RESEARCH: Chronic kidney disease is on the rise linked to climate change .

RESEARCH: Chronic kidney disease is on the rise linked to climate change .Our kidneys might be vulnerable to the more frequent extreme heat brought on by global warming.In its early stages, chronic kidney disease can lurk silently in the body, causing no symptoms at all. Eventually, as these vital organs fail, the hands and feet start to puff up, and sufferers feel nauseated, achy, and itchy. When the disease reaches its last stage, the kidneys fail and you can die. Around 2000, health officials noticed that chronic kidney disease was on the rise in Central America. An epidemic seemed to be raging among farm workers who toiled in sugarcane fields on the Pacific Coast in El Salvador and Costa Rica — one of the hottest areas in the region. To date, more than 20,000 people have died in the epidemic, and thousands of others have had to go on kidney dialysis to survive. Researchers are now coming together around a hypothesis about what’s driving a little-appreciated epidemic, known as “Mesoamerican nephropathy.” more

Kidney Diets for Cats: What to Look for.

Kidney Diets for Cats: What to Look for.Kidney disease is extremely common in cats. It can develop quickly, because of something like an infection or exposure to antifreeze, or over many years for no apparent reason. Symptoms and treatment for kidney disease vary depending the specifics of the case, but oftentimes, a diet change can help. The kidneys have many roles in the body. Two of these major roles include removing waste products from the bloodstream and conserving water. When kidney function declines past a certain point, toxic waste products like urea and phosphorous begin to back up within the body, which can make a cat feel terrible. Poor kidney function also leads to dehydration because more water than normal is lost in the urine. Both of these problems can be at least partially addressed with diet. Foods that have a high water content can help prevent dehydration, and when cats eat a diet made from moderate amounts of high quality protein, they produce less urea and phosphorous that then needs to be eliminated. Dats who are in the early stages of kidney disease often thrive when fed an appropriate, over-the-counter food. Canned foods are best because they contain much more water than dry foods, but you still need to make sure the diet is made from high-quality ingredients. Look for animal-based protein sources (chicken, beef, salmon, etc.) that sound like something you might eat rather than a byproduct of a manufacturing process. If your cat simply will not eat canned food, choose a dry food that is made from high-quality ingredients and do everything you can to encourage your cat to drink a lot of water. If your cat eats dry food, you may need to start giving subcutaneous fluids (fluids injected under the skin) sooner than you would otherwise.