Outcome Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury in Dogs and Cats

Acute renal failure is defined as a rapid decline in renal function, resulting in retention of uremic toxins, as well as fluid, acid-base and electrolyte imbalances (1). The terminology of acute renal failure has recently been modified in the human literature from ‘acute renal failure’ to ‘acute kidney injury’ (AKI). A similar modification is expected to occur in the veterinary literature as well, similar to the change made in the terminology of chronic kidney diseases (CKD), both in the human and the veterinary literature. One of the reasons for the modified terminology is to better describe the disorder (i.e., not every kidney injury is associated with a measurable failure), and to sensitize clinicians to early identification of the disease. Early identification will prompt early intervention, aimed to decrease further kidney damage, and thus may prevent overt renal failure. Early identification is extremely important in veterinary medicine, in which dialysis in not readily available, and thus the medical management is limited in its capability to manage patients with severe uremia.