Using Veterinary Practice Data to Improve Understanding of Canine Chronic Kidney Disease (In Progress)

People: Dan O'Neill, Jonathan Elliott, Noel Kennedy, Camilla Pegram, David Brodbelt

People: Maddy Mattin, Dan O’Neill, Rosanne Jepson, Jonathan Elliott, Noel Kennedy, Camilla Pegram, Dave Brodbelt

Dates: June 2025 – June 2026

Background  

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dogs is a progressive condition with a wide range of clinical manifestations that can have a negative impact on welfare. Early diagnosis and staging of CKD can facilitate management strategies to ameliorate clinical signs and support kidney function to optimise quality of life and limit disease progression1,2. Identifying risk factors for CKD could help veterinary surgeons determine which dogs might benefit from more frequent monitoring or diagnostic testing to detect CKD. The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) developed guidelines on the diagnosis, staging and treatment of CKD in small animals3. Evaluating the management of and adherence to IRIS guidelines in dogs diagnosed with CKD could highlight areas in which to improve the standard of care. Prognostic information regarding longevity is important to owners of dogs diagnosed with CKD. Robust data on CKD disease progression can also provide a benchmark to guide future therapeutic trials.

Previous epidemiological studies of CKD in dogs have largely used referral practice or pet insurance data4-7. There are few studies evaluating risk factors for or describing the clinical management and survival of dogs with CKD attending primary-care veterinary practices, making prognostication and evaluation of the current standard of care in this population a challenge.

This study will expand on previous VetCompass research8 to address key epidemiological questions relating to CKD in dogs. Data from VetCompass UK and VetCompass Australia will be analysed to compare the epidemiology of CKD in dogs in two different geographical regions. The results of this study could facilitate diagnosis and case management of dogs with CKD to improve animal welfare and provide insight into the longer-term outcome for dogs with this condition.


Aim and objectives:

The aim of this study is to describe the frequency, features and clinical management of CKD in dogs attending primary care practice and evaluate factors associated with CKD survival. 

Specifically, the project seeks to: ·        

  1. Estimate the prevalence and incidence of CKD in dogs attending UK primary care veterinary practices during 2023

  2. Describe the diagnosis and clinical management of CKD in this primary care setting
  3. Explore machine learning approaches and performance for case identification
  4. Calculate median survival time following diagnosis of CKD and identify factors associated with survival including IRIS staging.

Funding 

This project is funded by Zoetis.

Collaborators

VetCompass Australia

References

1. Polzin DJ. Chronic kidney disease in small animals. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2011;41:15-30.

2. Pedrinelli V, Lima DM, Duarte CN, et al. Nutritional and laboratory parameters affect the survival of dogs with chronic kidney disease. PLoS One 2020;15:e0234712. 3. IRIS. International Renal Interest Society. In: https://www.iris-kidney.com/iris-guidelines-1, ed. 2025.

4. Dunaevich A, Chen H, Musseri D, et al. Acute on chronic kidney disease in dogs: Etiology, clinical and clinicopathologic findings, prognostic markers, and survival. Journal of veterinary internal medicine 2020;34:2507-2515.

5. Bartlett PC, Van Buren JW, Bartlett AD, et al. Case-control study of risk factors associated with feline and canine chronic kidney disease. Veterinary medicine international 2010;2010.

6. Rudinsky AJ, Harjes LM, Byron J, et al. Factors associated with survival in dogs with chronic kidney disease. Journal of veterinary internal medicine 2018;32:1977-1982.

7. Pelander L, Ljungvall I, Egenvall A, et al. Incidence of and mortality from kidney disease in over 600,000 insured Swedish dogs. The Veterinary record 2015;176:656.

8. O'Neill DG, Elliott J, Church DB, et al. Chronic kidney disease in dogs in UK veterinary practices: prevalence, risk factors, and survival. Journal of veterinary internal medicine 2013;27:814-821.

Vet Compass Project Type: Dog

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