The Kidney Hub
Everything you need when your dog or cat has kidney disease
From the first raised result to the long view: what the numbers actually mean, the treatments that change the outcome, what they cost in the UK, and how to give your pet good days at home.
Written and reviewed by vets. Honest about what works. Free to read.
The whole journey
One library, from diagnosis to the long view.
Evidence, not opinion
Every guide cites its sources and is checked by a second vet, with the date it was last reviewed shown.
Why this library exists
A kidney diagnosis is frightening. It is also, very often, manageable.
Chronic kidney disease is one of the most common conditions in older cats and dogs, and one of the most misunderstood. The diagnosis sounds final. For many pets it is not: with the right diet, the right monitoring and a few home-care skills, cats and dogs live comfortably with kidney disease for months or years.
This is our answer to the gap. The best kidney guidance online is written for cats and can be dense going. We cover cats and dogs equally, in plain English, following the whole journey from the first raised result to the long view. Every claim is backed by a source and checked by a second vet. None of it is behind a paywall.
Start here
New to this? Begin with these.
The four guides most owners need first, whether your pet was just diagnosed or you are still making sense of a blood test result.
Just had a result back?
Made sense of the numbers yet?
Kidney disease is often caught on routine senior bloods, before any symptoms. If your vet has mentioned a raised creatinine or SDMA, or your pet is an older cat or an at-risk breed, you can see where things stand in two minutes.
Why this is the place to come
Four things you will struggle to find together anywhere else in the UK.
The full library
The guide library, stage by stage
Kidney care changes as you go. These guides follow the journey, from the first raised result to living well with it long term. Read in order, or jump to where you are.
1Understanding the diagnosis
7 guides
Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats: What Every Owner Needs to Know
11 minA vet's honest, hopeful guide for anyone whose cat has just been diagnosed with kidney disease: what it means,…
Chronic Kidney Disease in Dogs: The Owner's Complete Guide
11 minThe dog-specific guide that is so hard to find: how canine kidney disease differs from the feline version, why…
Is Your Pet at Risk of Kidney Disease? Breeds and Early Signs
9 minKidney disease is most manageable when caught early, yet the first signs are the easiest to dismiss as ageing.…
Reading Your Pet's Kidney Bloods: A Plain-English Guide
11 minCreatinine, SDMA, urea, phosphate and urine concentration, explained one clue at a time. How to read your pet’…
Understanding IRIS Staging: What Your Pet's Stage Actually Means
13 minYour vet has given your pet a kidney "stage", and you want to know what it really means. IRIS staging is a map…
What Causes Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats and Dogs?
9 minAn honest answer to the question every owner asks: why did this happen, and did I cause it? How cats and dogs…
Your Pet Has Kidney Disease: The First 30 Days
9 minThe calm version of life after a kidney diagnosis: what genuinely needs doing this week, what can safely wait,…
2The treatments you control
6 guides
Helping Your Pet Feel Better: Comfort Medications for Kidney Disease
9 minSome kidney medicines slow the disease; these ones make your pet feel better today. The anti-nausea and appeti…
High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease: The Silent Risk
8 minHigh blood pressure rides along with kidney disease more often than owners realise, and it is dangerous precis…
Phosphate Binders: When the Renal Diet Isn't Enough
9 minControlling phosphate is one of the few things shown to change the course of kidney disease. What binders are,…
Potassium, Anaemia and Acidosis: The Supporting Cast of Kidney Disease
9 minBeyond the headline kidney numbers sit a few supporting problems: low potassium, anaemia and a gradual acidity…
Protein in the Urine: Why the UP/C Ratio Matters, Especially in Dogs
8 minProtein leaking into the urine is both a sign of kidney damage and, it appears, a driver of it, and it is one…
The Renal Diet: The Single Most Important Treatment You Control
10 minThe prescription renal diet is the single biggest lever you control, at the food bowl, every day, and it is th…
3Daily management
5 guides
Getting a Cat to Eat the Renal Diet: The Owner's Battle Plan
11 minThe renal diet is the single biggest lever you control, but only if your cat will actually eat it, and that is…
Everyday Life with a Kidney Patient: Litter, Comfort and Routine
8 minA kidney diagnosis can feel as though it is about to take over your whole house. It does not have to. A handfu…
Keeping Your Pet Hydrated: A Water Strategy for Kidney Disease
8 minA pet with kidney disease can be drinking more than ever and still be running close to dehydration, because fa…
Subcutaneous Fluids at Home: A Complete Beginner's Guide
11 minIf your vet has suggested giving fluids under the skin at home, the idea can be frightening: a needle, given b…
Weight and Muscle: The Home Signs That Matter Most
8 minWhen an older pet slowly loses weight, it is the easiest thing in the world to blame old age. But in kidney di…
4Complications and advanced options
4 guides
Concurrent Conditions: When Kidney Disease Doesn't Travel Alone
10 minOlder pets rarely have just one thing wrong, and kidney disease seldom travels alone: it overlaps with arthrit…
Acute-on-Chronic: Recognising and Responding to a Kidney Crisis
9 minChronic kidney disease is usually a slow, quiet story, but it can flare hard and fast, and when it does a frig…
Advanced Kidney Treatments: Dialysis, Transplant and What's on the Horizon
8 minAn honest, UK-grounded look at the big interventions and the research pipeline for kidney disease, neither cru…
Complementary and Unproven Kidney Treatments: What the Evidence Says
10 minWhen a diagnosis frightens you, the internet fills within minutes with products promising to help, and this is…
5Working with your vet
3 guides
The CKD Monitoring Schedule: What to Check and How Often, by Stage
9 minIf the rechecks for a pet with kidney disease are starting to feel relentless, it is worth asking the honest q…
What CKD Care Actually Costs in the UK: An Honest Breakdown
10 minMoney is a real and often heavy part of kidney disease, and almost nobody talks about it honestly, so this gui…
Getting the Most From Your Vet Appointments With a Kidney Patient
8 minManaging a pet with kidney disease is a partnership, and a slightly unusual one: you are the expert on your pe…
6The long view
3 guides
Living Well With Kidney Disease: Pets Who Thrive for Years
8 minThe words kidney failure can land like a death sentence, and for many pets, especially those caught early, the…
Quality of Life and Saying Goodbye: The Honest Conversation
11 minThe hardest part of loving an animal, approached with honesty and compassion, for whenever you need it. How to…
When Kidney Disease Progresses: Late-Stage Care and Comfort
8 minWhen kidney disease moves into its advanced stage, the goal gently shifts from slowing the disease to keeping…
Who writes this
Practising vets, named and accountable.
Every guide is written and reviewed by practising RCVS-registered vets from Greenway Veterinary Group. Each article names its author and the vet who reviewed it, shows when it was last checked, and links to the studies behind its claims. If we cannot back something up, we do not say it.
Free printable downloads
Vet-built worksheets and trackers. Print at home, no signup required.
Renal Diet Transition Planner
PDF · 270 KBA day-by-day plan for moving your pet onto a renal diet at a pace that actually sticks. The transition ladder, tricks for winning round a fussy eater, and somewhere to record what worked. The renal diet is the change with the strongest evidence behind it, so it is worth getting right.
Medication & Supplement Schedule
PDF · 204 KBYour pet's whole kidney regime on one page: every medicine and supplement, what each is for, the dose you fill in from your vet, and a tick grid for the week. Keeps the day straight so nothing is missed or doubled.
CKD Home Tracker
PDF · 247 KBA weekly record of the signs that matter in kidney disease: appetite, drinking, nausea, energy and weight, one page per week. The trend across the weeks tells you far more than any single day, and the red-flag list shows when to ring the vet.
Sub-Q Fluids: Checklist & Log
PDF · 306 KBEverything you need to give fluids under the skin at home with confidence: a kit list, the steps in order, what is normal and what is not, and a running log to bring to rechecks. Daunting at first, routine within a fortnight.
Bloodwork Trend Sheet
PDF · 224 KBYour pet's kidney numbers side by side over time, with plain-English context for each marker: creatinine, SDMA, phosphate, potassium, urine protein and blood pressure. Kidney disease is about the direction of travel, not a single snapshot.
Appointment Question List
PDF · 163 KBThe right questions for where you are right now, from newly diagnosed to reviewing treatment and the longer view. Tick what fits, write the answers on the lines, and leave the consult understanding the plan rather than just nodding along.
UK Cost Planner
PDF · 231 KBPlan the year ahead with clear eyes. Typical UK cost ranges for diet, medicines, monitoring and fluids, room for your own quotes, and the practical ways to make it manageable, from insurance to written prescriptions. Money worries should never quietly steer the medical decisions.
Quality-of-Life Assessment
PDF · 264 KBA gentle way to take stock of how your pet is really doing, across the things that matter most in kidney disease. There is no score to be afraid of here. Something to return to over time, and to share honestly with the people who know your pet.