My old cat has a dead kidney. Should it be removed or left alone?

Question

Should a “dead” kidney be removed or left alone. My vet stated that the dead kidney is causing her symptoms (elevated heart rate, abnormal kidney values, appetite decreased, slow but steady weight loss) and that it should be removed. Do you agree? Randi is a fourteen + year old cat and her other kidney is ithe early second stage of kidney failure. I would greatly appreciate your opinion. Thank you. Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 14 years and 7 months old | 5.5 lbs

Linda G, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello. I would not recommend removing the kidney until you are absolutely sure it is the cause of all the problems. I assume all blood work & a urinalysis show the kidney problems & I assume at least an ultrasound was performed on the kidneys. I would suggest that you consider having an excretory urogram or nuclear scintigraphy performed to assess the functionality of both kidneys before putting Randi through surgery only to have the good kidney fail. A needle biopsy can also be done to see if the "dead" kidney truly needs to be removed.

My old cat has a dead kidney. Should it be removed or left alone?

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