Sessions

Extracorporeal renal replacement therapy (RRT) is applied in veterinary medicine to support dogs with advanced forms of acute kidney injury (AKI) and selected intoxications. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical features, hemodialysis procedures, complications, and outcomes of dogs receiving RRT at the Small Animal Clinic of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest between August 2024 and August 2026.

13 dogs undergoing a total of 42 intermittent hemodialysis treatments were included in the study. 9 dogs were treated using an intermittent hemodialysis platform (Fresenius CorDiax 5008, 35 treatments), while 4 dogs were treated using a continuous renal replacement therapy platform (Fresenius MultiFiltrate, 7 treatments). The indication for dialysis was AKI in 12 dogs and detoxification following ethylene glycol ingestion in 1 dog. Clinical and laboratory parameters at admission and during hospitalization, therapy characteristics, complications, supportive treatments, diagnoses and outcomes were evaluated. The most important parameters were also compared between survivors and non-survivors.

At presentation 46.15% of patients were anuric, 23.08% were oliguric, 23.08% were polyuric, and 7.69% had normal urine output. The most common clinical signs were lethargy and anorexia (92.31%), vomiting (76.92%), diarrhea (69.23%), oral ulcerations, and melena (30.77%). The mean serum creatinine concentration was 1007.08 ± 507.74 µmol/L, while urea levels reached 59.95 ± 32.19 mmol/L. Hyperphosphatemia (92.31%) and hyperkalemia (30.77%) were frequently observed. Hemodialysis was performed from 1 to 9 times per animal, with a mean treatment time of 4.89 ± 1.60 hours. Mean urea reduction ratio reached 60.46 ± 11.36%. Complications included clotting of the extracorporeal circuit (30.77%) and bleeding (38.46%). Blood transfusions were needed in 46.15% of dogs. The overall survival rate to hospital discharge was 53.85%, with 46.15% of the patients surviving 30 days post-discharge. Chronic kidney disease developed in 66.67% of the survivors. The only significant difference between survivors and non-survivors was the duration of anuria. It was significantly shorter in the survivor group (0.29 ± 0.49 days) than in non-survivors (9.83 ± 8.04 days) (p=0.033). Survival rate was highest in dogs with infectious diseases (leptospirosis, babesiosis) (100%) and lowest in cases without definitive diagnosis (37.5%).

Overall, the clinical characteristics, treatment efficacy, and outcomes observed were similar to those reported in previous studies.