Therapeutic Efficacy of Intermittent Haemodialysis in Dogs with Progressive Renal Impairment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijvsbt.22.3.19Keywords:
Dog, Intermittent haemodialysis, Renal Failures.Abstract
Renal failure is a common and clinically significant condition in dogs, necessitating thorough diagnostic evaluation and timely therapeutic intervention. This study evaluated 50 dogs exhibiting clinical signs of renal dysfunction and serum creatinine concentrations exceeding 1.4 mg/dL. All dogs underwent comprehensive clinical examination, haematological and serum biochemical analysis, and routine urinalysis to determine the severity and nature of renal impairment. Anaemia, azotemia characterized by elevated BUN and creatinine concentrations, hyperphosphatemia, and related abnormalities were among the most common significant findings. Based on clinical status and treatment requirements, 7 of the 50 dogs received intermittent haemodialysis (IHD) in addition to standard medical therapy. Dogs receiving IHD showed marked clinical improvement, especially with respect to uremia-associated signs compared to conventional therapy, and resulted in significant reductions in BUN, creatinine, and inorganic phosphorus concentrations, as reflected by meaningful urea and creatinine reduction ratios after each dialysis session. Electrolyte concentrations and liver-associated biochemical parameters remained largely stable, suggesting that IHD, when appropriately prescribed and monitored, is a safe therapeutic intervention without inducing major biochemical derangements. Despite the evident biochemical and clinical benefits, survival outcomes remained guarded in dogs with stage IV chronic renal failure. However, dogs in earlier stages of renal disease, demonstrated prolonged survival, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis and timely initiation of advanced renal replacement therapies. The study provides an in-depth diagnostic characterization of canine renal insufficiency and offers comparative insight into the therapeutic outcomes of conventional management versus adjunctive haemodialysis.
Downloads
References
Bloom, C. A., & Labato, M. A. (2011). Intermittent haemodialysis for small animals. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 41(1), 115–133.
Cagatay, E. S. I. N. (2025). The effect of systemic hypertension on prostatic arterial hemodynamics in dogs with benign prostate hyperplasia. Journal of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafkas University, 31(1), [page numbers missing].
Cowgill, L. D., & Francey, T. (2012). Hemodialysis and extracorporeal blood purification. In S. P. DiBartola (Ed.), Fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base disorders in small animal practice (4th ed., pp. 680–713). Saunders Elsevier.
Dunaevich, A., Chen, H., Musseri, D., Kuzi, S., Mazaki-Tovi, M., Aroch, I., & Segev, G. (2020). Acute or chronic kidney disease in dogs: Etiology, clinical and clinicopathologic findings, prognostic markers, and survival. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 34(6), 2507–2515.
Elliott, D. A. (2000). Haemodialysis. Clinical Techniques in Small Animal Practice, 15(3), 136–148.
Fischer, J. R., Pantaleo, V., Francey, T., & Cowgill, L. D. (2004). Veterinary haemodialysis: Advances in management and technology. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 34(4), 935–967.
Geraldes, S. S., Le Sueur, A. N. V., Sant Ana, P. B., de Azevedo, M. G. P., Takahira, R. K., Melchert, A., & Guimarães-Okamoto, P. T. C. (2020). The effect of intermittent haemodialysis on the haematological and serum biochemistry profile in dogs with chronic kidney disease. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 38, 100389.
King, L. G., Giger, U., Diserens, D., & Nagode, L. A. (1992). Anemia of chronic renal failure in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 6(5), 264–270.
Kinoshita, Y., Katano, S., Nishida, S., Shimizu, T., Fujimura, T., Kume, H., & Iwami, D. (2022). Creatinine reduction ratio on postoperative day 2 predicts long-term outcomes after living donor kidney transplantation. International Journal of Urology, 29(2), 114–120.
Langston, C. A., Poeppel, K., & Mitelberg, E. (2010). AMC dialysis handbook (p. 3). Animal Medical Centre, New York.
Langston, C. (2002). Haemodialysis in dogs and cats. Compendium, 24(7), 540–548.
Liang, K. V., Zhang, J. H., & Palevsky, P. M. (2019). Urea reduction ratio may be a simpler approach for measurement of adequacy of intermittent haemodialysis in acute kidney injury. BMC Nephrology, 20(1), 82.
Lippi, I., & Guidi, G. (2013). A practical approach to haemodialysis for canine renal disease. Veterinary Focus, 23(3), 2–9.
Parker, V. J., & Freeman, L. M. (2011). Association between body condition and survival in dogs with acquired chronic kidney disease. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 25(6), 1306–1311.
Patil, S. B. (2011). Therapeutic management of canine azotemia with hemodialysis and evaluation of haemodialyzer clearance (M.V.Sc. thesis). Bombay Veterinary College, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur, India.
Pedrinelli, V., Lima, D. M., Duarte, C. N., Teixeira, F. A., Porsani, M., Zarif, C., ... & Brunetto, M. A. (2020). Nutritional and laboratory parameters affect the survival of dogs with chronic kidney disease. PLOS ONE, 15(6), e0234712.
Queau, Y. (2012). Gastrointestinal complications of uremia. In M. Acierno (Ed.), School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, p. 74.
Singh, G. (2021). Studies on infectious etiology and diagnostic markers of renal failure in dogs (Doctoral dissertation). Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, India.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Biotechnology

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

