Both chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury are common in small pets. Early detection is challenging for both conditions but important for prognosis.

Although chronic kidney disease is an incurable condition, timely therapy can slow further deterioration and the impact of the disease. Unfortunately, animals with early stage chronic kidney disease show no or limited clinical signs, so the condition is usually diagnosed at a late stage.

Most dogs and cats that are presented with acute kidney disease (community-acquired AKI) have an infectious or toxic cause for the acute kidney injury. On the other hand, the prevalence of acute kidney injury as a complication in critically ill, hospitalized animals is increasingly increasing (hospital-acquired AKI). In both cases, an expensive and intensive hospitalization period is required and the prognosis is guarded. Methods to identify early acute kidney injury or acute renal stress can help identify animals at increased risk of worsening kidney injury more quickly. In particular in animals with hospital-acquired AKI, preventive measures can be taken in high-risk patients to prevent additional kidney damage. Also, some of these markers can provide information on prognosis and help the owner who has to decide whether to treat his/her pet and its financial implications.

The budget of this application will be used to evaluate new biomarkers and imaging technologies for their diagnostic and prognostic value to detect early chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury.