Acute kidney injury (AKI) is recognised in dogs and can require intensive care. This study aims to monitor and optimise management of dogs beyond that initial phase of hospitalisation and in the recovery period.

Challenge

Acute kidney injury (AKI) can be a severe and debilitating condition that can affect dogs of all ages and breeds and where recovery is uncertain. Whilst for some dogs that develop an AKI the cause can be identified, for many this is not the case. Intensive care and treatment is often required to support dogs to the point of discharge from the hospital. However, it is widely known that full recovery of kidney function can take weeks to months and yet little is known about the best way to manage dogs in the post-AKI period or about their future risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a result of their initial acute kidney insult. Research is needed to help optimise the care of dogs after their recovery from an AKI.

Solution

This project aims to enrol dogs that have been treated and discharged from hospital after an AKI and to offer careful monitoring and treatment of associated comorbidities e.g. hypertension and proteinuria, to carefully monitor kidney function and to evaluate both risk factors for future CKD and also quality of life in the recovery period.

Any dog that has an AKI and receives treatment at the QMHA is being offered the opportunity to attend our AKI Renal Recovery Clinic and enrol in this study. Through the AKI Renal Recovery Clinic we are providing careful monitoring at recommended intervals based on current guidelines. If clients are not able to return to the QMHA then it is still possible to enrol in the study because the monitoring can be performed by your primary care veterinary surgeon and clients can give consent for this data to be shared with us. Ongoing medical advice and support will be provided to primary care vets for those dogs who are not returning to the QMHA. Owners will be asked to complete quality of life questionnaires at regular intervals.

For dogs that are not treated for their AKI at the QMHA, it is still possible to enrol in the study but clients will need to request referral to the QMHA Internal Medicine team for case evalaution first of all to assess eligibility for enrollement.

Impact

We hope that this research will enable us to better understand the kidney recovery process after dogs have sustained an AKI. By understanding if there are risk factors for the future development of CKD after AKI, there may be new options for treatment and management that can help to prevent this. The ultimate goal is to be able to optimise management for dogs after an AKI and to improve quality of life and welfare in the wider veterinary field.