Kidney failure on the rise among pet dogs in Mumbai

A high protein diet in combination with very little exercise is causing more and pet dogs to come down with renal failure, say city veterinarians.

Doctors at Mumbai’s leading veterinary hospital, The Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals, Parel, report a substantial increase in such cases over the past few months — with 156 cases recorded in the period from October 2010 to January 2011, or close to 40 cases a month. Two years ago, the figure was 10 cases a month, say doctors.

According to the secretary of the BSPCA, Dr JC Khanna, “Cases of renal failure have been increasing over the years, with even three-year-old dogs being brought in with the ailment.”

The main reason for the rising cases of renal failure is a high-protein diet and inadequate exercise.

Pet lovers heap large quantities of meat and chicken onto feeding plates. The dogs are often kept in small rooms, with not much scope for physical exertion. All this leads to an increase in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen level, leading to renal failures.

“We can save lives in case of acute renal failure (which is reversible), but many dog owners come for help only when the disease has become chronic,” says Dr Khanna.

Dogs suffering from acute kidney failure respond well to dialysis animals suffering from chronic failure have survival rates of only 2-3%.