It has to start somewhere.
It has to start sometime.
What better place than here?? What better time than now?? --Rage Against the Machine
Until NO CATS knows the pain and suffering of Feline CKD, the mission continues!!
As we're working to raise awareness of Feline Chronic Kidney Disease, and to discover preventions, better treatments and cures, one area of significant focus is the importance of blood pressure monitoring. In both of the studies we have completed thus far, each cat* received free blood pressure measurements at every checkup. Hypertension and Feline CKD exist in a vicious cycle, each having the ability to cause and/or worsen the other. So inextricably linked are these two disorders that The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS), in addition to their basic Feline CKD staging guidelines, provides Feline CKD substaging based on degree of hypertension. Additionally, The International Society of Feline Medicine recommends blood pressure measurement at least yearly for cats aged 7 and older, The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine recommends screening at age 9 years and older, and the American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends screening for cats over aged 10 years.
The ongoing feedback that we've been receiving from veterinarians, as well as from our supporters who are actively caring for feline family members with CKD is that, despite all of these recommendations, blood pressure monitoring is rarely offered in clinical practice. Even when requested by clients, vets will often refuse to perform the procedure, typically citing "white coat syndrome", also known as situational hypertension**, or the general inability/unwillingness of cats to comply with the exam. Blood pressure measurements are most often recommended when there are signs of unbridled hypertension, such as blindness, by which time great damage has already been done to various organs, often the kidneys.
Two recently published studies, one based in Portugal, the other in the United Kingdom, both based on detailed questionnaires posed to veterinarians, closely reflect the feedback we've been receiving. In addition to the vets' own reluctance to perform blood pressure monitoring, they have also expressed that, even when they do recommend it, clients are sometimes reluctant to follow through, usually due to financial concerns, or doubts that the procedure is truly necessary. It's very frustrating that such a critically important diagnostic tool, one of the very few currently available that can have a positive impact on the incidence and management of Feline CKD, is being vastly underutilized.
We are now working to not only compile and expand on the feedback we have received, but to design detailed questionnaires to provide to our supporters and beyond, with the goals being to help determine with more precision what impediments exist and to what degree and, most importantly, how to overcome them. We will keep you posted, and hope that you will not only participate, but also help spread the word to encourage others to do so as well.
We are also continuously vetting opportunities for additional research projects that meet our criteria. There are several avenues under consideration, and many areas that merit investigation, including additional work on inflammation and it's relationship to CKD, autoimmune reactions that may cause or exacerbate CKD, and CKD issues related to gut microbiome, which is an emerging topic of interest in various aspects of both feline and human medicine. There are so many factors to consider; to receive our support, projects must be evidence-based, well-designed***, and calculated to keep us steadily moving towards better treatments and cures. Finances are also a huge consideration; Feline CKD is a complex disease--research is never fast or easy, and we need to ensure that this mission is sustainable.
PLEASE HELP!! IT KEEPS THE MISSION MOVING FORWARD! THANK YOU!!
The ongoing feedback that we've been receiving from veterinarians, as well as from our supporters who are actively caring for feline family members with CKD is that, despite all of these recommendations, blood pressure monitoring is rarely offered in clinical practice. Even when requested by clients, vets will often refuse to perform the procedure, typically citing "white coat syndrome", also known as situational hypertension**, or the general inability/unwillingness of cats to comply with the exam. Blood pressure measurements are most often recommended when there are signs of unbridled hypertension, such as blindness, by which time great damage has already been done to various organs, often the kidneys.
Two recently published studies, one based in Portugal, the other in the United Kingdom, both based on detailed questionnaires posed to veterinarians, closely reflect the feedback we've been receiving. In addition to the vets' own reluctance to perform blood pressure monitoring, they have also expressed that, even when they do recommend it, clients are sometimes reluctant to follow through, usually due to financial concerns, or doubts that the procedure is truly necessary. It's very frustrating that such a critically important diagnostic tool, one of the very few currently available that can have a positive impact on the incidence and management of Feline CKD, is being vastly underutilized.
We are now working to not only compile and expand on the feedback we have received, but to design detailed questionnaires to provide to our supporters and beyond, with the goals being to help determine with more precision what impediments exist and to what degree and, most importantly, how to overcome them. We will keep you posted, and hope that you will not only participate, but also help spread the word to encourage others to do so as well.
We are also continuously vetting opportunities for additional research projects that meet our criteria. There are several avenues under consideration, and many areas that merit investigation, including additional work on inflammation and it's relationship to CKD, autoimmune reactions that may cause or exacerbate CKD, and CKD issues related to gut microbiome, which is an emerging topic of interest in various aspects of both feline and human medicine. There are so many factors to consider; to receive our support, projects must be evidence-based, well-designed***, and calculated to keep us steadily moving towards better treatments and cures. Finances are also a huge consideration; Feline CKD is a complex disease--research is never fast or easy, and we need to ensure that this mission is sustainable.
PLEASE HELP!! IT KEEPS THE MISSION MOVING FORWARD! THANK YOU!!
