Correlation of Ammonia Excretion with Renal Function in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is currently recruiting cats with chronic kidney disease for a clinical trial evaluating a new potential renal biomarker.

Enrollment Status: Currently Enrolling

• Inclusion Criteria
  • Cats diagnosed with IRIS Stage II-IV chronic kidney disease
    • Based on elevated serum creatinine (>1.6 mg/dL) or SDMA (>18 μg/dL) and lack of appropriate urine concentration (<1.045) on at least two occasions in a stable (< 25% change between measurements) well-hydrated patient.
• Exclusion Criteria
  • Cats < 1 year of age
  • Cats with evidence of lower urinary tract infection based on urinalysis or urine culture
  • Cats that are receiving alkaline therapy (sodium bicarbonate or potassium citrate) or potassium-sparing diuretics
  • Cats that require hospitalization for management of their kidney disease
• Procedures/Treatment: Your cat will be seen for one visit for this study. Your cat will have a physical examination, blood collected from a vein, and urine collected via cystocentesis to fully stage your pets’ stage of kidney disease and measurement of new kidney biomarker (urine ammonia-to-creatinine ratio). This testing will include: a renal biochemistry panel, packed cell volume, and total protein (PCV/TP) to assess for anemia, urinalysis, urine protein-to-creatinine ratio, urine ammonia-to-creatinine ratio, and blood pressure measurement
• Costs: The study will cover the cost of a renal biochemistry panel, PCV/TP, urinalysis, urine protein-to-creatinine ratio, urine ammonia to creatinine ratio, and blood pressure measurement
• Contact: Please complete the Study Interest Form for more information.
• PI: Drs. Autumn N. Harris, Andrew Specht, Kirsten Cooke, and Eleanor Brown

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is defined as the presence of functional abnormalities in one or both kidneys over a prolonged period of time. Serum creatinine is currently used as a marker of kidney function, but it cannot detect early changes in kidney function. Detecting CKD early has significant importance because early treatment could slow the rate of disease progression, improve the patient’s quality of life and prolong survival times. In addition, early detection of kidney disease will give us the best chance to identify the underlying cause to target our treatment better. There is a critical need for us to identify biomarkers of kidney function that can be used to diagnose early kidney disease. This proposed research project aims to characterize a new biomarker for kidney disease that will hopefully allow us to predict outcomes and/or therapeutic responses.