What is the prognosis for dogs or cats diagnosed with chronic renal failure?
Once a patient develops chronic renal failure, the condition will continue to progress (chronic renal failure is irreversible and progressive). Early intervention with medical therapy may help to slow the progression of disease in some, and in most if not all cases, medical therapy helps patients with renal failure feel much better. Ultimately, with time, chronic renal failure advances to end-stage renal failure (a condition characterized by severe progressive clinical signs of the failing kidneys). In general (depending on stage of renal failure at time of diagnosis), patients can survive for months to years with a good quality of life using treatment and supportive therapy.
