My cat's creatinine is high, does he have chronic kidney disease?

Every lab has different reference ranges, so according to the lab that your cats blood was run in, the BUN and CREA are considered to be mildly elevated. However, unless your cat has a low specific gravity (concentrating ability of the kidneys), we have to assume that the BUN and CREA levels are not indicating any kind of kidney failure. In other words, if the kidneys are concentrating normally, and the pet is asymptomatic, then the BUN and CREA levels should simply be rechecked at a later date or another more sensitive test called the SDMA test should be done to clarify what is really going on with your pets kidneys. So based on the information you have provided we cannot say if Frodo has true kidney disease, but if his urine test was negative for bacteria then no infection is present. Ask your vet about Frodo's specific gravity and if that was normal or not. If it was normal, then go forward with the SDMA test to confirm that the kidneys are ok. If you need further help regarding your pet Frodo's case, since this can be a bit complicated to explain on the forum, please feel free to request a private consultation with either myself or another expert here and we will be more than happy to assist you further. I hope that this helps and best wishes with your pet Frodo moving forward! Take care: )

Creatinine of 8.8 is very high and indicates kidney disease/failure. This can be due to a back of urine from the bladder into the kidneys if he had a urinary blockage. Typically this is irreversible damage but only time will tell. Dehydration would not affect the creatinine to that degree. He should be put on anti-nausea medications which may help his appetite.

Kudos to you for being such a diligent owner to your senior kitty! SDMA is technically a more sensitive measure of early kidney disease so the fact that it is still normal is excellent news. You’re right that the BUN and creatinine are borderline high, however mild dehydration can do this too. Therefore, if I see values like that in conjunction with highly concentrated urine and a normal SDMA, I’m not going to do anything except to continue monitoring. If the urine is dilute, there is protein in the urine, etc. then I investigate further. All in all, I agree that there is not much cause for concern but I’d recheck in 3-6 months. Best wishes to you and Tony!

The elevated creatinine on it's own does not indicate kidney disease. Remember, this blood was taken at one second in time, he may have recently eaten or been a bit dehydrated at the time which caused the CREA to be a bit elevated. You can not determine kidney disease with just this one test. If you are concerned this should be repeated when he is fasted and a urine test should be done at the same time. If you want to give him a kidney supplement that will help to support kidney function you can use this: https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=132504

Hello. It is possible that the new food is helping the creatinine levels, but regardless of the reason, this is good news. Remember, blood work is a snapshot of what is happening at the moment the blood was drawn. Twilight may have been a little more dehydrated at the last blood draw, & creatinine is a very sensitive marker of kidney function, more so than the BUN. So, be happy that the number is better today. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I don’t think this shows renal disease. His creatine is normal with a slightly elevated BUN. To me this is more an indication of mild dehydration than kidney disease. He is slightly anemic also which is not uncommon in senior animals but may indicate a chronic medical problem. The eosinophils are slightly elevated which can be due to allergies or intestinal parasites. Basically for a thirteen year old cat there is nothing here that is overly concerning. Bloodwork is just a moment in time though so if you’re concerned I would repeat it again in a month or two so you can see if there is a trend indicating progression of a medical problem or kidney disease. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Beau.

I think you mean creatinine. This is a waste product that is filtered by the kidneys. Normal range in a cat is 0.6-2.4 mg/dl. It is just one parameter that is frequently used to monitor kidney function. High levels may indicate renal insufficiency or failure.