Pet Health Video: Cat Kidney Failure

PDSA vet, Elaine, talks about some of the diagnostic tests that she uses which have been developed using science. She says that a condition which affects older cats is “chronic renal failure” – this means that the kidneys aren’t working as well as they should. The kidneys are meant to filter toxins from the blood, so when they don’t work properly the levels of toxins in the blood rise. By doing a blood test, these toxin levels can be measured, which can diagnose chronic renal failure. She also mentions Dipsticks – these are special strips which change colour when they are dipped in to urine. Depending what colour they turn, they can be used to help diagnose conditions such as diabetes or bladder problems.