My old cat has a dead kidney. Should it be removed or left alone?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 14 years and 7 months old | 5.5 lbs
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.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 8th, 2018
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.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 8th, 2018
Hello, sorry to hear about Randi. Its unlikely that the kidney is dead as this could be very severe and cause life threatening risks. If an organ is truly dead, then it needs to be removed as you are right, these toxins can be several dangerous. Whats more likely to be going on is that Randi likely has a non-functional kidney. The cells are still alive, just not doing their job sufficiently enough. If this is the case, there is no reason to remove the kidney as it is not causing any more harm by leaving it in there. In fact, if your cat has severe kidney disease, then removing a kidney could make its kidney disease worse. Finally, a nephrectomy (kidney removal surgery) is complicated and not benign by any means. There are greater potential for complications with bleeding and pain. You should clarify with your veterinarian wether the kidney is indeed dead or if it is just not functioning adequately. Hope this helps and best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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