Can a kidney diet help lower my dog or cat's high SDMA levels?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tony. I agree that he is in the early stages of kidney failure based on the lab results you have provided. Kidney disease can cause low levels of potassium so it is good that you are supplementing him. Kidney values can fluctuate up and down a bit, but you want to assess trends over time to see how he is doing. SDMA and creatinine are more sensitive indicators than BUN. I would ask if his phosphorus level is in the target range for his degree of kidney disease (based on the IRIS staging) and make sure he has had his blood pressure measured recently. I hope this information helps!

Hi and thank you for posting! The SDMA levels may decrease with renal disease medications, treatments, and a renal friendly diet, but I would not anticipate a dramatic decrease especially in the face of chronic kidney disease and especially after only 7 days of a new diet. It may take a few weeks or more to see a decrease. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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!

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.

Hello. This actually sounds pretty darn good! The only thing to add is to make sure Tony takes in as much fluids as possible & make sure you stay on top of those kidney rechecks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately kidney values can not be interpreted without a urinalysis and specific gravity. Elevated BUN is not always CKD but this would be more likely in the face of poorly concentrated urine ( pred will also effect this). CKD is staged via what is called IRIS. This takes in to account creatinine, protein in the urine, and blood prressure. SDMA is newer and thought to be an earlier indicator then BUN/creatinine as these as insensitive markers of kidney function. This has now been incorporated in to the new IRIS scheme. What i would recommend for your kitty is a urinalysis and blood pressure to better stage. For early stage CKD kitties a renal diet is recommended. It is also important to treat any high blood preesure or significant protein in the urine as these can worsen kidney function. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!