Acute Renal (Kidney) Failure in Dogs
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How To Keep Dogs and Cats From Fighting
Keep your dog on a leash when you first introduce her to the cat. Do not hold the cat in your arms. Frightened cats may scratch. Have one person handle each pet.
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The kidneys filter blood, remove the waste products of metabolism, and eliminate them in the urine. The kidneys also regulate the volume and composition of body fluids (including mineral concentrations and acid base balance), and produce hormones that stimulate the production of red blood cells (erythropoietin) and regulate calcium balance (calcitriol).
Acute kidney failure can be caused by toxic injury to the kidneys, decreased blood flow and oxygen delivery to the kidneys, infections, obstruction of the kidneys and prevention of urine elimination caused by a ruptured bladder.
The recent recognition of kidney failure is not necessarily the same as acute renal failure, since some animals with chronic kidney failure tolerate it for some time before symptoms are apparent.
There is no specific breed predilection but older animals are thought to be at greater risk for acute kidney failure. Acute kidney failure is more common in the fall and winter due to pet exposure to anti-freeze which contains ethylene glycol. Dogs that are allowed to roam outside without supervision and working dogs potentially have increased exposure to ethylene glycol.
The symptoms of ARF, although often severe, are not specific. Even with intensive management, ARF is a very serious disorder and often is fatal.
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