining to urine. This would include an increase or frequency in urination, drinking urine, not using the litter box, etc. For example, you may notice your otherwise perfectly litter box trained ferret suddenly peeing in the middle of the room or possibly in its bed. Dehydration is another symptom, so is frequent swallowing or grinding of the teeth. It is important to note, however, that all of these symptoms (even the urine drinking) can be caused by other things. It is also possible for a ferret to have decreased kidney function and show none of these symptoms. The best way to determine if there is a kidney problem is through a blood test and a urine test with a clean urine sample. Physical abnormalities on the kidneys may also be visible with an ultrasound.

If tests indicate that your ferret is experiencing decreased kidney function, the first course of action is a round of antibiotics to clear up a possible infection. If the condition persists after the antibiotics, you might try switching to a high quality food that's lower in protein (but not too low).

 

There has been some debate as to whether or not switching to a diet lower in protein is really helpful. I initially switched Whitney to a diet slightly lower in protein. Later I started supplementing her food with a modified version of Bob Church's Chicken Gravy which is very high in protein and she did quite well with it. The protein in Bob's recipe should be more easily digestible than the protein in kibble, which may be why there were no apparent ill effects. So it's possible that diets higher or lower in protein really don't make a significant difference, or it could be that it's the digestibility of the protein that makes things harder or easier on the kidneys -or of course, it could be none of these!

 

You might also want to consider giving your ferret Subcutaneous Fluids twice a day at home. These can prolong and greatly improve the quality of your ferret's life.

Unfortunately there is no cure for kidney disease (unless it was caused by an infection that responded to the antibiotics). However, cats with kidney disease can live 3 years or more with daily Sub-Q fluid therapy. Whitney, my ferret, survived for two years with daily Sub-Q fluid therapy.

Several web sites with information on kidney disease in other animals can be found on my Medical Links page. One site in particular on Subcutaneous Fluids for Cats is extremely informative. The information there is thorough, clear, and easy to understand. I highly recommend it.

Once again, I am not a vet and no information here is intended to substitute for qualified veterinary care.

 

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