STA Ferret Rescue

KIDNEY DISEASE / RENAL FAILIRE

This is usually found in older ferrets as a result of the kidneys losing the ability to perform their function due to the continual lose of renal tissue, but can also occur as a result of Infection, Heart failure, Shock, Exposure to toxins, Side effects from medications, Stones (in the kidney (cystine stones), urinary bladder or urinary tract), Kidney cysts, Cancer or tumor, Diabetes mellitus and Genetic defects.

Symptoms:
Renal diseases can come on suddenly (acute) for ferrets, or can occur over a period of more than three months (chronic). During its early stages, renal disease displays little or no symptoms; although the ferret can show vague symptoms like lethargy and changes in behavior.

The common symptoms of kidney disease are lethargy, increased thirst, lack of appetite, loss of weight, increase in urination (polyuria), dehydration, weakness, ulcers in the mouth, sometimes an ammonia smell on their breath, lethargy and depression.

Acute renal failure (ARF)
Sudden loss of appetite, tremors/shakes, seizuresDepression, dehydration, poor hair coatDiarrhea, vomiting, fever, increased heart rate

Chronic renal failure (CRF)
Loss of appetite, excessive salivation, weight loss, diarrhea, vomitingLethargy, poor hair coat, seizure or comaAbnormally large or small kidneys

In medical cases of stones and cysts, the ferret may have pain and problem in urinating. If the stone is in the urethra, it may also have bloody urine.

Treatment:
Diagnosis by a vet is essential to understand what has caused the kidney problems and what treatment should be followed, as a combination of underlying problems may need to be treated not just the kidney failure.

Unfortunately there really is no cure for chronic renal failure, as that tissue will never be replaced, only palliative treatment designed to decrease levels of toxic substances in the blood so your vet may use intravenous or subcutanious fluids to help reduce toxicity in your ferrets blood, if so this will need to be repeated over time and increasingly so, as the more the kidney's fail the quicker the toxins will build up.

Lower protein, low phosphorous (0.5% or less) low salt diets are commonly recommended for ferrets with renal problems*. Normally your vet will prescribe a wet feline renal diet to start treatment with to entice your ferret to eat this new food then move to the dry equivalent if your ferret prefers the biscuits, such as the following which are available in the UK
Hills Prescription Diet™ Feline k/d™ minced with chicken - tinned  (7.6% protein, 7.1% fat, Phosphorous 0.1%, Carb 9.2%)Hills Prescription Diet™ Feline k/d™ chunky chicken & gravy - sachet  (6.4% protein, 6.1% fat, Phosphorous 0.1%, Carb 6.6%)Hills Prescription Diet™ Feline k/d™ dry kibble - bag (26.6% protein, 21.1% fat, Phosphorous 0.45%, Carb 40.2% )Hills Prescription Diet™ Feline g/d™ dry kibble - bag (30.9% protein, 17.6% fat, Phosphorous 0.51%, Carb 38.5%)
Royal Canin Renal wet with chicken - pouch (32% protein, 38% fat, Phosphorous 0.3%, Carb 18.4%)Royal Canin Renal wet with chicken - allutray (31.1% protein, 26.7% fat, Phosphorous 0.4%, Carb 29.8%)Royal Canin Renal Special dry kibble - bag (26% protein, 17% fat, Phosphorous 0.43%, Carb 33.3%)

DO CHECK the nutritional content on any foods you feed to your ferret, as convalescence powders such as Royal Canin Convalesence Support and Oxbow Carnivore Care can be very high in protein and phosphorous.

*There are varying opinions in the veterinary community as to whether low protein food is effective in the management of Chronic Renal Failure. Some feline experts (as there is very little written on ferrets) believe that any benefit from eating low protein food may be from the lower content of phosphorous contained in the food rather than the low protein itself. Furthermore, some believe that a low protein diet contributes to weakness and muscle wasting, two very common symptoms in CRF cats.

Because protein metabolism residue (that the kidneys must filter) is what you are trying to eliminate, high quality protein that produces little waste may be preferable to simply reducing overall protein

Prevention:
What you feed and how you look after your ferret can play a part in helping prevent some of these underlying problems, so make sure you feed your ferrets good quality food and treats that are suitable for ferrets, and that they have constant access to clean fresh water.

Diets with mainly plant-based protein (such as some cat foods) or that contain excessive calcium and oxalate (this include some supplements, milk, cheese and dairy products) can lead to stones in your ferrets, as can bacterial bladder infections that are not treated quickly with antibiotics.

Age also plays a part, as the kidney tissues do not possess significant regenerative capacity. As all animals age, including humans, as kidney tissue wears out, it is not replaced by more kidney tissue, but by fibrous connective tissue, which doesn't do anything (just takes up space, like a scar). So there is the opinion amongst the veterinary community that as a precaution in cats and ferrets, two species who suffer inordinately high rates of renal failure as a species, it is probably a good idea to decrease feed protein at the times when renal changes are first seen microscopically - about 3.5 years in ferrets. Bearing in mind that there is also the view that muscle wastage can occur in ferrets if proteins fall below 30%.

More information can be found at the following:http://miamiferret.org/renal.htmhttp://www.petmd.com/ferret/conditions/urinary/c_ft_renal_failure

If you have any questions about this information, please contact your vet.