Feline Kidney Disease Vs. Urinary Tract Infection

Though kidney disease and urinary tract infections are conditions experienced by organs in the urinary tract, they are different in length of illness and severity. Kidney disease constitutes a long-term problem; a urinary tract infection can be cleared up relatively quickly.

  1. Also Known As

    • Kidney disease is also known as renal disease or chronic renal failure. A urinary tract infection can also be referred to as a bladder infection, because although any urinary tract organs can be affected, they are most common in the bladder.

    Considerations

    • Kidney disease is usually combined with other health problems, such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism and high blood pressure, which must be addressed in order for treatment to be effective. Urinary tract infections are often localized to the bladder and show no signs in other areas of the body, such as fever or appetite loss.

    Cause

    • Kidney disease occurs when nephrons--filters located in the kidney to remove impurities in the bloodstream--are slowly replaced with scar tissue, rendering them non-functional. Bladder or urinary tract infections occur when the bacteria located in the lower urinary tract back up into the bladder, where they multiply and cause infection.

    Symptoms

    • Common symptoms of kidney disease include excessive urinating and water consumption, weight loss and vomiting. Urinary tract infection symptoms also include excessive urinating and water consumption but also feature trouble urinating, blood in the urine and urinating outside the litter box.

    Diagnosis

    • Various diagnostic tests are necessary to determine the presence of kidney disease, such as blood and urine tests and ultrasound. A urine culture and urinalysis are performed when urinary tract infection is suspected.

    Treatment

    • Kidney disease requires long-term treatment, usually in the form of a dietary change and medications designed to correct the various hormone changes associated with the disease. Urinary tract infections usually only require about two weeks of antibiotics to kill the infection.