Julian is an 11-year-old blue Persian with gold eyes.

Last week Julian’s blood results came back. Julian is a beautiful 11-year-old blue Persian with mesmerising golden eyes and calm demeanour.

His owners had welcomed him to their loving home when still a tiny kitten and my first encounter with him was for his first vaccinations. Except that he is a lazy drinker and needs to be monitored to ensure that he is getting sufficient water intake, he has had relatively few health problems.

Until, that is, a year ago when, during one of his regular check-ups, we decided that due to his advancing age, it was time we carried out a series of blood tests to establish his general state of health and have a basis for comparison for future check-ups.

It was then that we unexpectedly found early indications of kidney disease. Julian’s owners were devastated. Not only was this news totally unexpected, but they had also lost their previous pet to kidney disease and it had all happened within a matter of weeks.

Kidney or renal disease is one of the most common conditions in older dogs and cats. Statistics show that one in three cats and one in 10 dogs will develop some form of renal disease. It also brings with it serious health consequences for affected pets.

Kidneys are made up of thousands of blood filters called glomeruli, through which a lot of water is lost as blood is filtered out to get rid of substances the body does not want or need. These filters process vast quantities of water and substances every day.

Each filter is connected to a long, folded tube, referred to as the ‘loops of Henle’. Through these loops, most of the filtered water and also electrolytes and other products are reabsorbed and recuperated according to the body’s needs. The rest of it becomes urine.

The urine passes out from the kidney through the ureter, which is the tube that conducts urine to the collection tank: the urinary bladder. From there, urine is voided to the outside of the body via the urethra.

Up until now, a substance called serum creatinine has been the most important indicator of renal health. Creatinine is a by-product of the body and is excreted primarily by the glomeruli of the kidneys. While such a test has hitherto been very useful in determining the state of a patient’s kidneys, it is also true that at least 75 per cent of the kidneys need to be malfunctioning before symptoms become visible and creatinine blood levels affected in order to subsequently confirm a positive creatinine test.

With the arrival of this early kidney test many more cats and dogs can be helped before it becomes too late

With 75 per cent of kidneys compromised, the only remaining solution is to give the kidney patient palliative care. Now, a new revolutionary test has become available. The test is called symmetric dimethylarginine or SDMA.

SDMA is an amino acid which, like creatinine, is excreted primarily by the renal glomeruli. The difference is that SDMA has been found to be a far more sensitive indicator of kidney problems. So much so that studies have found that SDMA in the kidney output rises even when only 40 per cent of the kidney is malfunctioning. This is quite a drop from the 75 per cent marker that veterinarians previously relied on with creatinine results. It is estimated that signs of kidney troublenow detected at the 40 per cent marker translate to as much as 17 months earlier in cats and nine months earlier in dogs.

This is good news, as the earlier we identify and monitor the kidney disorder, the better the chances of intervening and finding the best approach for each animal and be able to safeguard its health and quality of life for longer.

Kidney damage cannot easily be cured yet the effects can certainly be slowed down. Depending on the clinical picture and the laboratory results, your veterinarian may decide to place your pet on a special diet, which contains small amounts of very good-quality protein and includes just the right electrolyte and vitamin balance for kidney patients. Your pet’s clinical condition and weight will certainly be monitored closely and special medication and fluid therapy may be necessary, depending on the particular clinical and physical conditions of your pet.

SDMA has opened up a whole new dimension in dealing with kidney problems, giving veterinarians the possibility of identifying kidney disease so much earlier. It has also become a much more efficient medium for monitoring the progress or otherwise of kidney disease.

With early diagnosis so crucial in the treatment of chronic renal disease, Julian was lucky to have undergone a creatinine test purely as a matter of routine and long before any outward symptoms had become evident. He was placed on medication as well as a medicated diet that promotes good kidney function.

Initially, he lost weight because he could not get used to the change in diet but, thanks to his owners’ dedication, he has become accustomed to his new food and increased weight sufficiently. His owners bring him in for a check-up regularly and we tested his blood with the new SDMA test.

Julian’s condition is very stable. He has been on treatment for a whole year now and has a lot to thank his devoted owners. I am sure that with the arrival of this long-needed early kidney test many more cats and dogs can be helped before it becomes too late for them to recover.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.