My pet's kidney disease: SDMA up, BUN down. Is low potassium related?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Tony is experiencing early kidney disease. Yes a prescription diet has been shown to help with chronic kidney disease and there is a chance it could lower the SDMA and other kidney values. It will help with progression. I would be sure your Vet has checked a urine sample for protein and infection as well as a blood pressure. There are medications that can and should be started if those things are abnormal. I wish you and Tony the best!

Hello, sorry to hear about Tony. A low potassium may be secondary to a decrease dietary intake. However, if Tony is on amlodipine, then this can cause a low potassium as well. If his kidney values are normal, then it is less likely that he has kidney disease. I would recommend continuing to monitor him and if he is otherwise eating, drinking, and acting normally then you may not need to pursue an abdominal ultrasound at this point. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I would probably call this stable as well - some values are up while others are down. While these parameters are related to kidney function they do not directly measure kidney function and there are other things that could make the values vary slightly day to day. While a kidney diet can slow the progression of disease I doubt that adding a little cat treat to the food has made much of a difference and it is more important that Tony has a good 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!

SDMA (symmetric dimethylarginine) is a renal biomarker specific to kidney function. It has proven to be a more reliable indicator of kidney function than creatinine which enables veterinarians to detect kidney disease earlier. Once elevated, it usually will not go back down. A complete blood chemistry would check for any underlying diseases that might be causing kidney damage. Diseases like diabetes, hyperthyroidism or Cushing’s disease. If Tobi is on any chronic medications (like an NSAID (Rimadyl etc.) those may cause a decrease in kidney function. A urine bacterial culture might be indicated and an x-ray for possible urinary tract stones. You should have his blood pressure checked as hypertension is often associated with kidney disease. Tobi will need to continue to have the SDMA monitored as well as the other kidney values ( BUN, CREA, Phosphorus). If you want more information as to how the kidneys are functioning you could request a urine protein:CREA ratio test. The urine protein:creatinine ratio is a simple test that measures how much protein is being lost through the kidneys. It is used to determine whether a pet may have serious kidney disease. The test involves measuring the amount of protein and creatinine in the same urine sample, and expressing the difference between the two values as a ratio. Also, an abdominal ultrasound can be done to look at the architecture of the kidneys. This should be done by a specialist. They will also measure the kidneys to see if their size is appropriate. Kidney disease cannot be "fixed" but it can be managed especially if caught early with the SDMA test. Tobi should be placed on a prescription diet to help support the kidneys. Talk with your vet about this. I hope this helps. If you have any more specific questions please post again. Best wishes to you and Tobi.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would basically call that stable as long as Tony is feeling well. I would be sure that your vet has done a urinanalysis to check for protein and have checked his blood pressure. There are medications to control those things and thus prevent further kidney damage. Otherwise the plan sounds reasonable. Good luck!

The SDMA test can be frustrating when values are borderline high, but all other kidney values are spot on. Elevated SDMA values can indicate that kidney disease may develop within the next few years... but this is not true 100% of the time. As with any test, false positives are certainly possible. At this point, with well concentrated urine (great urine specific gravity!) and a low UPC, it sounds as though Maddy's kidney function is great. I agree with your vet - lowering the protein content in her diet is out of an abundance of caution. It does not sound as though any changes in dietary phosphorus are necessary at this point. Instead, plan to recheck Maddy's blood and urine tests twice a year to track these changes, or more often if she shows signs of kidney disease, including increased drinking and urination, weight loss, loss of appetite, or vomiting. Try not to stress - this result sounds like a bit of a red herring. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Maddy!